Strategy to obtain US Amex

[albyd]

Everyone's situation varies. For me, I don't spend disproportionately at Restaurants so the Green Charge works well for me - categories I use qualify and that includes dining out aso I use it for buying my morning coffee where as in the past, I used my Aussie Platinum Charge when Dining was a bonus category. Supermarkets Worldwide as a bonus category would work well - replacing the Platinum Edge at near 3 FF/$A with the exchange rate where it is - shame about the $US25,000 annoual cap on supermarket spend. Guess we can always hope

 

[PPS_SYD]

I love the Green, it's a good card at the $150 price point.

It used to be that 7-Eleven's without a petrol station attached coded as dining and earned 3x. You could buy all kinds of GC's and use them for other expenses. Sadly, this no longer works.

That makes Citi Premier the stand out card (if you can get it) with a much lower annual fee and no 'US only' restrictions that come with Amex cards.

 

[albyd]

I love the Green, it's a good card at the $150 price point.

It used to be that 7-Eleven's without a petrol station attached coded as dining and earned 3x. You could buy all kinds of GC's and use them for other expenses. Sadly, this no longer works.

That makes Citi Premier the stand out card (if you can get it) with a much lower annual fee and no 'US only' restrictions that come with Amex cards.

Hi @Rohit thanks for sharing that Hack. Shame it doesn't work with Amex Green anymore. I have the Citi Premier. Will non-fuel 7-Elevens code as "Fuel" or "Dining" with the Citi card and therefore trigger the bonus points? at current Exchange rates, that's still a respectable 2.1 FF/$. Guess have to also deal with Exchange rate risk.

 

[mrsquare]

There’s more to it than that. For example, the Gold Card earns 4 x points for restaurants worldwide. The Green Card earns 3 x points on restaurants/transport/travel (including hotels, car rental, tolls, fares, taxi) worldwide. Not just for the US.

Or, were you just highlighting the benefits that you understand as not applying outside of the US?

Sorry, should have been more specific. I do understand the categories you’ve mentioned as earning those ppd’s.

However, the Gold card for example has a 4x points on supermarket spend, but only in the US I believe? I assume that if we spent using that card at Aus supermarkets, we’d only be accruing 1x points?

Post automatically merged: Feb 7, 2022

@Rohit That’s a shame indeed. I would have jumped on that!

 

[albyd]

There's also a $US25,000 limit so we can't give it a workout like the Edge card used to get in the old days

 

[mrsquare]

There's also a $US25,000 limit so we can't give it a workout like the Edge card used to get in the old days

So the 4x supermarket spend works at Aus supermarkets too? Wording seems to indicate only US supermarkets.

 

[PPS_SYD]

Hi @Rohit thanks for sharing that Hack. Shame it doesn't work with Amex Green anymore. I have the Citi Premier. Will non-fuel 7-Elevens code as "Fuel" or "Dining" with the Citi card and therefore trigger the bonus points? at current Exchange rates, that's still a respectable 2.1 FF/$. Guess have to also deal with Exchange rate risk.

I am not sure cos I don't (yet) have the Premier, but both dining and gas station are 3x so shouldn't matter. 3x on supermarkets to me is the biggest deal on Premier. As well as groceries you could buy GC's and pretty much earn 3x on everything.

One minor downside is unlike Green which has a very broad definition of travel, Premier only offers 3x on flights & hotels. Someone who uses lots of public transport (trains, buses, ferry, Ola, Uber etc) might be better off with Green. Last year I paid for my ferry to Kangaroo Island on Green and that earned 3x too.

 

[PPS_SYD]

So the 4x supermarket spend works at Aus supermarkets too? Wording seems to indicate only US supermarkets.

4x on Supermarkets is US only which makes Gold a one trick pony. Other benefits such as Uber cash and so on are also US specific.

 

[http_x92]

When they mean bonus categories on US supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants etc it really has to be located in the US. Starbucks on the US app can be used in Australia but haven’t tried it to see if there is bonus earn on US only restaurants.

 

[albyd]

I’ve been using my Premier for supermarkets in AU including Aldi & for fuel (funnily enough at 7-Eleven mostly). If the Premier does I’m fact code as a 3x category at the non fuel outlets, then we may have 2.2 points per $A at current exchange rates which while not as good as the old 3 with Edge, isn’t too shabby - that is as long as the spike in volumes doesn’t lead Citi US to reclassify or more likely 7-Eleven to request it given that international issued card will cost them a lot more in merchant fees.

 

[Daventry]

Is it worth getting the US Amex Platinum? I know it has the best signup bonus but the earning rate seems to be 1x except for flights and prepaid hotels where you get 5x.

Does the Uber credit work outside US?

I've been reading that you should keep your oldest US card to build up your credit score so I'm not sure if the $695 can be justified.

 

[PPS_SYD]

Is it worth getting the US Amex Platinum? I know it has the best signup bonus but the earning rate seems to be 1x except for flights and prepaid hotels where you get 5x.

Does the Uber credit work outside US?

I've been reading that you should keep your oldest US card to build up your credit score so I'm not sure if the $695 can be justified.

The thing with Welcome Bonus is that they are ever changing. A while ago, the Platinum had an offer of 10x on Global restaurants for 6 months, besides the 100k bonus. So that made Platinum very attractive. Gone now.

If you can, sit tight and wait for a better offer to come around. Unlike Oz, US cards have a once-in-a-lifetime condition on welcome bonus. Best not to settle for an inferior offer when recent history suggest welcome bonus' are continually trending up.

 

[Daventry]

The thing with Welcome Bonus is that they are ever changing. A while ago, the Platinum had an offer of 10x on Global restaurants for 6 months, besides the 100k bonus. So that made Platinum very attractive. Gone now.

If you can, sit tight and wait for a better offer to come around. Unlike Oz, US cards have a once-in-a-lifetime condition on welcome bonus. Best not to settle for an inferior offer when recent history suggest welcome bonus' are continually trending up.

I think that offer is still around: Resy | Right This Way

"
Earn 125,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at restaurants worldwide on up to $25,000 during your first 6 months of Card Membership. † That's an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases"

 

[PPS_SYD]

I think that offer is still around: Resy | Right This Way

"
Earn 125,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at restaurants worldwide on up to $25,000 during your first 6 months of Card Membership. † That's an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases"

Ah yes.

So this offer was originally for 15x on Global dining, now 10x. Still very good but something tells me there are better offers ahead.

 

[DC3]

… I've been reading that you should keep your oldest US card to build up your credit score so I'm not sure if the $695 can be justified.

Ideally, keep the first card, or at least be able to downgrade it to a fee-free or low-fee card, and it would need to be in the same card ‘family’.

 

[http_x92]

I think in the US market, cardholders tend to go the downgrade-upgrade route when bonus points offers are on rather than cancelling it. They also get to keep the same card. On flyertalk I heard they get offered an upgrade from Hilton no annual fee to the Surpass with bonus points once or twice a year.

 

[Daventry]

Ideally, keep the first card, or at least be able to downgrade it to a fee-free or low-fee card, and it would need to be in the same card ‘family’.

If downgrading from Platinum to Green, does it count as a new card application/Global Transfer etc?

 

[DC3]

If downgrading from Platinum to Green, does it count as a new card application/Global Transfer etc?

I have neither. However, I understand that it would just be a downgrade from one card to another card, not a new card application, and annual fees are recalculated pro rata, if necessary. Although, usually need to hold the card for 12 months in order to keep any bonus. Seems to be done over the phone. Maybe someone else has done this and can add more.

Edited

 

[PPS_SYD]

I have neither. However, I understand that it would just be a downgrade from one card to another card, and annual fees are calculated pro rata. Seems to be done over the phone. Maybe someone else has done this and can add more.

Not a new application & no change to your credit score or 5/24.

Careful though, you should only ever product change to a card where you have already earned the welcome bonus.

If you change to a card where you haven’t, the product change will make you ineligible for a welcome bonus on that card, even if you have never actually earned one.

 

[Daventry]

Not a new application & no change to your credit score or 5/24.

Careful though, you should only ever product change to a card where you have already earned the welcome bonus.

If you change to a card where you haven’t, the product change will make you ineligible for a welcome bonus on that card, even if you have never actually earned one.

So something like get Platinum, then Green. Once you get the bonuses, cancel Green and downgrade Platinum to Green?