Hilton hasn't been affected by family language, but for goodness sake, please apply from low to high. Amex will change the terms whenever they feel like it.
Just found your channel and absolutely love it! Find your explanations clear and your content so relatable. Im struggling to use the reward seat checker on VS. I’ve tried changing the origin and destination airports in the url but doesn’t work for me. Any tips on using it to find non-Uk flights? Thank you!
Great video! The breakdown of benefits and strategies is super helpful. I didn’t even realize how much value I was leaving on the table with Amex Offers. Time to maximize these perks - thanks for the tips!
Use those benefits, use those benefits, use those benefits. Too often, they're left on the table. And, learn the best transfer partners and values. Good video Dan. Thank you.
Quick Question: Since you mentioned that having a corporate card could get you a credit on a personal card. Would it make sense to go for the corporate card before going for the personal cards ladder?
Aweome content Daniel! I did try this in past by applying for a new AMEX card aginst my corporate card, it doesn't give you the extra bonus points. So you can't have the best of both worlds. You will end up loosing one over the other.
With the loungebuddy credit being removed from the green card do you think they will introduce a new credit or would it be a talking point for a retention offer? (Not that the green card needs much of a discount)
I would definitely bring up the LoungeBuddy credit what chatting with customer service. I would have to believe that they will make some updates to the Green Card this year because I think it's now outdated and overdue for changes.
My 2nd year AF will post in February and am planning on asking for retention offer. If nothing is offered then it’s closed. I spent about 20k on it last year.
I plan to get the platinum this year to lock in the lower annual fee with all the rumors of it increasing so I can get the extra benefits at a lower cost + hopefully the 175k offer or if there's a better one by then. Then I'll most likely downgrade it to the green bc it doesn't really seem like a keeper for me especially since I'm going for the ritz which should be a lot better cuz PHL is getting the sapphire lounge which is gonna be 20k sqft vs the Amexs about 6k sqft. Plus unlimited free guests on the ritz so it seems a lot more worth it to me. I think I'd like to keep the green card to have clear as well using it for 3x on transit.
Sounds like a good plan for what you're looking for! Yeah I'm really curious how much I'll use the Amex Lounge in PHL after the Chase Sapphire Lounge opens soon. could change the way I look at having my Platinum card as well - but still good to have Amex Lounge options in other airports because they have the largest footprint still
Hey Daniel we’d love to go to Korea next spring 2026 I just ordered my Amex gold and we are planning on doing the same with my wife any additional advice? (Typo Korea)
Great to hear! I'd start looking for award availability as you approach being 1 year out from that trip. Try to stay flexible when looking for award flights if possible (different dates, different airports to fly in/out of). I'll try to include some examples of flights to Korea in my newsletter!
Is there an easy way to know which AMEX card(s) that I have had in the past? Think that I had one many, many years ago. Hate to apply, just to find out that I will miss out on the Welcome Bonus.
I find it fascinating why millennials are obsessed with Amex cards. Don’t get me wrong they are great. But there also great alternatives out there. And the worst kart is people aren’t even using all the benefits so they just get that cards for internet clout. 🤦♂️ It would be great if you could make a video for Amex alternatives. Greta video brother man. Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸
@ I find fascinating the why. Is it really just TikTok brain rot or clout of the Amex cards? Or maybe the referrals to Internet personalities makes them more appealing… don’t know. Just sharing a thought
The amex card performs really well in Tier 1 and aligns to their lifestyle. I've noticed the difference between where the CSR and Amex cards take me and they're night and day.
@@Mike_Genisys glad it works for you. I’m just saying that I now personally people and coworkers that just use 20% of everything their card offer and just pay the annual commission without using all the benefits. Net loss. It has became something like a status symbol.
Thanks for watching! Yeah Amex has become very popular with millenials and Gen Z and there's been a few good TH-cam videos about that recently. For me and what I talk about on this channel, people should only get certain credit cards when they run the numbers and they know they'll get positive expected value from a card. Amex is good for some people, but can require maintenance and organization to optimize properly. Definitely some good alternatives out there like the Capital One Savor vs the Amex Gold Card!
ticket price $1087 price in points 108,700 0.0269 cents/point x 35,000 = $941.50 $941.50 + $146 = $1087.50 where was the savings if you just paid the extra portion in cash? or is it just point savings? or was the $1087 price of the flight before tax?
I hardly comment, but as a genuine question coming from a green card owner, what do you think my chances are getting a redemption offer with the lounge buddy credit being removed? As a side note, i did call and talk of canceling my card, but the amex guy told me he had nothing for me other than the value I've made from it last year. I didn't cancel it, and i dont plan on it, but i feel like im doing something wrong and could definitely squeze an offer from them considering the situation. I personally love the green its for a demographic like myself that not many speak of!
I would try to ask a few more times via chat on the computer. When they mention the value that you've received from it, just mention that the LoungeBuddy benefit was one of the main reasons why you got the card and now that changes the value that you receive. You still may not get anything if they don't have any offers, but always worth a shot asking a few times because they've told me that the offers change day to day
What's the point of waiting for the best welcome offer, when they eventually give you said offer, then randomly throwing you in pop-up jail after "giving you" that great offer...
@@Daniel_Braun I thought I was a pretty good customer. Been with Amex for about 5 years. Have green and gold, never cancelled a card. Not huge spend and used most of the credits. I plan on retiring this year and starting to travel more. Wanted Schwab Plat, had 125k offer, got pop up. Tried 125k offer for vanilla plat, got pop-up. Was able to get 50k upgrade from gold to vanilla plat that went thru. Was planning on eventually getting rid of gold at some point anyways, since the multipliers are US only. So, I'm down 75k points, and will have to cancel vanilla plat and get CS plat next year with all the hassle that entails. What really ticks me off is that they can't/won't tell me why the pop up...
Depends on how much value you get out of the credits. If the credits are useless to you, then to offset the $325 annual fee, you would need to earn 32,500pts/yr, which is equivalent to spending $8,125/yr at restaurants/supermarkets If you use all of the credits, then you’re automatically in the green. For me, the only credit that’s useful is the $10/mo dining credit, which makes my effective annual fee $205/yr. To make the card worth it for me, I need to earn 20,500pts/year, which is equivalent to spending $5,125/yr at restaurants/supermarkets
It depends on what your offer terms were, but I'm not seeing anything in their offer page right now that prevents offers on the personal cards if you got a business platinum offer
My 1st retention offer was 15K Amex points for 1k spend in 90 days on my personal platinum card
Nice, that's an easy minimum spend to hit. Not as many points as I've seen Amex offer in the past though
@@Daniel_Braun yeah i tried 3 different times to make sure that was the best offer I could get
I used the corporate card benefit to get a discount on the annual fee for my gold card.
Hilton hasn't been affected by family language, but for goodness sake, please apply from low to high. Amex will change the terms whenever they feel like it.
It’s an easy bet that they’ll do it this year
Good advice! Seems like that's the direction that they are going with the offer language
Just found your channel and absolutely love it! Find your explanations clear and your content so relatable. Im struggling to use the reward seat checker on VS. I’ve tried changing the origin and destination airports in the url but doesn’t work for me. Any tips on using it to find non-Uk flights? Thank you!
Great video! The breakdown of benefits and strategies is super helpful. I didn’t even realize how much value I was leaving on the table with Amex Offers. Time to maximize these perks - thanks for the tips!
Super helpful!! Was able to gain the personal card benefit being a corporate card holder via chatting with an agent
huh you and sebby both uploaded videos on Amex around the same time.. what timing lol
Haha yeah I saw his video pop up like 10 minutes after I uploaded mine, so funny coincidence!
With same Green and Gold card in thumbnails! 😂
Great content as always Daniel!
Thanks Paul, always appreciate it!
I just got a 15,000 point retention offer on my gold card when I spend $2000 in 3 months.
Nice, thanks for letting me know the data point!
Use those benefits, use those benefits, use those benefits. Too often, they're left on the table. And, learn the best transfer partners and values. Good video Dan. Thank you.
Quick Question: Since you mentioned that having a corporate card could get you a credit on a personal card. Would it make sense to go for the corporate card before going for the personal cards ladder?
You would need to get the card through a corporate employer, so it’s not something that the average person can just apply for
Now that begs the question of how to become a top 0.1% amex card user
Lmao
Lol that's the real question!
Aweome content Daniel! I did try this in past by applying for a new AMEX card aginst my corporate card, it doesn't give you the extra bonus points. So you can't have the best of both worlds. You will end up loosing one over the other.
Just landed a retention offer on my amex gold card. 40k points on 3k spending in 3 months
no you didnt
With the loungebuddy credit being removed from the green card do you think they will introduce a new credit or would it be a talking point for a retention offer? (Not that the green card needs much of a discount)
The lounge buddy credit wasn’t really on the card. lolz. Maybe at first.
@@newagain9964 what do you mean wasn’t on the card? It has a $100 credit until the 13th of this month
I would definitely bring up the LoungeBuddy credit what chatting with customer service. I would have to believe that they will make some updates to the Green Card this year because I think it's now outdated and overdue for changes.
My 2nd year AF will post in February and am planning on asking for retention offer. If nothing is offered then it’s closed. I spent about 20k on it last year.
Hopefully that $20k in spend will make them more likely to give you a retention offer!
If it wasn’t for this guy I would have removed the platinum from my wallet they better give you thousands of points! Very good info in the video!
Haha thank for watching and glad you liked it! I wish I could receive more points for making these videos!
I plan to get the platinum this year to lock in the lower annual fee with all the rumors of it increasing so I can get the extra benefits at a lower cost + hopefully the 175k offer or if there's a better one by then. Then I'll most likely downgrade it to the green bc it doesn't really seem like a keeper for me especially since I'm going for the ritz which should be a lot better cuz PHL is getting the sapphire lounge which is gonna be 20k sqft vs the Amexs about 6k sqft. Plus unlimited free guests on the ritz so it seems a lot more worth it to me. I think I'd like to keep the green card to have clear as well using it for 3x on transit.
Sounds like a good plan for what you're looking for! Yeah I'm really curious how much I'll use the Amex Lounge in PHL after the Chase Sapphire Lounge opens soon. could change the way I look at having my Platinum card as well - but still good to have Amex Lounge options in other airports because they have the largest footprint still
@ Yea very true
Hi Daniel, thanks for the video. Could you please elaborate a bit more on why the Amex Green Card is not worth it? Thank you!
Hey Daniel we’d love to go to Korea next spring 2026 I just ordered my Amex gold and we are planning on doing the same with my wife any additional advice? (Typo Korea)
Great to hear! I'd start looking for award availability as you approach being 1 year out from that trip. Try to stay flexible when looking for award flights if possible (different dates, different airports to fly in/out of). I'll try to include some examples of flights to Korea in my newsletter!
Does chase also have the same corporate credit card offer?
I currently have the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy card. should i stick with getting the AMEX trifecta or would you still recommend chase?
Your wife must feel so special that you're getting her flowers for "almost free"? 😂
I don’t tell her that… shhhh 🤫
😂😂
Who cares about the price of the flowers! It’s the gesture that women appreciate 💝
Free flowers are great. Picked or purchased. 🌹🌸💐🌺🌷🌻🥀
Would love to get flowers and know that my husband saved money. In fact, just wrote this down so I can buy my husband flowers when the deal is there ❤
Is there an easy way to know which AMEX card(s) that I have had in the past? Think that I had one many, many years ago. Hate to apply, just to find out that I will miss out on the Welcome Bonus.
I just upgraded from the Gold to the Platinum in Dec 2024. When can I re-apply for a new Gold card and get the SUB?
you can't
@@paquinmatt When can I re-apply for the Gold without the SUB?
You can if there is no lifetime language on the Gold, Lukes Points and Miles just did it for a 100k SUB
@@ryanccc777 I currently need more Chase points so I will place all my spending on the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Ink Business Cash.
Most likely never unless you get lucky and find a no life time offer
I find it fascinating why millennials are obsessed with Amex cards. Don’t get me wrong they are great. But there also great alternatives out there. And the worst kart is people aren’t even using all the benefits so they just get that cards for internet clout. 🤦♂️
It would be great if you could make a video for Amex alternatives. Greta video brother man. Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸
You find it fascinating that young people do things for the image? Isn't that well established?
@ I find fascinating the why. Is it really just TikTok brain rot or clout of the Amex cards? Or maybe the referrals to Internet personalities makes them more appealing… don’t know. Just sharing a thought
The amex card performs really well in Tier 1 and aligns to their lifestyle. I've noticed the difference between where the CSR and Amex cards take me and they're night and day.
@@Mike_Genisys glad it works for you. I’m just saying that I now personally people and coworkers that just use 20% of everything their card offer and just pay the annual commission without using all the benefits. Net loss.
It has became something like a status symbol.
Thanks for watching! Yeah Amex has become very popular with millenials and Gen Z and there's been a few good TH-cam videos about that recently. For me and what I talk about on this channel, people should only get certain credit cards when they run the numbers and they know they'll get positive expected value from a card.
Amex is good for some people, but can require maintenance and organization to optimize properly. Definitely some good alternatives out there like the Capital One Savor vs the Amex Gold Card!
ticket price $1087
price in points 108,700
0.0269 cents/point x 35,000 = $941.50
$941.50 + $146 = $1087.50
where was the savings if you just paid the extra portion in cash?
or is it just point savings?
or was the $1087 price of the flight before tax?
The savings is he saved 70,000 points
The 2.69 cents per point is the redemption value for this case only. So instead of spending $941, he used 35k points which is pretty good
I hardly comment, but as a genuine question coming from a green card owner, what do you think my chances are getting a redemption offer with the lounge buddy credit being removed? As a side note, i did call and talk of canceling my card, but the amex guy told me he had nothing for me other than the value I've made from it last year. I didn't cancel it, and i dont plan on it, but i feel like im doing something wrong and could definitely squeze an offer from them considering the situation. I personally love the green its for a demographic like myself that not many speak of!
I would try to ask a few more times via chat on the computer. When they mention the value that you've received from it, just mention that the LoungeBuddy benefit was one of the main reasons why you got the card and now that changes the value that you receive. You still may not get anything if they don't have any offers, but always worth a shot asking a few times because they've told me that the offers change day to day
What's the point of waiting for the best welcome offer, when they eventually give you said offer, then randomly throwing you in pop-up jail after "giving you" that great offer...
Depends on your history and other factors with Amex for pop up jail
@@Daniel_Braun I thought I was a pretty good customer. Been with Amex for about 5 years. Have green and gold, never cancelled a card. Not huge spend and used most of the credits. I plan on retiring this year and starting to travel more. Wanted Schwab Plat, had 125k offer, got pop up. Tried 125k offer for vanilla plat, got pop-up. Was able to get 50k upgrade from gold to vanilla plat that went thru. Was planning on eventually getting rid of gold at some point anyways, since the multipliers are US only. So, I'm down 75k points, and will have to cancel vanilla plat and get CS plat next year with all the hassle that entails. What really ticks me off is that they can't/won't tell me why the pop up...
How much do you neee to spend on Amex just in points to make the card worth it?
Depends on how much value you get out of the credits. If the credits are useless to you, then to offset the $325 annual fee, you would need to earn 32,500pts/yr, which is equivalent to spending $8,125/yr at restaurants/supermarkets
If you use all of the credits, then you’re automatically in the green. For me, the only credit that’s useful is the $10/mo dining credit, which makes my effective annual fee $205/yr. To make the card worth it for me, I need to earn 20,500pts/year, which is equivalent to spending $5,125/yr at restaurants/supermarkets
Hi Daniel
I have the business platinum now, does that mean I can’t get the personal green, gold and platinum?
It depends on what your offer terms were, but I'm not seeing anything in their offer page right now that prevents offers on the personal cards if you got a business platinum offer
@ great thank you
Another banger dude!
Thank you, much appreciated!!
Ask a husband of someone in the military I qualify to get the annual fees waived if the account is under my name
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
Amex corporate card benefit is huge. Found it a few weeks ago and made a video. Using that for my Platinum application later this year!
Corporate card is that just the Amex blue ?
@ corporate Green, Gold, Platinum or Centurion should unlock the benefit
😊
First comment - you've got a hot streak going again for that! 🥇
First
A very close second comment - but still super early here so thanks for that! 🥈
🫡 to all those active and reservists
🇺🇸🇺🇸