Re: Amex Platinum to roni At least your friend didn't buy Enron stock like I did. That could have paid for decades of annual platinum fees! I just never learn with stocks... at least I didn't buy it with my tuition money for the spring semester! Not a good sight to see your portfolio down 98%
hello- You're right about the core benefits being the same (purchase protection, best value guarantee, zero fraud liability, etc.). BUT, there are some significant differences between the gold CHARGE card and the blue CREDIT card. The Gold (charge) card is a pay-in-full card with no pre-determined limit (T&E card) while blue is a revolving card, just like any Visa or MC or Discover. The advantage of a charge card is that it forces you to pay in full, thus you incurr no interest charges (just the annual fee). The flip-side is that if you get stranded or if some dumb person or computer accidentally double-authorizes expensive airline or hotel or car rental charges, you aren't automatically declined. The Gold card does have extended payment (or sign & travel) available, but the rates are horrible. Revolving accounts have a fixed limit that you can't exceed (by charges or authorizations). You can transfer Gold balances to the Blue card should you want to revolve any or all of your Gold balance. One more advantage - the gold card comes in a "Rewards Plus" flavor - $150/year, but that includes up to 5 authorized users (additional cards), enrollment in membership rewards, and double points when used at Amex's hotel/airline partners in the 1st year (1.5x points in subsequent years). And ... (but wait, there's more...) I just discovered a WONDERFUL little surprise. I linked my corporate card to my membership rewards accounts (2 Rewards Plus gold cards, 2 blue cards, and my corporate card)... I get the 1.5x bonus points for all charges from ANY of the cards when used at one of the 1.5x partners! [USAir, Continental, Delta, Sheraton, Westin, W, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Mariott). That explains why I have over 150k membership rewards points in just 1 year. SO... at least for me... gold = everyday charges (replaced cash, checks, debit card wherever possible); blue = larger purchases that I may want to revolve; corporate = travel & work stuff. ==AND== roni, Amex is lucky to have you. After what you've gone through to re-establish your credit, you're probably the best possible risk for any creditor! -mj
