-
@meta – yes, the Gold card is arguably better designed for travellers. Amex relies on the US model where there are plenty of people who will hold a full portfolio of Amex and other reward cards whereas people are more picky in Europe partly owing to lower rewards.
As you say also the Plat isn’t really aimed at serious travellers who have airline lounge access and the hotel ‘benefits’ are trivial.
I’m obviously a bit thick, but the idea of dining credits being seen as a ‘benefit’ escapes me. They have to have a high fee so the card somehow seems ‘special’ I suppose.
Tbf to Amex, this is supposed to be a card for travellers.
I guess people will just complain about anything.
I personally see the Gold card as more of a card for travellers with all the bonus points available on airline bookings, FX spend etc than this pretentious, over-priced product
Tbf to Amex, this is supposed to be a card for travellers.
I guess people will just complain about anything.
It’s not designed for travellers because it ignores at least 70% of the world. No restaurants in large parts of the world nothing in Portugal, Greece, Croatia as one of the major tourist destinations in Europe, nothing in South America, Africa, Middle East, large parts of Asia. Even US offer is quite weak, no San Francisco for example.
UK dining credit and HN credit are hardly designed for travellers.
Hotel benefits are very low key and don’t offer much apart from maybe Hilton Gold so pretty much useless to travellers. Priority Pass does not include restaurants.
Insurance is perhaps the only thing that is designed for travellers properly.
See here’s where you’re missing the mark.
It’s for travellers who stay a few nights a year at different brands or only take a few trips. No one said it’s for a 100 night a year road warrior, they’ll get status somewhere anyway. Hiwever, it gives every holder the chance to become a mid twirl status holder and gives them a chance of a better room not over looking the bins.
Hilton gold gives breakfast, lounge access if you’re upgraded to an exec room (really good chance you will) and more points don’t know what your gripe is with it.
Re the countries excluded Amex don’t issue cards there so unlikely they have people on the ground to do a deal. Theres also the fact the local restaurant is meant to part fund … you’re going to find it difficult in these countries.
I do find the lack of Middle East strange
I like the updated global dining credit. I got smarter about dining at times when set menus (e.g. the pre-theatre menus available at restaurants around London’s Theatreland) this year – I can get a lot of mileage from the £100 in each six-month period.
HN is somewhere I wouldn’t have gone if not for the credit, but it got me money off either a bottle of something nice or a posh* Polo shirt twice a year. I’ll miss it. I read the extension to June 2025 as an extension to this year’s second-half credit (which I’ve already spent).
* Mr. Unashamedly M&S/Uniqlo here, unless either a credit or Amex Delayed Baggage Insurance is paying.
“read the extension to June 2025 as an extension to this year’s second-half credit (which I’ve already spent).”
Nope it will renew on Jan 1st
“read the extension to June 2025 as an extension to this year’s second-half credit (which I’ve already spent).”
Nope it will renew on Jan 1st
Possibly. Remains to be seen.
“read the extension to June 2025 as an extension to this year’s second-half credit (which I’ve already spent).”
Nope it will renew on Jan 1st
Possibly. Remains to be seen.
Rob said it would and the updated terms on the offer last night before it disappeared said it would.
Save this American Express Platinum Card benefit to your Card® and spend in store and online at Harvey Nichols by 30/6/2025 to get 100% back on eligible transactions made up to £50, Benefit valid once every 6 months. Terms, payment restrictions and future communications about this benefit will apply.
I’m inclined to think it most probably will.
Still no sign of the HN offer in the available or saved offers list.
Re the countries excluded Amex don’t issue cards there so unlikely they have people on the ground to do a deal. Theres also the fact the local restaurant is meant to part fund … you’re going to find it difficult in these countries.
This is not true. There are Amex cards issued in so many countries that are not on the list and many restaurants and establishments are set up to accept Amex.
They don’t need people on the ground to do a deal, just pick up the phone and call. I also don’t buy that it will be difficult for a high end restaurant in Portugal or Greece or Philippines not to agree to part fund it.
And also there are plenty of booking platforms they could partner with like they did for Japan.
@meta just pick up the phone and cold call? Are you for real ?
Yes there are many excluded countries that issue cards but NOT Portugal or Greece.
And others like UAE are franchised to bank of Bahrain not directly operated. So it’s not Amex as such.
I would have preferred the priority pass reservation credits to be enhanced to unlimited
I would have preferred the priority pass reservation credits to be enhanced to unlimited
Will be too expensive for Amex as by default everyone will book before visiting.
Am actually surprised Amex hasn’t introduced the cap on using priority pass like other countries in Europe.
@TGLoyalty Yes, just pick the phone/send an email, etc. I don’t know whey there is fear to call someone out of the blue. Some of best business deals I did, happened as a result of cold calling.
@meta just pick up the phone and cold call? Are you for real ?
Yes there are many excluded countries that issue cards but NOT Portugal or Greece.
And others like UAE are franchised to bank of Bahrain not directly operated. So it’s not Amex as such.
There isn’t really a correlation between no dining credit options and Amex presence. Amex is big in South America and even has two Centurion Lounges but no dining options. The same applies across Eastern Europe, China and many more countries.
PS. Picking up the telephone is a very useful business tool since most people can’t or don’t, preferring to hide behind an email.
HN offer with revised end date now back on saved list.
Virgin Atlantic Holidays- spend £4,000 get £400 back is on my Plat card.
First 15,000 sign-ups. Expires 28 November 2024.
Tbf to Amex, this is supposed to be a card for travellers.
I guess people will just complain about anything.
It’s not designed for travellers because it ignores at least 70% of the world. No restaurants in large parts of the world nothing in Portugal, Greece, Croatia as one of the major tourist destinations in Europe, nothing in South America, Africa, Middle East, large parts of Asia. Even US offer is quite weak, no San Francisco for example.
UK dining credit and HN credit are hardly designed for travellers.
Hotel benefits are very low key and don’t offer much apart from maybe Hilton Gold so pretty much useless to travellers. Priority Pass does not include restaurants.
Insurance is perhaps the only thing that is designed for travellers properly.
See here’s where you’re missing the mark.
It’s for travellers who stay a few nights a year at different brands or only take a few trips. No one said it’s for a 100 night a year road warrior, they’ll get status somewhere anyway. Hiwever, it gives every holder the chance to become a mid twirl status holder and gives them a chance of a better room not over looking the bins.
Hilton gold gives breakfast, lounge access if you’re upgraded to an exec room (really good chance you will) and more points don’t know what your gripe is with it.
Re the countries excluded Amex don’t issue cards there so unlikely they have people on the ground to do a deal. Theres also the fact the local restaurant is meant to part fund … you’re going to find it difficult in these countries.
I do find the lack of Middle East strange
You’d think a card aimed at travellers would include bonus points on things like airline and hotel spend, since collection of points is also likely to be appealing to travellers.
A hypothetical holiday where you’ve spent £2,000 on flights booked direct with the airline, £3,000 on hotel booked via Amex Travel and £2,000 in FX spend while abroad would net you 10,000 MR points if you hold a Platinum card, whereas a Gold card holder (theoretically an inferior product) winds up with 17,000 MR points, plus a potential 2,500 or even 5,000 bonus depending on what other spend they’ve put through the card up to that point.
“ You’d think a card aimed at travellers would include bonus points on things like airline and hotel spend, since collection of points is also likely to be appealing to travellers.”
Agree. That’s its weakest point. I don’t spend on mine other than triggering offers. I use Gold day to day.
Though Rob mentioned Amex see it as part of a suite of cards. Though don’t know how that works with them changing them all to credit cards.
Platinum charge plus BAPP or Gold credit kind of made sense but don’t think anything but a small number of consumers actually sees it that way.
I had hoped for at least a smidge of revolution for next year, instead I have the added complication of trying to find two occasions to use each of the dining credits instead of one. The joys of living in the sticks, I might actually have to resort to overpriced microwave food from the Ivy, £20 of value from a £100 credit anyone?
Perhaps we could infer that pro-rata refunds are staying even into 2025, given that the credits are now split into 2x half yearly £100?
If they had given each as £200 lump sums, there could be people using both in full early in the year (getting £400 back), and then cancel for most of their £650 back.
@meta just pick up the phone and cold call? Are you for real ?
Yes there are many excluded countries that issue cards but NOT Portugal or Greece.
And others like UAE are franchised to bank of Bahrain not directly operated. So it’s not Amex as such.
There isn’t really a correlation between no dining credit options and Amex presence. Amex is big in South America and even has two Centurion Lounges but no dining options. The same applies across Eastern Europe, China and many more countries.
PS. Picking up the telephone is a very useful business tool since most people can’t or don’t, preferring to hide behind an email.
China is JV with Liantong (Hangzhou) Technology Service Co., Ltd. but China have retaliated with its own IT sanctions against companies trading in the US so no idea if this has an impact
Which big Eastern European countries we talking about? Poland and Romania don’t issue consumer cards, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro are franchise
I can keep listing but I’m getting bored … feel free to list all the missing Amex controlled markets.
Post above was stuck in moderation since yesterday for some reason
But Re Mexico have you actually looked at their offer in Mexico? Only commercial cards. Pretty sure the lounges are there because of the frequency of travel by its US cardholders not because of what they have locally.
The what’s a Central/HQ vs region vs market led activity is always a nuisance people don’t believe/understand exists but it happens in all major global corporations.
I also know first had asking JVs and licensed operators to do things is far more difficult than JFDI you can give your wholly owned markets.
And re picking up the phone. How do you treat cold calls from financial institutions or salesman? I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.
Anyway I’ll leave this there as not going back and forth on the same subject.
The benefits seem to have been confirmed so can’t see much more legs for this.
@TGLoyalty – when I referred to two Centurion lounges in South America, I was talking about Buenos Aires and São Paulo not Mexico as that country is in North America and one where Amex does issue personal cards. The rest doesn’t bear analysis.
Virgin Atlantic Holidays- spend £4,000 get £400 back is on my Plat card.
First 15,000 sign-ups. Expires 28 November 2024.
Wrong thread – sorry – please delete!
Out of curiosity which of you have either downgraded or cancelled their Platinum card(s) as a result of the upcoming 2025 changes?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
