10 Amex Mistakes That 90% of People Make
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- Опубліковано 19 бер 2023
- In this video we are looking at 10 American Express mistakes that people commonly make when using Amex credit cards. These 10 Amex mistakes could cost you extra money or force you to leave value on the table with cards like the Amex Platinum card, the Amex Gold card, and many more. No matter what American Express credit card you prefer to have in your wallet, I’m sure there are some mistakes in this video that you didn’t know about!
American Express credit cards are some of my favorites because of the many features and benefits that they have. Some Amex cards even earn Membership Rewards Points which can be super valuable when redeeming for travel! But many Amex credit cards are also expensive when compared to credit cards from other issuers, so if you’re using them the wrong way then you are probably missing out. Hopefully talking about some of these Amex mistakes that I’ve learned about over the years will help you to learn something new and allow you to get even more out of being an American Express customer!
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I always try to tell people that the only way these high annual fee cards make sense is if you NATURALLY get positive value from the credits on them. If you have to force yourself to use the credits, then those cards may not be for you. Super helpful video Daniel!
@@CheekyBird790 I definitely feel that too! That's why I went with the Venture X over the Platinum for now. Much easier to get value from those credits compared to the Platinum in my personal situation.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial I ended up with both cards. The Venture X is definitely easy to deal with. One trip a year will pay for the card, basically. Venture X is also ideal for 10X multipliers on hotels and cars, and it does give primary coverage for rentals. For the Platinum, I definitely agree on seeing value from the credits *only* if you naturally were going to use them, or better yet were already using them. I use Uber Eats (and usually pick up the order myself to save delivery), but this is the one I can see forgetting, so I set an automatic reminder every month on the 20th in case I haven't used it, so I have another week to spare. I had Walmart+ on the annual plan, so when I switched to monthly I only valued this benefit at the annual fee of $98 (instead of $155)...a side benefit is also being able to get Paramount+ via Walmart for free. The $240 entertainment credit works for me because I had several of the ones they cover. So far, that is $200 +$98 +$240 = $538. I believe I will get value for at least half the airline credit, and probably all if I use United Travel Bank (which would then be a profit of $43). Even if at $538, that would make the effective fee $157 and that alone to me is fine for the overall level of benefits.
The hotel credit I view as a benefit and not a credit. Same for the Saks credit. It might get used someday, but not a factor.
I am definitely interested in getting CLEAR, but since I had no plans before to do so, then this is a nice benefit and not credit. I do have Global Entry covered through Venture X.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial I spend a lot on groceries and eating out as single person so I’m thinking maybe the amex gold or cap one savor card might be good options for me.
@@RenM908 If you'll use the credits on the Gold card and want to use your points for travel then it's a great pickup! If you just want cash back, go for the Savor One instead between those two!
Even for people who travel overseas frequently in premium class, the Platinum Card may not necessarily be suitable for them. The value of their time just to keep track of the credits being utilized in order to recover the full value of the annual fee is certainly worth more than $695 per year for most frequent flyers who are usually busy people.
This is a terrific no-fluff video on the topic. Good job. 💪🏽
The overvaluing the credits mistake is soooo important especially with American Express Cards, because while there is a ton of value that you could potentially get from all of the Credits on the AMEX Platinum or AMEX Gold, you need to make sure that you are valuing those Credits and expenses that you would have actually made anyway, or in other words, your effective fee. Great video here Daniel!
Yeah that's such an easy thing for people to overlook! It takes a lot of awareness of your own spending habits to find out if these cards are really worth it. Thanks Matt, appreciate it man!
-90k
If you are active military, a huge tip is that they even waive the $175 authorized user fee every year. So you, and three others can all have the card perks for no cost.
Great content and editing Daniel. Love the newer style.
Also your tip about calling to see if there are any retention offers applies to most credit card companies.
Thanks so much Ethan, glad to hear you're liking the new style that my editor has helped a lot with! And agreed, retention offers are worth it for any issuer where you might be paying a high annual fee
Woohoo! Love seeing you and AmEx stuff. Nice. And thank you! 🙌🏼💙
This is really good. Lots of good and useful info I hadn't heard/read about before, like the gold card points conversion on groceries
Thanks for sharing the corporate credit program! I have been debating between the blue cash preferred and blue cash everyday and that extra credit convinced me to get the preferred!
Love the content and the editing is a nice touch!
Thanks Charlie, I really appreciate that! Glad to hear you like the editing too
Thank you for the corporate info! super grateful!
Terrific Dan. Thanks for this.
I’m currently active duty in the AF, and I have both the Gold and Platinum Charles schwab card and both fees are indeed waived.
Wow! Great content. Subscribed thx 😊
Thanks Daniel! Great info, subscribed.
Thanks so much for watching Maurice! Appreciate you subscribing, plenty more content to come!
Dude, good info. Added the Rat'atooey thing for purchasing 🙂
Haha I love that nickname for Rakuten! But definitely a great tool to use for doubling up on Amex points! Thanks for watching Angela
It doesn't help that there's a lot of misleading information on credit card credits on UA-cam... Good info as always Daniel
Awesome content, new sub and new Amex member. Will def be following you to redeem points
Love to hear that, thanks so much for subscribing! I've got plenty of content on the way for redeeming points
Hey Daniel! Thanks for sharing this video. I found it super informative. I had a question regarding this topic - I have been with Amex for a while and currently have their gold card. I do not fall into the category of people that can offset the cost of the annual $250 fee with the specific benefits they offer.
Would you happen to have a good suggestions or recommendations for an alternative no-annual-fee (or low annual fee) Amex card that might suit me better? If I am still looking to accrue more points (specifically miles)?
I appreciate any insights from you, Daniel or from this community! Thank you!
I know you asked for Daniel, but at the moment the AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold card has a really good welcome offer and they keep their miles valued at 1.5cpp which is really good. if you spend 2000 in the first 6 months they credit you 65000 miles through Delta which is valued at 975 dollars. That combined with the miles from those initial purchases puts you at roughly 1100 dollars worth of miles from 2000 spent. You also get a lot of perks through Delta like a free first checked bag, priority boarding, 20% off in-flight purchases and free cancellation and 2x miles on dining and groceries and best of all THE MILES DON'T EXPIRE EVER. the fee for the card is free the first year and 99 dollars afterward. Hope this helps!
Fees are also waived for military spouses as well. Best way to double up on benefits
Good to know, even better for more value!
Would it make sense to get the Platinum card as well as the Delta Reserve card since they cover more or less the same travel benefits with the centurion lounge access and other perks?
Super helpful video
Called Amex and saved $150 in annual credit even after had already opened platinum card - thanks ! Easiest 5 mins on phone to save money
You should do a video of how to or advice to transfer points , I just got my Amex gold and really want to get into the tranfer
Do you have any recommendations for all in one trips (trips that come with hotels and flights)? Also if so, is it better for short term or long term flights?
You saved me $150 off the annual fee on the Platinum as I have an AX Corp card! Well done!! Subscribed/Liked! Super helpful!! Throwing you a referral on the Rakutten link!
Do you have to pay for that CardPointers extension that adds the offers automatically?
Thank you for such an in-depth video, Daniel! The editing quality is next level as well!
Retention offers are key for AMEX cards. Got a retention offer on my Plat for 3 consecutive years :)
That was a slick way to bring in subscribing
Hi Daniel, Im currently Active duty with Platinum and Gold both waived. Something amazing is the annual fee is waived for good as long as you opened the card while active duty under MLA/SCRA. People get several platinum cards from upgrading gold cards and the annual credits stack on!
The data points aren't consistent on this. Some ex-military go decades without getting an annual fee reinstated, some get hit a few months after leaving. Its definitely worth the gamble though.
Holy crap! I'm beyond jealous. :(
Christain you do not need to upgrade to get more Platinums. You just need to wait 45 days between the same Amex Product. I have 5 platinums so far. Got 4 more to open.
@@drewd8874 hey what’s the point of getting more of the same card?
@@drewd8874 real question, why do you have so many platinums?
A tip that I’ve been doing is breaking down annual fees into monthly installments. For the platinum I put away $60 per month into a special saving account (technically just a bucket in ally bank) that way when I get the AF I actually get 20 ish dollars to use. It makes budgeting way easier and no stress when fee time comes around
I never thought of that. Good tip.
Fellow Nittany Lion here, great video with lots of solid content! 🐾 🦁
Always nice to see another Penn Stater here! Thanks so much for watching and glad to hear you liked it 👍
Solid, more math and calculations. How much food spend is required to justify Gold with amexp transfer for avg. travel redemption?
Wow, thanks for the tip about the corporate benefit! I started my AMEX account with a corporate card, then got 2 personal cards (BCP and GOLD) as I got sucked into their ecosystem. I chatted with them about getting the corporate credit applied ($100 for the Gold, $50 for the BCP) and they said yes!
What if you Uber a lot and order food a lot but usually don't take flights? would am ex gold still be worth keeping while spending everyday purchases on a different card?
Can you please do a video on airline partners that isn’t a direct travel partner with that issuer?
Thanks - you just saved me $150 with the personal card annual credit. Never knew about that
Love to hear that Mark, thanks for watching! I had no idea about the credit a few years ago and it's not advertised much, but obviously it's an easy way to save money on the fees
Hello Daniel and Mark,
Can you explain it to me how that works ? Also, is this an option on Blue Cash Preferred card as well ?
I never used Uber eats before I obtained my platinum card. However, i use it for carry out once a month. Saves me cost when I was going out to eat anyway.
Exactly what I do and saves on the delivery fee
I got 90,000 membership points on my Amex gold! That’s pretty good for that card given the average that I found was around 50k-75k
Yeah that's definitely one of the top offers out there, so glad to hear that you got that one Luke!
Same. First offer was only 60k
@@Willster7471, same here.
I’m from Canada and I’m hoping to get an Amex card and I’m not sure whether I should get the Amex Gold or Cobalt. Any thoughts?
Great video! Bravo for mentioning the annual credit for holding a Corporate card. And, yes, you can get the statement credit for each card if you have more than one.
Hey Daniel, quick question. If i have an AMEX business card for the small business i work for, is it possible to use that as leverage to increase my odds of approval for a personal card as an 18 year old without credit?
Didn't know about the personal card credit with corporate card offer. That just saved me $150 a year for a platinum card!! Woot!!
I just got a Dell monitor and used the $120 cash back offer!
Counter argument for the gold credits: i have to eat and corporate shut down our on campus cafeteria (replaced with grossly overpriced junk shit food)
I adapted my lunch habits to pick up two credited meals a month amongst the other days that I go out or bring a lunch or skip eating.
Would love to retroactively get my corporate card credit, but anniversary is already coming up in June
For the corporate card credit, can you enroll for it after having an existing personal amex card?
Hello Daniel,
I already earn 5% cash back on most categories except Travel for which I earn 3%. Also the fat 6% from BCP. However, I am really curious to get that 90k bonus on Amex Gold. Will that card be able to better any of my current cash backs in terms of value ?
What are your thoughts on getting the Green card now with SUB of 40,000 points, or just waiting a few months to see if Amex brings back the Gold card SUB for current Platinum card holders? I am seeking the Gold card for 4x on restaurant and supermarket spend. Thank you.
Saving me money already!
Great video, Daniel! It is important to understand how we can use the credits available to us so that we are getting more value than what we pay for in annual fee
Exactly, always important to evaluate those credits and how they fit into your spending habits! Thanks for watching!
Informative video. Are points transferred to partner irreversible?
Thanks for watching! And yes once you've transferred the points to a partner program you can no longer transfer them back to Amex
Thanks soo much for the tip. Now I am saving money on annual fee because I have cooperate card. Never would of known.
Good advice on rakuten and card pointers. My wife is going to be a happy woman haha
Made the mistake of opening a platinum card recently when I shouldn’t have because I don’t take advantage of the credits naturally. Oh well, I’ll enjoy the lounge access for a while and get that signing bonus!
Wow, I did not know about the active duty exemption.... too late now!
Yeah definitely something great to take advantage of for anyone that can while active duty!
How do you calculate the Cents Per Point for any of these offers?
How do we do that research? Do you have a video where we can learn how to transfer to travel partners. I have a few Amex points that I would like to use for travel :)
I do! Here’s part 1 of how to redeem Amex points like a pro: How To Redeem Amex Points Like A Pro (Part 1)
ua-cam.com/video/fJXYv8gvqhs/v-deo.html
More videos like that to come with more examples 👍
credit wise I wouldn’t get much value out of either the gold or platinum. But I am interested in them for the travel benefits for a trip to the uk. My idea is to get the gold,and then the platinum the following year, and then use the pooled points for a uk trip the year after. So I’d have the gold for 3 years and the platinum for 2. but I don’t know if it’d make more sense to pay for it out of pocket with the combined annual fees over the course of those 3 years
Yeah the points can be worth it for a trip like that, but the annual fees might outweigh that value you get if the cards themselves are not worth it otherwise. There might be other cards that earn points from other issuers that could be a better fit for you, just depends on what you're looking for!
Hey Daniel, I've been considering applying for the AMEX Gold Card and I find myself torn between two offers. The first one is through referral links, which offers a reward of 90,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first six months. The second one is a deal from Resy, where I would earn 75,000 Membership points after spending the same amount in the same timeframe, and also receive a 20% statement credit on restaurant purchases, potentially amounting to $250 back in my first year of Card Membership. I'm under the impression that this $250 could be viewed as the equivalent of an extra 25,000 points, making it a total of 100,000 reward points. So, I'm essentially comparing a straightforward reward of 90,000 points with no conditions, to a potentially larger but conditional reward of 100,000 points. I'm keen to hear your thoughts on whether I'm interpreting these offers correctly and which one you think might be more advantageous for me.
you could average out your monthly restaurant spend and see if it benefits you. if you have to force yourself to dine out more than youd be losing money actually and the 90k would make more sense
1:25 I can confirm, Amex was extremely simple with regard to waiving the annual fee for active duty military. It makes the value in the card that much better
Love to hear that! I'm glad it was a simple process. Thanks for watching and commenting!
It was simple. My son is active duty USNA and I was able to get 2 additional cards for my husband and I with fee waived as well. It is awesome and easier to navigate than I thought it would be.
Good stuff 🎉I had an epiphany last week while watching tv 📺 90% commercials are targeting 18-40 years olds ? Why ? Still finding selves / impressing others / finding an identity. Then olds folks are made scared with insurance and ads 😮end of what day have 2-3 cards and use them once a month and pay it off 😂buy a car with cash 💵 and home only it’s it’s a an asset meaning nice area with schools 🏫 America 🇺🇸 is made to keep you in debt 💸 so pay yourself and cash 💵 enjoy 😊
Amex is really good for service members a lot of benefits that with the trash money especially lower enlisted guys get would be unattainable. 3 years with my platinum and it’s my favorite card by a mile.
Using both the sapphire reserve and amex gold. Both waived because of service with uncle sam!
Just FYI, spouses of active duty also get the annual fees waived.
fyi if you have the gold and platinum card you can link your points bank
Wow I’m been contemplating getting the platinum after being prequalified. I hold a corporate card under my name too so the extra $150 off is a nice bonus.
If your AMEX Platinum card or other AMEX account was covered under military SCRA or MLA rules, your fee as a veteran should be continued to be waived for a few years after you leave active duty service. Any new Amex cards you open after leaving active duty service will not be annual fee waived.
is there a certain script that you used to get the retention offer?
Retention offers change from time to time. So it is worth it to call into Amex from time to time to see what they have at that moment in terms of retention offers.
I signed up for the Amex platinum with the 125k bonus offer. 2 days after I received my card I got a offer in the mail for 150k. That stung quite a bit. Wrote support and hoping if I'm lucky I'll get the matched offer. The timing could not have been worse.
Any update?
Same thing happened to me. They honored the 150
@@Dan-Chrssy how did you get them to do that? How long did it take for them to reply? Still waiting to hear back from them
same thing happened to me with the Gold card lol
@@mikewangg yes they said I'm sol and after an Amex offer has been accepted there's no going back.
Hello, does PayPal and Rakuten triggers AmEx offers or the purchase has to made directly at the merchant?
Rakuten yes; PayPal no.
An easy way to tell if a credit will trigger is if the business/merchant's name is listed on the statement, whereas if you purchase with PayPal it will say so. In my experience, the same holds true with cash back and Membership Rewards.
@@footballjake18 Thanks for letting me know about this. I ask because Chase offers do trigger with PayPal but good thing to know it won’t work with AmEx
AD members do get pre approved and annual fee waived. Speaking from my experience.
Can I use Dinning Credit for grubhub pick up order?
Similar with the Uber Eats credit with pick up order.
Yes you can!
If you downgrade from gold to green is it possible to upgrade to gold again if your spending changes?
I'd call American express and ask them directly.
Active duty get paid like 30k a year of course they shouldn’t have to pay the fee.
Please…. 30k if you are a spc or below with less than 4 yrs. They also get tax free bah, tax free bas and for a few special tax free pay (airborne, hazardous, flight crew, etc). There base pay, for the majority of the active duty, is not tax at the state level. I’m not saying Amex should not be doing this or there should be no law. I just don’t like it when people say how poor they are. They are not poor, it’s their lifestyle/spending habits that get them in financial problem.
Could you make a video for Amex Gold on cash withdrawal? How you can withdrawal base on your spending. I didn’t know that’s how it works. I thought you could just withdraw anywhere from your spending limit I had $6k. Went to the atm try to get $1k it only let me take $100 then later on I had found out in the spending power it says I have up to $800. Is that $800 left I have to spend or $800 to withdraw? Not understanding this.
I’m from New Zealand and my dad just used his account for a Air New Zealand platinum airpoints AmEx to apply for the same kind of card for me
Can you use amex points for economy class or is it just for business class
Of course you can use it for economy seats/ flights.
We are Penn State!!!
As an active duty member in 2023, my American Express Gold and Platinum card fees are waived. Cheers :)
Something is up with this video. I am unable to save it to my UA-cam video lists. Also, why would you use that Amex card and not the Blue Card as a point catcher if you are going to cancel the gold or platinum?
Please do this for Chase cards!
I definitely plan to! Thanks for the suggestion and for watching
Hi Daniel, I’m currently active duty and overseas for the last couple of years. I find it useful that I get the annual fee waived, but it’s hard for me because I can’t use my dinning credit or Uber credit because you have to in the states. I know I get 4X on dinning and that’s it from the card, but what are your thoughts Amex say these are travel cards but the credits and multipliers on the platinum and gold and some of the co branded cards are only meant for the u.s? You think they will change that in the future yo make some of these useful for international too for Uber, groceries and do on?
I am in the military and trying to maximize to use Amex no annual fee before retired
Thanks, waiting for the best credit cards in 2033🎉
Wish I had known about the Resy offer a day earlier. F
They waive mine which is the only that one does that I know
Capital one venture x said they would but doesn’t, they would if you had it before you joined
I ain't even active duty lol Proud reservist
I understand there is a AmEX, Jail, how can you find out if your in it snd if you are, how do you get out of it???
**Please help me if you know the answer
If you are in Amex jail, then how do you get out of it??
Great video. Will definitely be saving this video and coming back to it later when I get my first Amex card. I tried getting my first Amex card (Everyday Cash), and got denied, despite my 790 credit score. The letter in the mail says that I "have too many new bank card accounts". The only cards I have are 3 Chase cards as well as one USAA card that I don't use. I haven't gotten a new credit card in over 9 months. I ended up getting a Citi card instead. I will try to get my first Amex card another time, I suppose. Thanks once again!
That's a lot of cards
That's weird, I just got the gold card about a month ago, and yesterday applied for the green and was approved with a 754 score. My score was higher last month 776, but lost points due to me applying for capital one venture and got denied. American express approved me two weeks later. I have currently, Amex, blue preferred, gold, and now green. Two capital one credit cards ( not a fan of them) , a discover it, and two citi cards, and bank of America. Also , I'm a Authorized user on my husband's chase saffire, and a few others. I'm still a newbie to the credit card game.
I’m sad. I got the 80k offer on the plat. That hurt.
i am upset i got only 80k points instead of 150k.. i tried contacting amex after i sign up but they said its too late, if you havent get the platiunum card yet. DO THAT. :(
Most of these travel cards don't make sense for me. I really dislike flying. I'm a road tripper. I ended up getting the Amex Marriott Brilliant, so ill see how that works out.
Is it also wasteful if we transfer points from amex to hotel partners? 🤔
It all depends on the cash value vs the points value of the hotel partners. Some hotels are better than others, but it varies case by case
@@Daniel_Braun thanks Daniel! Just subbed 👍
Thanks for subscribing!
@@Daniel_Braun how about Marriott Bonvoy Transfer ?
should I ask for a retention offer before or after I am charged the annual fee for my amex BCP?
Usually best to wait to ask after the annual fee has already been posted to your account
Hello Daniel and Alan,
How does this work on BCP card ? I have an annual fee due in August this year.
Hi. You’re the reason why I applied amex gold and i am so happy about it. I’m planning to apply for capital venture x, can you please tell me if its also a charge card just like the amex old or its a normal credit card and i can just pay my monthly minimum? Thank you!
Hey Angelina, the venture x is a normal credit card with a credit limit. But my opinion that I always say on my channel is to only use credit cards if you plan to pay them off on time and in full every single month. If you just plan to pay the monthly minimum, that will charge you interest on your remaining balance - so don’t get the venture x if you are only going to pay the minimum!
You should never pay the minimum. ALWAYS pay the statement balance.
You are accruing unnecessary interest with each billing cycle. Any interest gained will easily outweigh any benefits that you get with the card.
@@KevinWu787 oh yeah i always pay statement balance. I think thats what i meant😭 i never pay minimum lol i was just thinking maybe just incase i needed to use my funds on important stuff than pay in full. But yeah i usually avoid paying interest. Thank you sir!
Fellow Penn Stater. I will support your channel…and learn!
OMG - I never knew this. I have a Platinum and Gold and just called Amex.....$250 total refunded as statement credits.. Thank you
Fastest talker I’ve ever heard!
I learned that I should not settle for less than 1cent = 1point...
Just got 90k sign up on the gold card. I'm at 100k points in my first month.
Love to see that, great offer!
How much $ value are you able to get from your 100,000 points ?
Good for you, I only got 60k with my gold, and 40k with the green.
Daniel do you have a discord channel?