Quick question-how to start with Amex?
I’m 1/24 (Barclay card) 9/19
Citi AA Biz 9/19
Goal is to get family to Hawaii on Hawaiian Air in 2021. So I need 160k MR.
I’m prequalified for the Platicorn
Would you recommend I start with Platinum? Also qualified for 50k Gold.
In 2 player mode. I have about 1 year to get points, and HawaiianMiles can be combined. I want to proceed with caution because Amex scares me. Any words of wisdom on how to start cautiously with Amex!
Thank you
Are you prequalified for the Platicorn via targeted mailer or Cardmatch?
If by targeted mailer, when does the offer expire?
If you were able to pull the Platicorn via Cardmatch, you should seriously consider applying then and there; or try to pull it up and apply right away if it appears again. This is a highly targeted offer, and it may not be available again if you hesitate (speaking from personal experience here).
The 100k MR Platinum is almost always worth an under-5/24 slot, even with the high annual fee.
The 50k MR Gold offer is good (how good depends on whether the MSR is $1k, $2k, or $4k as there are variants to this offer). However, it is fairly easy to pull up a 50k MR offer (typically with a $2k MSR) via incognito, or better yet via a support link from P2 (so he gets some support points) in incognito mode. The Gold is a solid card that earns 4x MR at supermarkets and restaurants, and it generates the most points through organic spend out of all the cards in my wallet (and sock drawer). I'd say that the Gold card is an essential and keeper card in anyone's wallet if they want to earn MR, and the $100 annual airline fee credit and $10 monthly dining credits ($120/year) help to take the sting out of the $250 AF. However, because a 50k MR offer on the Gold is pretty easy to pull, it's not recommended you get this card first; rather save it for a time in your roadmap where it makes better sense, say when P2 has an Amex from which he can cross-support you to a Gold card with the 50k MR offer.
The Gold's 4x MR supermarkets/restaurant and 3x MR flights booked directly with airlines make it a more useful card that you'll actually keep spending on than the Platinum. However, if you get the Gold first, that Platicorn offer will almost certainly go away as it's usually targeted at acquiring new customers who don't already have other Amex cards. In which case, you may have to settle for a public 60k, or incognito 70k or 75k MR offer on the Platinum; a cross-support from P2 could net P2 10k-20k MR for the supportal (depending on what card he supports from), but MR points can't be combined so the haul from that card approval will be split.
So go with the Platicorn first, if you can. I'd also try to keep your spending on the Platinum pretty level and ongoing. Amex will happily approve you for their cards but they want you to be a good customer who keeps spending on their cards, not signing up for new cards and only spending enough for the bonus, then closing the cards after a year. It’s easier to avoid the dreaded pop up than to try to get rid of it. Don't try to hit the MSR all at once, then it's easier to level off on your spend after the MSR period when the Platinum essentially becomes a 1x MR card for almost everything and you'll be tempted to put that spend on card with a MSR or better category bonuses. Then it might be a good time to pick up a Gold so you can keep up your overall spend with Amex.
I really appreciate your caution with Amex because it's important to think about how to maintain your spend and cards to keep your relationship on the up and up. I hope the above answers your immediate question regarding starting starting with the Platicorn vs. the Gold, but I know it's only a dip in the water when diving into the world of Amex. If you have any questions, please keep asking. There's just a lot more to type than I have time for on a Saturday afternoon.
As for Hawaiian, I'm pretty sure HawaiianMiles can only be pooled for free into a HawaiianMiles accountholder who is also a HawaiianMiles credit cardmember. So while you may have you as P1 and a P2 earning MRs with the intention of transferring them to Hawaiian, P1 or P2 will need to hold a HawaiianMiles credit card in order to receive HawaiianMiles without a transfer fee. P2 could transfer his MRs into P1’s frequent flyer account if P1 is an AU on one of P2's Amex MR cards, but that's not recommended for personal Amex MR cards as that AU would count against one of P1's 5/24 slots and Amex will not remove an AU listed as belonging to a spouse from their credit reports even if you close the AU.
Note that Amex typically runs a 25% transfer bonus to Hawaiian for a few weeks once a year.
- In 2019, it ran from about 9/23 - 10/7
- In 2018, from about 6/12 - 6/26
- In 2017, from about 6/7 - 6/21
- In 2016, from about 6/6 - 6/21
- In 2015, from about 12/8 - 12/21
See for example:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/25-t...ss-membership-rewards-to-hawaiian-airlines-3/
So if you can accumulate enough MRs in time to take advantage of a transfer bonus to Hawaiian, you could give your MRs a 25% boost when transferring to HawaiianMiles (or need about 20% fewer MR points to get to 160k HawaiianMiles). However, note that when transferring MR to a domestic airline's frequent flyer program, Amex will charge a $0.0006 per point fee, with a maximum fee of $99 to your card account.
I think earning Amex MR is a great plan in general, because it's a very valuable and versatile currency, and there are a lot of cards and opportunities that'll let you accumulate a lot of MR in a relatively short amount of time, especially in 2-Player mode — whether or not you ultimately decide to transfer MR to Hawaiian. Because Amex has a lot of transfer partners and MR points have many uses, you could consider supplementing earning MR along with earning HawaiianMiles directly, then you'll only have to transfer MR to Hawaiian to "top off" the miles that you still need and can save MR for other purposes.
Barclays issues a personal version and a business version of the HawaiianMiles credit card. If you don't want to add to your 5/24 count, you could go for the HawaiianMiles
business card, which still has a highest offer of up to 70,000 HawaiianMiles:
- 60,000 miles after spending $1,000 within the first 90 days
- 10,000 miles after making a purchase on an employee card
First year annual fee of $99 is not waived. For more information:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclays-70000-mile-hawaiian-business-offer/
Holding the HawaiianMiles biz card should allow the cardholder to receive miles transferred from other HawaiianMiles accounts for free so you and P2 can pool your miles into one HawaiianMiles account for booking. Having the HawaiianMiles credit card also gives the cardholder access to discounted economy flight awards on Hawaiian.
However, fair warning, Barclays has been randomly verifying people's "businesses" by requesting documentation even after approval and freezing the card even if you already have it in hand until you provide the information, so there's a small chance this card might be a wasted hard pull. In any event, it will not count against your 5/24 status so it might be worth the risk.
I've previously responded to others about Hawaiian miles, their credit cards, and flights, and here are some links that I hope you'll find somewhat relevant.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3729982/post-60693160
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3729982/post-60976759
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3729982/post-61107009
Again, if you have any more questions, just ask.
Good luck!
P.S. I see you're from AZ. Are you aware Amex is opening a Centurion Lounge at PHX in 2020, and Escape Lounge has one of their lounges planned for PHX too? The Platinum card gets the cardholder and 2 guests in these lounges for free. I see you're a family of 4, so DH may need one of his own.
We can talk about how to maximize use of the credits to reduce the effective cost of the annual fees.
https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-centurion-lounge-phoenix-phx-2019-6