Just cancelled mine a couple of months ago after having it for a long time. Here's why. Too much of a pain in the butt to get the airline credit- as it's the only card that doesn't deduct it automatically, and you have to call in every time you want an incidental reimbursed. If you are like most people and use it for baggage charges or snacks or a seat upgrade from economy to premium economy you have to call at least 3 times a year- sometimes more- and here's the thing- you have to remember to call. Long story short, getting the reimbursement requires some effort on your part. Now, if you have hours on end to research that perfect sweet spot referred to in the article so you only have to call in once a year to get the optimal reimbursement, more power to you- but I have better things to do with my time. The 50k cert wasn't working out either as there are only a few sweet spots at certain times of the year where a 50k cert works- most Ritz properties are 60k or more most of the year, and most JWs are 45k so you are wasting 5k. We almost always used it on a JW. With the new sliding scale it might be worth it to some people, but I can buy around the same number of points when they have a sale for the same cost as the AF- and purchased points are flexible and can be used for whatever redemption level I want. This sliding scale is going to come at a price IMHO- and that price is going to be a devaluation- hope I'm wrong. Priority Pass comes with almost all premium cards (we have it on 3 different cards), and it's just two of us these days so it's not a perk for us to have unlimited- but if you are travelling with a family it is worth considering. If you don't have a premium card this one is pretty good- but for our lifestyle having a CSR and an AmEx Platinum makes more sense.
