Hi - well those Amex Membership Rewards do add up. I had 18K points and my current travel bag and carry-on bags are shot. I got them at Costco about 2 yrs ago and they have been 200K miles. I called Membership Rewards and found out I could actually buy points if I was short on an item I desired. AMEX Rewards offered exactly what I would have liked - if I were willing to pay a lot more than another set from Costco. They have the Samsonite Streamline III 2 piece luggage set - a carry on with wheels and a square travel bag good. It retails for $500 for the two pieces. Internationally sized to make it through all airport baggage restrictors around the world. The travel bag can attach to the top pf the wheeled carryone. You can strap on a PC. EXACTLY what I need! Excellent quality luggage! I called AMEX Membership Rewards, asked how much points cost when do a reward redemption - he told me $25 per 1K points. It would cost me $50 to buy two thousand points - then I could redeem for the Samsonite. I thought I like this deal - really nice business qualtiy luggage - $500 quality for $50 charged to the Card. I said are there shipping charges or taxes? No sir, then he put me on hold for one minute, came back and said I will receive the luggage within two weeks. No tax, no extra charges, and if I had waited and spend another $2K on the Card, it owuld have cost nothing. My next "item" will be the BOSE WAVE 1000 - the standing floor wave model! I already have the BOSE Wave radio - it was and still it worth $350! Hehehe.. That Membership Rewards program is fabulous. Basically, you get one point per $1 spent - but there are many ways to get many points per $ with a lot of partnerships (hotels, car rentals, airlines). I dig this company - if only I could afford to JET BACK FROM MY LOBSTER DINNER! You know how I love that West Coast Residence - LOL!!! IF I had Black Card, I would just buy a residence here tonight - I hear this place in Kennebunkeport is for sale ...LOL! paws for the next email - dogman
