question about credit cards & reward programs....

A

AR182

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i thought that i would present this here before i spend time looking for this on my own...

we presently have a credit card that gives us....

1 mile for every $1.00 spent....with any airline....

the cc company also has contracts with 2 hotels...

mariott & ritz carlton.....but no hotels in vegas..

i'm looking for a reward credit card that deals with any airline (like i have) & most hotels....

is there such a thing...

thanks for any help...
 
saint

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Yes, the American Express Gold Rewards Card. I have this and have been very happy with it. In fact, you can get this with any of the amex rewards cards.

Cons: Annual fee (I think 90$ for the first card and 35$ for the 2nd). They waive the annual fee the first year. To me, the customer service that comes w/ the card is worth it...I had to get some help while traveling one time and amex came up huge. The travel benefits alone make it worth it to me. Also, I think if you buy something on the card and find a printed ad with a cheaper price, they refund the difference.

Oh yeah, and another "con". It's a charge card, not a credit card. That pretty much means you can't leave balances on the card. That's how amex is...you have to pay it off in full each month. They do have cards that allow balances (blue, optima etc) but the rewards program is not as good.

With the flights it's just an okay deal. 2 points=1 airline mile in most cases. To me the flexibility and variety of awards is worth that shortcoming.

Another negative is some places don't take amex cause they charge a higher merchant fee.

With that said, you get double points on gas, groceries and your cell phone bill if you pay it with the amex. You can use your points on ANYTHING...flights, hotels anywhere, products, etc etc etc. They have all the top hotels in vegas for example. To me, I wanted a card that would allow me this flexibility and not lock me in to a specific airline or hotel chain.

When you open an account you get 5k free points and for each additional card 1500 points.

I was looking for what you stated, and after my research got good reviews on this card. I've been very happy with it.

I will find some links to the rewards pages so you can check them out.
 
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MadJack

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i have 110,794 amex reward points. that can get me airfare for free? i never paid much attention to the rewards. they send a catalog every once in awhile and you can't get a whole lot with the points i have.
 
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MadJack said:
i have 110,794 amex reward points. that can get me airfare for free? i never paid much attention to the rewards. they send a catalog every once in awhile and you can't get a whole lot with the points i have.
Click to expand...


I just did a really quick search jack. On delta for example, 2000pts=1000 sky miles. So you have around 60k delta miles. I did a very quick search randomly from Dulles to Las vegas, which would cost you 50k miles. So yes, you do have enough to get at least 1 flight.
 
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kneifl....

the credit card i am talking about is capital one....the interest rate is 5.9% fixed.

saint....

thanks very much for your responses...i greatly appreciate it....

i already have the amex gold card.....the rewards program is paying for our 3 day stay in vegas at the mgm......

the other hotels that amex uses in vegas is the belaggio, the venetian & 1 or 2 hotels at las vegas lake(i think that the name of the place)....

i was just looking for a card that deals with more vegas hotels...
 
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by the way the 3 day stay at the mgm is costing me 60,000 points.....

i looked up the rates for the mgm the weekend that we will be in vegas & the cost is $185 + tax per night which i figure is $200 per night....
 
saint

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AR182 said:
by the way the 3 day stay at the mgm is costing me 60,000 points.....

i looked up the rates for the mgm the weekend that we will be in vegas & the cost is $185 + tax per night which i figure is $200 per night....
Click to expand...

Did you go straight off the rewards site? I thought a room at the mgm was more than 20k?? Just looking to maximize my benefits.
 
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thanks marine for the info....

saint...

i just got off the phone with amex.....

i asked the woman why i was paying $150 per year for membership while you are paying $125....

the woman told me that i have the rewards plus gold card & you have the rewards gold card....

her answer about the difference between the 2 gave me a headache...so she'll mail me some literature on it.....

in simple terms...do you know what the difference is ?
 
saint

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Gold Rewards Plus:

# Earn 1 Membership Rewards? point for virtually every dollar you spend
# Earn 2 points at supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores and more
# Earn additional points with select travel partners
# Up to 5 Fee-Free Additional Cards
# Gold Card Events
# Free Shipping and Handling

Buy the things you need. Get rewarded with things you want
# Earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on Card purchases
# Earn 2 points for virtually every dollar you spend at stand-alone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, the U.S. Postal Service (excluding bulk mail), or to pay your wireless phone bill
# Earn 2 points for virtually every dollar charged on purchases with our Membership Rewards airline and hotel partners during your first year of Card membership, and 1.5 points for virtually every dollar charged with these partners thereafter.
# Redeem points for rewards from 21 airlines, hundreds of hotels worldwide, vacation packages, over 50 cruise itineraries, and spa retreats
# Transfer points into 11 frequent flyer programs -- 1 point for 1 airline mile with most programs
# Redeem points for rewards from over 50 of the finest names in shopping and entertainment, including Banana Republic, Saks Fifth Avenue, COACH?, DellTM Computer, Callaway? Golf, and The Sharper Image?
# Points have no expiration date and there is no limit to the number of points you can earn3

Gold Rewards:

* Earn 1 Membership Rewards OptionsSM point for virtually every dollar you spend
* Earn 2 points at supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores and more
* Gold Card Events
* Free Shipping and Handling
* Global Assist? Plus Hotline
* Earn the shopping rewards you really want. Really fast

Buy the things you need. Get rewarded with things you want
# Earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on Card purchases
# Earn 2 points for virtually every dollar you spend at stand-alone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, the U.S. Postal Service (excluding bulk mail), or to pay your wireless phone bill
# Redeem points for rewards from over 50 of the finest names in shopping and entertainment, including DellTM Computer, Callaway? Golf, and The Sharper Image?
# Transfer points into 11 frequent flyer programs -- 2 points for 1 airline mile with most programs
# Redeem points for travel certificates from 6 of our domestic and international airline partners
# Points have no expiration date
# There is no limit to the number of points you can earn2
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Not much to me. You get up to 5 free cards...me I have to pay 35 extra. So, if you only have 2 cards it looks like you are paying 25$ extra for the same stuff I get, minus the fact that you get double points w/ preferred hotels and airlines, which I don't.

I'd say if you have 3 cards, it'd be worth it to save you the 10$, but if you only have two cards it doesn't look like much :shrug:
 
kneifl

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lol...Bahama Mama! She's not thrilled she can't go to vegas with me and got pissed when I told her I got a dead center front row seat to the newest Cirque show:D

Marine, thanks for the help, links most useful.

Al, you should really check out the Amex Starpoints card, looks like a superb deal. I just signed up and I got a nice credit line as well:D Now what to do with my existing Amex card...

kneifl
 
DOGS THAT BARK

DOGS THAT BARK

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Interesting thread---You can get get AMEX gold with no annual fees if you have their brokerage account for stocks--now called Ameriprise--however they will not waive fees on existing gold card in lieu of new card--which makes no sense. Thanks for heads up on places to redeem for vegas. Got 57,000 points that I need to use sometime and might come in handy on vegas trip.
 
kneifl

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The Boys said:
Costco:

http://www.costco.com/Service/FeaturePage.aspx?ProductNo=11096978&cm_re=1-_-Right_Nav-_-Amex
Click to expand...

Hey the boys -

I've got that card (It's the amex I currently have). Do you have one and have you had one for a while? When do you get the rewards? I'm just wondering if they send you a check at the end of the year or what? Also, a little peeved about it, got a 2k credit line with this one and the Amex Starpoints card I signed up for yest gave me a 20k credit line (I was hoping to get at least 3-5k when I signed up for the costco card).

kneifl
 
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kneifl said:
Hey the boys -

I've got that card (It's the amex I currently have). Do you have one and have you had one for a while? When do you get the rewards? I'm just wondering if they send you a check at the end of the year or what? Also, a little peeved about it, got a 2k credit line with this one and the Amex Starpoints card I signed up for yest gave me a 20k credit line (I was hoping to get at least 3-5k when I signed up for the costco card).

kneifl
Click to expand...

No I sure don't have that card........try this:

Costco Disclosures and Membership Billing
Costco will be sending all of the information you provide on this application, including membership information and the approximate amount of your annual spending at Costco to help you obtain the highest credit limit possible. Your Costco membership fee will be charged to your American Express card on the first day of your renewal month, and will qualify toward your annual rebate. Costco may also receive updated card account information from American Express. If you?d rather pay for your renewal by check, which will not qualify toward your rebate, please call us at 1-800-774-2678 after you receive your new American Express Card.
 
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