Reduced AMEX earn rates from April 2019

[potm]

It’s about striking the right balance for your own circumstance. Having enough banked to always be able to meet your travel needs is the goal. Everything over that is of no use to you. Thinking 20 years ahead in this game is pointless, pardon the pun.

I would be looking at other ways you can get value of points and credit card spending now. Like albyd, I also transferred a lot of points to SPG last year to meet my accomodation needs for the next few years, when it was at a very favourable rate.

With a surplus of points, even options that provide less value are viable, as long as you get a greater benefit than the cost of obtaining the points and have no better use for them.

 

[andye]

It is an interesting point that if you are paying a surcharge to earn them, you are significantly increasing their cost* if you don't spend them for 10 years

On the flip side, it's not all devaluation in airline programmes-20 years ago there were no lie-flat beds in J and no suites in F


* assuming you would otherwise invest the money in something that has interest growth higher than airfare inflation

 

[daft009]

No - only Explorer + Edge and wife has Explorer of her own.
When I move to Centurion and cancel these 3 cards I will "save" the $1000 these 3 cards cost per annum. I have never actually used the travel credits (shameful!).

having a platinum albeit late to the party (applied Nov) i think is what really got me the doubling offer as my spend and balances are nothing like yours

 

[Doctore1003]

If all expenses are business related and you are in the highest tax bracket, the cost falls to:
Centurion $2991
Platinum $3293
The above is a best case scenario and assumes 48% tax rate of the credit card fees.

Am I missing something? The company tax rate is 27.5 / 30% - how do you get hundreds of thousands of dollars of business expenses on your personal income tax return?

 

[ms1]

Am I missing something? The company tax rate is 27.5 / 30% - how do you get hundreds of thousands of dollars of business expenses on your personal income tax return?

Presumably a sole trader.

 

[B0RDEX]

So it sounds like AM isn't a worthwhile option after all. Unfortunately I only really travel to Canada from PER, so I don't see that VA or KF would be terribly useful for me... Is AM really that bad of an option to transfer to? I only have 225,000 Ascent points, so not a huge amount, but it's taken me a while to accumulate them (small spender!) so I definitely don't want to lose them or transfer them to somewhere that I'll end up losing them! Any help would be appreciated!

 

[burmans]

I think an SQ point is worth more than other airline points.

As do I but am not sure I regard them as more than twice the value. To be specific with an example, while I'd rather than have 1 SQ point than 1 VA point, if I had say 100K "spare" points in my account I think I would prefer to transfer to VA 100K points pre-devaluation that 50K to SQ after.

 

[Aumelle]

Is anyone expecting AmEx to run another bonus points promotion before the devaluation kicks in next month? Has there ever been a Krisflyer one, similar to Velocity, where you can get up to 15%/20% extra points?

 

[bbqwer]

Is anyone expecting AmEx to run another bonus points promotion before the devaluation kicks in next month? Has there ever been a Krisflyer one, similar to Velocity, where you can get up to 15%/20% extra points?

KF Never

 

[SOPOOR]

17 days before deval. I'd suggest alll promos are done

 

[Doctore1003]

17 days before deval. I'd suggest alll promos are done

It would be pretty bad form if there were no offers in the days leading up to the 15th. I’m hoping something is announced next week.

 

[Saltywings]

It would be pretty bad form if there were no offers in the days leading up to the 15th. I’m hoping something is announced next week.

The deval itself was bad form (other than the amount of notice given which I can't begrudge Amex for). I don't expect another offer in the lead-up to April.

 

[burmans]

It would be pretty bad form if there were no offers in the days leading up to the 15th. I’m hoping something is announced next week.

Not sure why you think they would want to offer an incentive to transfer when for most of us the devaluation is a big incentive already.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

It would be pretty bad form if there were no offers in the days leading up to the 15th. I’m hoping something is announced next week.

Why does ‘The Castle’ keep popping in to my mind? Maybe I was just ‘dreamin’

 

[Aumelle]

Not sure why you think they would want to offer an incentive to transfer when for most of us the devaluation is a big incentive already.

Assuming the bonus points will be (co-)funded by the airlines, it could well be that some have reached out to AmEx agreeing on less $ per points in return for higher overall transactions. For an airline’s loyalty scheme, it seems to me that promotions and major overhauls like this are a nice way to inject a lump sum of cash into the business.

 

[Aumelle]

Not sure why you think they would want to offer an incentive to transfer when for most of us the devaluation is a big incentive already.

Assuming the bonus points will be (co-)funded by the airlines, it could well be that some have reached out to AmEx agreeing on less $ per points in return for higher overall transactions. For an airline’s loyalty scheme, it seems to me that promotions and major overhauls like this are a nice way to inject a lump sum of cash into the business.

 

[ninja-tim]

Missed a lot of this thread so skimmed the last bit of pages, but am I correct in saying that some Plat/Cent cardholders have been rejected the double points offer upon request?

I've been offered verbally after requesting and in the online chat, after requesting. I have kept a copy of the chat "just in case" since I never received the actual letter. Will have to remember where I put that document though

 

[Saltywings]

Missed a lot of this thread so skimmed the last bit of pages, but am I correct in saying that some Plat/Cent cardholders have been rejected the double points offer upon request?

I've been offered verbally after requesting and in the online chat, after requesting. I have kept a copy of the chat "just in case" since I never received the actual letter. Will have to remember where I put that document though

Some, though not many. It seems most plats get the doubling offer. Not enough cent data to know for sure (which well, makes sense).

Speaking of which, did you call a particular branch of Amex to request a points doubling? Or was it just the generic MR number on the back of the card?

 

[potm]

There is a new Qantas transfer bonus offer from 1 April until 14 April but it seems targeted. I did not receive an email with the offer.

Transfer your points | Qantas Frequent Flyer

The terms at the bottom state that you need to have received the email.

 

[SOPOOR]

There is a new Qantas transfer bonus offer from 1 April until 14 April but it seems targeted. I did not receive an email with the offer.

Transfer your points | Qantas Frequent Flyer

The terms at the bottom state that you need to have received the email.

I think I read somewhere on a previous deal that if its auto transferred via your bank, the bonus doesnt apply