← Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Keep or Cut the Amex Platinum? What New Perks Mean for Frequent Travelers
00:33:39
Loading summary
Transcript182 lines
- [00:00]
A
Today's episode is sponsored by Fiji Water. No way. I love hydration same and Fiji Hydration no less. It really is from the actual islands of Fiji. As in 1600 miles from the nearest continent. It's bottled at the source and untouched by man until you unscrew the cap and you don't have to go all the way to Fiji.
- [00:18]
B
Although you have been to Fiji, Megan.
- [00:20]
A
Yes. And I was living off the Fiji water. I would get out of the ocean, take a little sip of Fiji Water. It tastes so good.
- [00:28]
B
And it's easy to get it here too. Fiji Water is the number one premium bottled water brand in the U.S. it's.
- [00:34]
A
My go to hydration for everything from beach days to jungle hikes or even just a little water on the hotel nightstand.
- [00:40]
B
Oh, you know, I love my gallon challenge. I gotta say, if you are not doing the gallon challenge every day, my hot take is you are not hydrated enough.
- [00:48]
A
Honestly, I agree. And did you know Fiji Water has more than double the electrolytes as the other two top premium bottled water brands? That's what gives it that extra smooth taste.
- [00:57]
B
Fiji Water is Earth's finest water, Megan. If I am doing an Orlando theme park in the summer, I'm like sometimes two G challenge, baby.
- [01:05]
A
That's a lot of bottles of Fiji Water and I love that they're travel size so that they fit in my crossbody bag.
- [01:10]
B
I'm plowing through my Fiji Water bottles and luckily Fiji Water is environmentally responsible.
- [01:15]
A
Yes. Since 2022, the 330 and 500 milliliter bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic. Fiji Water continues to lead the top premium bottled water competition on launching 100% recycled plastic bottles.
- [01:28]
B
I love water and you know, if I see a Fiji Water bottle available, that's definitely the one I'm going for.
- [01:35]
A
Fiji Water. Earth's finest water.
- [01:37]
B
Stay hydrated. Like us travelers, the wait is over.
- [01:40]
A
The changes that American Express teased about the Amex platinum card are here.
- [01:44]
B
We are going to talk about that new annual fee, the new benefits, and whether or not we are keeping ours.
- [01:49]
A
This is kind of fun because we actually both have this card.
- [01:52]
B
Or will we by the end of this episode? Stick around and find out.
- [01:59]
A
Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Meagan Coyle.
- [02:05]
B
And I'm Sally French.
- [02:07]
A
And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.
- [02:10]
B
Today we are going to go over almost everything you need to know about the changes to the Amex Platinum. This premium card is a popular one for avid travelers, and between this and the Chase Sapphire Reserve changes this year, people might want to rethink their travel reward strategy.
- [02:24]
A
I think talking it out on this episode is really going to help me figure it out. But first, if it wasn't obvious, we'll talk about some credit card companies that are Nerd Wallet partners in this episode, but that doesn't influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can change and some offers may have expired by the time you're listening. For the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.
- [02:44]
B
The team has been so busy updating those links today, so do check out NerdWallet's website. There are a bunch of credit card comparisons, ideas for ways to use some of the benefits we'll talk about. It's really more than we could possibly talk about in this episode, so we will include all sorts of our favorite links in today's episode description so that way you can Learn more on NerdWallet.com.
- [03:04]
A
If you're not an AMEX Platinum cardholder or Amex Platinum Curious, we've got a few other pieces of news you might want to check out. First one is for Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders. Chase is doing a promotion where cardholders who link their infatuation and Chase accounts will receive a one time $75 statement credit when they spend at least $150@ select top rated restaurants with their eligible Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card through October 16, 2025.
- [03:33]
B
You do have to move fast, but this is pretty interesting because the annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred is $95. So if you do get that full $75 that can kind of offset the majority of the credit card's annual fees. I will say there are a lot of participating restaurants in this program. Chase says it's 165 restaurants. These are across major cities, New York, Chicago, Louisiana. The downfall is if you live in not a major city, this will obviously be tougher to use.
- [04:03]
A
I was really excited about the restaurants that are on the list because there are some of my favorites in Los Angeles. I'm a Bevel Stan and their celery root and oyster mushrooms are two of my favorite bites of food in la. I have them at least once a year.
- [04:16]
B
Moving on to some bad news for Hilton points collectors. Hilton just had a major devaluation last week, so many properties are showing up as more expensive than they otherwise would when you try to book them with points.
- [04:27]
A
This is the second time this year that Hilton has raised award prices. And it seems the most pronounced on some of Hilton's luxury properties. Those are brands like Waldorf Astoria. Standard rooms at those properties used to cost about 150,000 or 200,000 points per night, and now they're going for as much as 250,000 points per night.
- [04:47]
B
That's really too bad because I always felt like those luxury properties were often the only great Hilton redemptions as is. So, yikes. I will say this is my chance to shout out those Hilton free night certificates. You can get these from certain credit cards like the Hilton Honors, American Express Aspire card. What's wild about these free night certificates is you can use them at pretty much any property. There are some exceptions, like some all inclusives, but really, no matter how many points it costs or what the cash rate is, this is really the best way to get around this devaluation.
- [05:20]
A
I don't think I'll ever use my points for a stay like this because it's just an insane number of points. Like, compare that to Hyatt, where the most expensive standard room is 45,000 points per night.
- [05:30]
B
Shout out Hyatt.
- [05:31]
A
Yeah. Like, why would I ever spend 250,000 points when I can get award stays for a quarter of the price?
- [05:38]
B
Moving on to San Diego International Airport, they are opening a new Terminal 1 on Monday, September 22. Some of the new improvements include a new entrance road that should help ease some of that San Diego congestion. And also a new TSA checkpoint. Hopefully that'll make it faster to get through security. And then of course, you know, we love some better seating options and more park. Oh, right, you drivers.
- [06:01]
A
Doesn't apply to you. Terminal 1 serves a couple of different airlines. Breeze, Frontier, Spirit, JetBlue, Southwest, and Sun Country. So this will be a major improvement for any San Diego passengers flying those airlines. I think I did a hot take about this a while back, but the terminal the airline operates in at each airport can make such a big difference in your flying experience.
- [06:22]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [06:23]
A
I wouldn't say it's like a deciding factor, but, like, I'll fly whatever airline has the cheapest flight, but it does factor into how early I get to the airport because there might be long lines if the security is really slow. Or maybe I'll get there really early because they have a great lounge, they have good restaurants. So I think it's important to know which terminals are new.
- [06:41]
B
Megan, they were probably listening to your hot take and said, we're going to do a redesign Just for you. So thank you so much, San Diego International Airport.
- [06:48]
A
You're welcome, everyone.
- [06:50]
B
Let's talk about the new American Express Platinum card, and we'll see if it truly is improved.
- [06:59]
A
Yes, it's time, Sally. This has been such a wild year for premium card changes. I can't believe we're doing another big one today.
- [07:06]
B
I need a vacation.
- [07:08]
A
So we finally learned that the platinum card from American Express has a new, higher annual fee. Wamp. Wamp. And it is now $895.
- [07:18]
B
That is a 200 increase from the previous annual fee, which was $695. But it also has a bunch of new and increased statement credits, so you might still be able to come out ahead with this one.
- [07:29]
A
Unfortunately, the coupon book reputation is not going away. In fact, the argument is only strengthening. I'm just glad that they kept the annual fee under one grand because I heard rumors about that, and I was really scared.
- [07:40]
B
Oh, my gosh. You heard rumors would be more than $1,000?
- [07:43]
A
Yeah, give me another couple of years, man. I need to save up for it.
- [07:48]
B
I have to admit, after our podcast about the Chase Sapphire reserve changes, that kind of came off like my scathing breakup with the card. And it was one of my favorite cards. I was skeptical when we heard a couple months back rumors that American Express was raising their annual fee, too. I will say I'm just gonna spoil it ahead of this whole episode. I am actually keeping my platinum card after all of this.
- [08:09]
A
We'll see if I do, too. I'm kind of on the fence, but in preparation for this episode, I think I'm leaning away. So you know this already. You know this. So let's just get into it.
- [08:18]
B
How am I gonna go this interior lounge with you in the future?
- [08:22]
A
I know, I know. Okay, okay. Let's talk about the annual fe. So if you are someone who already has this card, the new annual fee actually doesn't kick in until your next renewal after January 2, 2026. For consumer card holders, shout out to.
- [08:36]
B
The people who have their annual fee date kick in on, like, December 29th. They really won this one.
- [08:42]
A
Mine is in October, so I have, like.
- [08:44]
B
Oh, you kind of won also.
- [08:46]
A
Yeah, I have months to use it. Before we get any further, we should say that there are also a bunch of changes to the business version of the platinum card from Amex. But in this episode, we're only talking about the consumer card.
- [08:57]
B
Otherwise, the episode would be too long and our producers would be mad. Okay, so let's talk about the additions to the Consumer version of this card. Some of the top additions include a $400 annual Resi dining credit, a $300 Lululemon credit, $200 towards an Aura ring, $120 for an Uber One membership. Then another type of automatic elite status which is complimentary Leaders Club Sterling status with leading hotels of the world. They've also increased the digital credit from the former $240 to now $300 annually. And then the hotel credit which you can use on fine hotels and resorts and the hotel collection has increased. Now it is up to $600 annually. However that one is split into $300 twice a year.
- [09:44]
A
And the good thing about all of this is that those benefits are in addition to the existing benefits which is pretty wide ranging. Like it includes an Uber credit, airline fee credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and of course the lounge access which Sally we all know you love.
- [10:00]
B
And here's what is key. They did not take anything away. This is kind of different than what Chase did which with their kind of relaunch remake over, they devalued many bookings in the Chase ultimate rewards portal. They made some earnings categories more restrictive. All I'm saying is that American Express added more stuff.
- [10:20]
A
Alright, let's dig into these new credits. Any favorites off the top?
- [10:24]
B
Sally oh yes, I do have some. I am personally excited for the Lululemon credit.
- [10:29]
A
No way. I know you love your gym but I really would not have pegged you save with Sally as a Lulu kind of girl.
- [10:36]
B
Yo save with Sally would have also not pegged herself as a Lulu kind of girl. But this is embarrassing. I discovered Lululemon in the most American Express platinum card kind of way possible. I was heading to an Equinox class once and we should remind listeners about the existing $300 equ credit when they enroll and pay for an Equinox membership with their card. Side note. Anyway, I'm cruising into this class and classic Sally. I realized I forgot my sports bra and I'm like no way am I not taking this class. So the gym did have a shop inside that was selling Lululemon. So I was like I'm just going to grab something. I'm going to spend $70 on a sports bra.
- [11:11]
A
You're like I can't even look at the price tag. I just know I need this. You know, retail is a great way to spend a bunch of money in one bell swoop.
- [11:18]
B
You know, this whole time I had been a champion sports bra girl and those $15 at Target Max and now I've spent $70 on one piece of workout gear. But I will say bacon, this now sounds like an ad for Lululemon, but really the quality is quite good. I am sold. And now I swear by Lululemon.
- [11:35]
A
I also wear Lululemon, but it is a real treat for me. So the new.
- [11:39]
B
They don't sponsor our show, but maybe they should.
- [11:41]
A
Yeah. The new $300 Lululemon credit breaks down to $75 per quarter if you have the AMEX platinum. So that could generally cover, as you said, maybe a sports bra or like, three quarters of a pair of leggings. And to be clear, that's not the length of the leggings. That's literally just three quarters of the price of a pair of leggings.
- [12:00]
B
Okay. I will remind people that even though they say it's $300, as you said, it's $75 per quarter. So it is a little bit irritating that you can't just spend $300 in one go. Just to remind listeners of that and.
- [12:11]
A
That you also have to enroll for these credits through your amex account. So you have to remember to do that before you go on a shopping spree at Lululemon.
- [12:20]
B
Now, Megan, I know you love a fancy hotel. How are you feeling about that $600 hotel credit?
- [12:25]
A
I'm nervous, if I'm being honest. I think it's great that the amount went up. So it used to be $200 once a year. Now it's gonna be $300 twice a year. So that's good because these hotels that participate in these programs are expensive, and I. I think most of them are over $300 just for one night.
- [12:44]
B
Way more than $300. I feel like all these hotels are like, 800, and I'm like, $200 off. 800 is still, like, way more than the Hampton Inn.
- [12:52]
A
Exactly. So now it feels like you'll be paying less out of pocket. But at the same time, you have to do that twice a year now. And I'm like, oh, gosh, it already weighs on me, you know, like, in the back of my mind, it's bothering me that I haven't used it yet kind of thing. And so now it's going to do that twice a year for me. But honestly, I think I can do it. I think I can strategize and book one of twice a year.
- [13:12]
B
Yeah. Also, this is better than Chase's version of the credit. Theirs is $250 twice a year, so not as high. And then also, Chase forces you to do a Two night minimum with Amex.
- [13:23]
A
There's also a two night minimum on the hotels in the hotel collection, but no minimum for the hotels in the fine Hotels and Resorts collection, which is the more expensive one.
- [13:32]
B
And those are the real fancy ones. Those are the ones you won.
- [13:36]
A
Also, we should mention all the benefits of booking through this program. It's not just about the credit. Like there's usually room upgrades which might be worth, I don't know, a couple hundred dollars. Depending on what you value a room upgrade at, there's usually a hundred dollar property credit. Daily breakfast for two, early check in, late checkout. So I would say even though you're getting just $300 with the statement credit, I would think you're actually getting about like 500, maybe more than that when you think about all the perks involved.
- [14:03]
B
Yeah. If you can time your stay so it's a relatively affordable hotel and affordable quote by FHR standards. And then you do one night and so then you get the breakfast and you get the property credit. I'm like, I'm kind of making money over here, girl. Math girl.
- [14:19]
A
Okay. You tell yourself that, Sally.
- [14:23]
B
Okay. Another credit that I'm very excited about is a $400 resi credit. This one, like many of these credits, is broken out. So this one is a hundred dollars quarterly. You can use this at the more than 10,000 US resi restaurants. So of course that is a 400 value per year if you max it out.
- [14:40]
A
That's great because that applies to so many restaurants. Like in the battle of Resi versus Open Table, which is the booking platform that Chase has partnered with. I would actually say I prefer the restaurants on OpenTable as opposed to Resi. But Chase has limited their Open Table credit for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders so much you literally would have to go out of your way to use the dining credit on that card. Like, I checked the list of Sapphire Reserve exclusive tables in LA and there's only 19 restaurants in all of LA. And I'm like, the odds that I'm eating at one of those twice a year just as part of my normal routine is pretty low.
- [15:16]
B
Yeah. And then it's like, what are the people of Warrenton, Missouri going to do? There's definitely not a restaurant there.
- [15:20]
A
This resi credit for once is actually pretty good if you're living outside of a big city. Although I think a lot of the other Amex Platinum credits are more geared towards city people.
- [15:30]
B
They are more geared towards city people. But I was browsing what restaurants are available and there are so Many more across every price point. So, again, as you said, with that Chase credit, I looked and I love Hopper House of Prime Rib. Shout out. House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. Their protein is amazing. However, it is impossible to get a reservation at Hopper in the first place. That I'm like, I might not even spend this credit purely because they didn't have a reservation with the Amex credit. There are so many more restaurants in Resy, and they are not all the super fancy ones like my neighborhood Thai spot is on there. Our old newsroom bar is on there.
- [16:03]
A
What? That's so funny.
- [16:05]
B
Yeah. Then I'm like, oh, I could. Schroeder's in San Francisco, that was the old Wall Street Journal bar. So I'm like, so many people can use this much easier than the Chase credit.
- [16:15]
A
All right, we're back in a minute. Stay tuned. Today's episode is sponsored by Claude.
- [16:24]
B
Megan, you and I were talking about how it seems like we do 18 people's jobs at once, and I think we should share a secret. We love AI.
- [16:30]
A
And not just any AI, but Claude built by Anthropic.
- [16:33]
B
We use AI in our work and in our everyday lives. But we should also say that a lot of people ask us about using AI to help plan travel. Claude is actually pretty great in this department.
- [16:42]
A
Yeah. So I'm heading to Europe with my family this fall. Instead of just giving me a generic itinerary, Claude helped me think through all the variables. Seasonal pricing patterns, transportation between cities, even local cultural events that might impact hotel availability. It connected dots across dozens of sources that would have taken me hours to piece together myself.
- [16:59]
B
What an excellent display of its research capabilities. We are talking comprehensive, reliable analysis with proper citations in real time, not just basic web searches that are probably going to be outdated by the time we're there anyway.
- [17:10]
A
What I love so much about Claude versus other AI tools is how it feels more like a collaborator. In our world, it's kind of like that travel agent that really wants to help you have the best trip ever.
- [17:19]
B
Claude is the AI for minds that don't stop at good enough. It's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks with you, not for you. And of course, it goes beyond travel planning. Whether you're debugging code at midnight or strategy strategizing your next business move, Clawd extends your thinking to tackle the problems that matter.
- [17:35]
A
Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Clawd today and get 50% off Clawd Pro when you use our link Claude AI SmartTravel. That's Claude AI SmartTravel right now for 50% off your first three months of cloud Pro.
- [17:49]
B
So good, so good, so good.
- [17:51]
C
New fall arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores. Now get ready to save big with up to 60% off Vince, Kurt, Geiger, London and more.
- [17:59]
A
How did I not know Rack has Adidas?
- [18:01]
B
Cause there's always something new.
- [18:02]
C
Join the Nordy Club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock exclusive discounts on your favorite brands. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, get an extra 5% off every rack purchase with a Nordstrom credit card. Great brands, great prices. That's why you Rack.
- [18:19]
A
Next one is the enhanced digital entertainment credit.
- [18:23]
B
Enhanced is like the worst marketing word. I'm just going to say that. I don't know why they did that. Just say increased amount.
- [18:30]
A
Increased, increased amount. Okay, so Amex has this digital entertainment credit where there's a statement credit that will kick in if you charge a subscription to one of the following partners. And they actually added some new ones. So the new ones are Paramount Plus, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. And then the existing digital entertainment partners include Disney Plus, Disney plus bundle, ESPN Plus, Hulu, the new York Times, Peacock, and the one you just mentioned, Sally, the Wall Street Journal. Again, enrollment required for this credit.
- [19:02]
B
Yeah, I'm into this credit. I use Disney. And I will say, if I didn't have this credit, I would be the unhinged person who only subscribed to Disney when the Mandalorian is out. And now I'm like, this eases my anxiety because I just have this subscription ongoing. I don't watch Disney every month, but I'm like, it was quote free, so I'm just fine keeping it. And I don't need to do the weird subscribe unsubscribe dance.
- [19:25]
A
This is a good mix of partners. I think. I have Disney plus as well. I also have the New York Times and my boyfriend pays for the YouTube TV. But I guess I'll have to start paying for it because now that's part of the digital entertainment credit.
- [19:36]
B
If you keep the card.
- [19:37]
A
Yeah, we'll see.
- [19:38]
B
Up next, There is a $120 Uber 1 credit. This is $120 in statement credits each calendar year after purchase of an auto renewing Uber 1 membership in the US with your platinum card. I don't really know what Uber 1 is. I looked it up and they said it's a subscription service that offers ride credits and discounts on Uber. I just, I don't ride Uber that much, but I guess I'll take it because I do my one Uber ride a month to. To use the other Uber statement credit, which they still have on this card.
- [20:06]
A
Yeah, I. My boyfriend uses this one, and he likes it. He orders lunch a lot, and the discounts on Uber eats make it worth it again. Another thing that I'll probably have to put on my card if I'm keeping it. So I don't know. Now there's two things that my boyfriend will want to put on this card. Is looking like I'm gonna have to keep it.
- [20:24]
B
He should get the card, and he should pay the annual fee. Come on, Eddie. Don't make Megan be the sugar mama over here.
- [20:31]
A
Exactly. He's making money off me.
- [20:34]
B
Oh, my gosh. Okay, Eddie's the winner here. Okay, up next, There is a $200 Aura ring credit. This is up to $200 back each calendar year in statement credits when card members use their platinum card to purchase an Oura Ring through Oura Ring.com enrollment required, as is the case with many of these statement credits. Are you an Oura Ring fan?
- [20:53]
A
No. I have a different health tracker, so we should say that OURA ring, if you don't know what it is, is this, like, ring that tracks things like your steps, your sleep, like, health stats, And I have a Fitbit. I know you have one too, Sally.
- [21:05]
B
I love my Fitbit.
- [21:06]
A
Exactly. So I was like, you know what? I don't need to add another one. I also have a smart mattress pad, so I get sleep stats from many different sources.
- [21:15]
B
Wow. How's your sleep?
- [21:17]
A
Terrible. Actually.
- [21:18]
B
Awful. You're dealing with me all day. Okay, I will. I'm not an aura fan. It's like. It gives me too much anxiety of, like, all these stats I have to track. I only track my steps. I am a step maniac. But everything else, like, if. If the thing told me I had bad sleep, then I would just feel like I'm gonna have a bad day, that I'm like, I can't do that to myself.
- [21:38]
A
Oh, yeah. It does something to your mind.
- [21:40]
B
So I'm not buying an Oura ring. Although no shade to people who have OURA rings.
- [21:44]
A
Absolutely.
- [21:44]
B
We still love and respect you.
- [21:46]
A
If you have an aura ring, then your Amex Platinum will help pay for it. All right, so. So those were the new things for the most part. Let's talk about some of the other existing statement credits. There's a $200 airline fee credit, which you have to, like, choose an airline, and then you receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year. When you charge things like Checked bags or refreshments, and you have to charge it to your Platinum card. I mean, that's great. I max mine out every year. How about you, Sally?
- [22:15]
B
Yeah, I feel like Hamilton. My husband uses these all the time now, and he's like, oh, I'm upgrading to economy or whatever. And I'm like, all right, you got the credit, you might as well do it.
- [22:27]
A
Totally. Then there's a $200 Uber cash. You get it each month, and then you get a little bit more in December. Sally, you don't have a car, so the Uber cash, I'm sure you use it every month.
- [22:38]
B
Yeah, I walk everywhere. And then Uber, I do, like, one Uber a month to the places that I can't get to on foot, so. So thank you for my Uber cash.
- [22:45]
A
And the $209 clear plus credit. So clear is this service that lets you use their special lanes to do security checks, mostly at airports, but there's also stadiums and some other places. I would not have this if I didn't have the Platinum card, but since it comes with it, I signed up.
- [23:04]
B
Yeah. You know, Megan and I were in the airport together recently, and there was no line, even at tsa, that we both look at each other and we go, should we go to Clear? And then we're like, nah, let's just. Let's just not use it. But every once in a while, the TSA precheck line is. Is still like 15 minutes long. And then Clear does come in clutch. With this credit and many credits, I always think, like, I'm not going to value it at the full $209 because I would not pay $209. But, like, a Clear credit, maybe I would value it at, let's say, $50. That's just an arbitrary number I'm throwing out for how much time I feel like it saved me in line. So I do think when people are valuing what these credits are worth, you're allowed to do your own math. And you're allowed to say that, like, even Lululemon to you is worth $40, cuz. $40 for pants and not, you know, the 75. Do your own girl math.
- [23:55]
A
Right. We're about to do our math soon. Okay, last One is the $300 Equinox credit. I actually haven't used mine yet. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly to do with it, because I don't want to pay for an Equinox membership all year that doesn't cover a whole lot of it. Probably like one month.
- [24:15]
B
Right. And Equinox typically sucks you into a whole year contract. And that is the challenge with many of these credits is I do worry that they kind of this lifestyle creep on you. I think it's pretty much impossible to find an Equinox membership for less than $200 a month. So you are already paying well over a thousand dollars each year in a gym membership, but probably 2000 plus. So it's like, yay, thank you for the $300 back. But don't act like this is really saving you a ton of money unless you truly would have an Equinox membership anyway. I do kind of get worried that people say, Well, I have $300 at Equinox, so I guess I'll sign up for an Equinox membership when there might be down the road. That's half the cost.
- [24:57]
A
You really have to think about, are these credits something that sort of work with my lifestyle already, or am I going to be overspending just to use the credits? You don't want to do that. So, Sally, it sounds like you're keeping the card. You said that at the top. Give me the math. Why does it work out that you should still have it in your wallet?
- [25:13]
B
Yeah, so I definitely don't use all of the credits, even that hotel credit. You know, I'm a Hampton Inn girl, so I don't want to pay 900 for some other hotel. Even if it's 900 minus 300 and it's 600, that's like, still more than my hotel budget. So I don't weigh in the cost of all the credits. However, I do think the resi credit is super easy to use. So that's 400 Lululemon. I am now a Lululemon convert. So that's $300 in value. Let's say I use half of the expanded hotel credit. So let's. Let's value that at $300. And then I do use the Ubers, so. And, oh, the airline credits, I also use those. So if I valued up all those, Megan, that is already at $1400 in value against an $895 annual fee. So I really feel like I'm already ahead.
- [26:00]
A
Right. And we didn't even talk about the lounge access, which you love so much. And I feel like you value that at something too. Right. How do you calculate that?
- [26:06]
B
Yeah. So even with the lounges, I figure, what is the cost of a meal? And I'm almost always going to buy a meal at the airport. If not a meal, I 100% am buying coffee. So, like, coffee at the airport is $8. I say maybe I'll value the whole meal buffet situation at, like, $30. So again, you have to figure how many lo going to each year. Let's just say you go to 10. You fly five times a year round trip. That's $300 if you value it at $50 right there. So I even think that that's an excellent value.
- [26:37]
A
Sally, you gotta get on the Starbucks rewards train with me. I was having my free coffee at the airport last week.
- [26:42]
B
Megan, it's not free because you have to buy so many coffees to get the stars.
- [26:46]
A
You don't know how to work the system. Sally. Okay. We should also mention that Centurion Lounges are expanding as well. I think all the lounge networks are trying to open new locations as quick as they can, but the ones coming for Centurion Lounges, Salt Lake City next year, Newark, and Speakeasy concept in Vegas.
- [27:04]
B
So I think what really stands out to me about this card is there are a lot of credits that I look at. Or ring credit. I'm looking at you. That I'm like, no way am I even considering doing this whatsoever. But what's nice is there are so many credits that if I don't use them all, I don't feel like I'm missing out the way I do think other cards. I'm really trying to do this math and, like, make sure I'm at least $10 ahead. Like, I just did easy math, and I'm so many hundreds of dollars ahead, I don't need to use this oura ring credit.
- [27:33]
A
That's kind of what conclusion I'm coming to as well. I was adding it up as you were talking about yours, and I think I'm at over $2,000 in value from using this because so many of these we already use, like the digital entertainment Uber one we're already paying for in some respect. Uber. The resi thing, I think, will be super easy. So even if I don't max out the Lululemon or the hotel credit, it'll be totally fine. I think we' the real winner is.
- [28:00]
B
Eddie, because you're paying his annual fee and he's getting the benefits.
- [28:03]
A
We should say, though, that Eddie pays for the Chase Sapphire Reserve in our household. So let.
- [28:09]
B
Okay, great segue. Let's talk about some of the competitors. Most people, I think, will compare this card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. How do you think this stacks up?
- [28:17]
A
I think the Amex Platinum has better credits. Like I said, we're already using some of these companies. So we're already paying for some of these memberships ships. I think that'll be easy to justify the annual fee. Chase, I will say, still has some advantages. One, I think their lounge network, though it's much smaller. The lounges are a lot newer, have a lot cooler amenities.
- [28:39]
B
The Chase lounges are nice. I will give them that.
- [28:42]
A
So. And there's one opening in Los Angeles next year, so I'm excited about that.
- [28:46]
B
Rumor has it they're going to open a new lounge in San Francisco, but they haven't said what it's going to be. Do you think it'll be a Chase lounge?
- [28:53]
A
Ooh. I mean, yeah, they have.
- [28:55]
B
Could change my mind.
- [28:57]
A
There you go. So that's something to consider. The other thing that I really like about the Chase Sapphire Reserve is that they have higher earnings on hotels booked directly.
- [29:07]
B
Yeah.
- [29:07]
A
The Amex Platinum only has the bonus category on flights booked directly. And then also, like hotels booked prepaid in their Amex travel portal. But I. I really don't like using the portal for hotel bookings because you don't get elite night credits, which, honestly, I'm not that worried about. But you get automatic elite status from your Amex Platinum or maybe from your Chase. Chase has a couple new automatic elite status perks, and if you book through the portal, then you don't necessarily get the benefits of having that automatic elite status. So it's very strange.
- [29:45]
B
Yeah. And it also just adds this unnecessary middleman where I feel like hotels I'm more likely to cancel than flights for whatever reason, because I think I'm like, oh, can I stay with a friend? Or whatever.
- [29:54]
A
Right.
- [29:54]
B
And adding that middleman is just so irritating.
- [29:56]
A
Yeah. I dealt with this a couple of weeks ago when I was just trying to add Eddie as the person to check in. My reservation was for two people, but he was going to get there before me and it turned into this entire headache. We didn't get our two bottles of water for having automatically status. It was just not great. And not to mention, like, hotels are often a huge part of your travel budget. Like, the lodging is usually what costs the most. So not being able to earn bon points on that, I think is a huge negative of having an Amex Platinum or only having an Amex Platinum. That's why we're going to have both.
- [30:29]
B
There are also some premium airline cards. The other card that I think this is a kind of close competitor to is the Capital One Venture X. Although I don't know, because the Capital One Venture x has a $395 annual fee doesn't have much at all in the way of bougie coupon book credits. It does, though, have excellent lounges.
- [30:47]
A
Yeah. So. So both of us have that card as well. I think we're both gonna keep those. So we are paying a lot in annual credit card fees. But I think, as you can tell from this episode, there's a lot of good reasons to have different types of perks and different types of cards.
- [31:03]
B
So Megan has all three of kind of like the top tier general premium travel cards.
- [31:08]
A
I want the best of all world, Sally.
- [31:10]
B
I can't choose trifecta. I only have two of the three in the trifecta.
- [31:16]
A
Oh, and then we should talk about, like, redemptions. Like, they all have different transfer partners, and they all have different travel portals, and their points are worth different amounts. So, like, that's something else to consider, too, if you're trying to choose between all these premium cards.
- [31:28]
B
Yeah. That is an important call out. I know there are some people who might just love Hyatt. Maybe they have a Hyatt card. The platinum card from American Express does not transfer to Hyatt. In that case, it might make sense to just be in the Chase ecosystem. So you can earn points on all your spending and then transfer them to Hyatt. Of course. American unique transfer partners. Estes Capital One Nordwallet has a list of the transfer partners per card on its website. So check that out to find out about your favorite brands.
- [31:54]
A
And if you really care about transfer partners and you just need access to them, remember, you don't necessarily need a premium credit card. Like, all of these programs have more affordable annual fees for cards that still give you access to transfer partners. So that's another thing to consider if you want access to all these different. Different programs.
- [32:13]
B
Yeah. Already something like the American Express Gold card is popping into my mind. As a card that still earns points that can transfer to American Express as transfer partners, the annual fee is still there, but it's definitely not as high as the platinum card's annual fee.
- [32:28]
A
Okay, so to round it out, Sally, who do you think should actually get this new Amex platinum card at $895 a year?
- [32:36]
B
1, it is for people who I think live in major cities. Even though the resi credit is way easier to use across nation, it's still mostly targeted to major cities. So I will say you kind of got to be a major city for that. Same as with the lounge access, you're less likely to find a lounge in a Smaller airport, and then even some of these other credits like Equinox. There's not an Equinox in Missouri, so that credit is probably not something you can use.
- [33:02]
A
And one thing I want to point out is this Amex Platinum card. We've talked so much about the credits, and that's why it's worth it for us. But it doesn't earn that many points.
- [33:13]
B
Yeah, okay, good call out.
- [33:15]
A
If you were trying to max optimized for earning a ton of points, just make sure you check all of the options out there.
- [33:21]
B
I will say I spend very little money on my Platinum card. It's like my. My Walmart plus purchases go on it. My Disney plus, which gets the statement credit. Basically, anything that gets a statement credit goes on it. So there'll be random Lululemon purchases on this card, but I do my general spending on other cards.
- [33:36]
A
There we go. Okay, so that's our take on the Amex Platinum changes. And remember, these changes take effect for new applicants immediately. So if you don't have this card, that's the new annual feature fee. But existing cardholders won't see the new fee until their renewal date after January 2, 2026. So you have a bit of time.
- [33:54]
B
And the super good news is, if you are an existing cardholder, the new benefits do kick in now. So especially these quarterly credits. If you are listening to this the day the podcast airs, go to Lululemon right now and buy something. So that way you get the credit for this quarter.
- [34:08]
A
I'm literally gonna book a hotel tomorrow.
- [34:10]
B
Okay, move. Go, people, go. And we also want to hear your takes. We told you that we're both keeping our cards. We want to know, are you a fan of these card changes? Maybe. Are you part of Team AMEX Platinum or are you on Team Chase Fi Reserve? Are you now inclined to apply for the card? Let us know. You can email us at travel nerdball at. Com. Tell us what you think or even leave us a voice memo, which, you know, we love to play on the show.
- [34:36]
A
And if you want to keep up with us throughout the week, you can follow along on our posts on TikTok and Instagram. Sally is Save with Sally, and I'm miles with Megan Co. Make sure to.
- [34:46]
B
Follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app. That includes Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio to automatically download new episodes. And if you are listening on Spotify, you can drop us a comment on this episode right in the app.
- [34:57]
A
This episode was produced by Tess Viglin and edited by Nick Karismi. Claire Soci and Hilary Georgie helped with.
- [35:02]
B
Fact checking and our disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This info is provided to for general educational and entertainment purposes. It may not apply to your specific circumstances.
- [35:11]
A
Thanks for listening. We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. We'll see you next week on Wednesday. Next time.
- [35:31]
B
Hey, girl.
- [35:32]
D
This is a matching set. Emergency. Ugh. My favorite Lululemon leggings. And define jacket. You know the set you got me years ago? The one you've seen me wear at every yoga class? Well, I just got back from a weekend trip and had left my gym bag at the BnB. Girl, I need to replace this outfit. Could you send me the link to where you got it I needed asap? I don't know what I'll do without it. Thanks, girl.
- [35:52]
A
Looking for your newest go to's shop. Lululemon's best sellers now@lululemon.com.