I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[wanderlust7]

Seriously (for the first time) considering applying for the Amex Plat if I can get the 175K offer... but first, a question about the ease of using the credits.
I am not likely to use all of them, but these interest me:

-The AMEX Global Lounge- does this mean that with the card I'd be able to visit any listed Amex Lounge when I'm in an airport? Does it matter if I'm coming/going, what airline I'm flying on, anything like that?

-Uber Cash: Is this easy to use? I don't use Uber Eats now, but I would if it weren't so expensive or if I could get it for 'free'. I do occasionally take Ubers when I am traveling, but usually only when I have gone somewhere for work, and work pays for it.

Things I will likely NOT use:

-Probably not going to ever book a "Fine Hotel or Resort" or the "Hotel Collection."
-Don't anticipate being able to use the Digital Entertainment Credit (we already pay for Disney Plus as an almost no-cost add on to our Verizon plan).

I THOUGHT I had seen an airline incidental credit on the terms of the application, but when I just look at the benefits/info page, I don't see anything about that. I don't fly a ton, and I generally try not to check a bag if I could help it, but I'd happily pay on legacy carriers (which I fly sometimes for work) for an upgraded seat if I could get it credited back!

For the Centurion Lounge, no guests are covered unless you spend $75k in a year. Access is only 3 hours before a departing flight. For Priority Pass lounges, you can bring in 2 guests. Each lounge has different restrictions, which you can see in the app, but somtimes it's clear as mud. I think the airline you're flying would only matter if you're going to a Delta or Lufthansa lounge using the plat benefit (not using Priority Pass).

The Uber benefit is monthly, use it or lose it. When we had a plat, we'd use it for Uber Eats pick-up and pick a restaurant where the price isn't too inflated ($1-2 upcharge per item is pretty common). I'd order enough to use up the credit and do a separate direct order for everything else.

For the airline incidentals credit, the easy loopholes are United Travel Bank or Southwest flight <$100 (possibly up to $108 if you're feeling brave). If you want to use it for actual incidentals, I think seat selection is covered, but not upgrade to a different class. You might want to search the Flyertalk threads to check (there's one about the credit for each airline).

FHR only requires 1 night, so if you can find a FHR hotel around $200, then it is "free". Some places I've seen this are Vegas, Portland (Oregon), and San Francisco.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

So sorry this happened…second the suggestion to book a refundable airfare..wait for the credit to post and then cancel to the cc, we may be in a similar situation in a few months/within a year DH company is being acquired, he keeps telling me he’s fine but I think it’s only because he wants to go on vacation . We are older he’s turning 65 but was planning on working for a while….

Thanks. DH is over 60, but kiddo is still in HS so definitely not planning on retirement yet.
So no one thinks AutoSlash will refund immediately? It's a pay now rate, so the reservation I made in November has been fully paid, I'd make a new one, pay in full and cancel the old one.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Thanks. DH is over 60, but kiddo is still in HS so definitely not planning on retirement yet.
So no one thinks AutoSlash will refund immediately? It's a pay now rate, so the reservation I made in November has been fully paid, I'd make a new one, pay in full and cancel the old one.

No help with auto slash have never used them…hopefully someone else can

if DH had his way he’d already be retired …since he hates working but we would be sitting in our house doing nothing since he was a “ I could die tomorrow so why save guy” so he would not be happy with that either…me I’ll work until my boss or I die…my kids are in their 30’s …4 grandkids which I help with so life is good

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Haven't really told anyone IRL but DH got laid off yesterday. 3 weeks severance at a job he had for 25 years. Kind of in panic mode. Even though I have a good job, our health insurance was through his company (and sadly my healthcare job has worse, more expensive insurance.)
Trying to cut all the corners and make plans and will be canceling any cc with an AF in the next few months. My CSR will be due in Feb/March. TC has reset, so I'm looking to use it. We have Yellowstone booked in June and car rental thru AutoSlash for $395, can still book for $399 today. I plan on cancelling the original booking and rebooking. Have never used AutoSlash before, so someone reassure me the cancellation will refund me quickly and easily.

No help with AutoSlash but just wanted to say, I'm sorry about the layoff, that's really tough.
3 weeks severance for 25 years of service, at the age of 60 is criminal. If he hasn't signed anything, I would attempt to negotiate that based on both his tenure AND his age. Usually one can rescind a signed agreement within a certain number of days, if he has already signed.
A few years back we cut our income about 60-70% to a single income household. It was super scary at first and we went into sort of preservation mode. But then after things settled, it became apparent we were spending money on things that weren't necessary because we were so busy maintaining a dual income lifestyle. Fast forward four years later and we are still single income (by choice), have the best quality of life (I've lost 50lbs) and we have never traveled more. We are actually present in our family and our marriage.

Take a breath. Allow DH to grieve this loss; it's not only his job but so many relationships that are gone overnight. I hope you come out of this on the other side better than before.

 

[havaneselover]

No help with AutoSlash but just wanted to say, I'm sorry about the layoff, that's really tough.
3 weeks severance for 25 years of service, at the age of 60 is criminal. If he hasn't signed anything, I would attempt to negotiate that based on both his tenure AND his age. Usually one can rescind a signed agreement within a certain number of days, if he has already signed.
A few years back we cut our income about 60-70% to a single income household. It was super scary at first and we went into sort of preservation mode. But then after things settled, it became apparent we were spending money on things that weren't necessary because we were so busy maintaining a dual income lifestyle. Fast forward four years later and we are still single income (by choice), have the best quality of life (I've lost 50lbs) and we have never traveled more. We are actually present in our family and our marriage.

Take a breath. Allow DH to grieve this loss; it's not only his job but so many relationships that are gone overnight. I hope you come out of this on the other side better than before.

Yes--the law requires employees over 40 are given twenty-one days to sign. Once it's signed I belive you have 7 days to rescind.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

3 weeks severance for 25 years of service, at the age of 60 is criminal. If he hasn't signed anything, I would attempt to negotiate that based on both his tenure AND his age.

I’m not sure how he could negotiate. The company is doing poorly and let go 1/3 of their employees. It’s not like he can say If you give me A, I’ll give you B.

Allow DH to grieve this loss; it's not only his job but so many relationships that are gone overnight

He’s WFH so he hasn’t seen another employee in 5 years but he is angry and frustrated.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Haven't really told anyone IRL but DH got laid off yesterday. 3 weeks severance at a job he had for 25 years. Kind of in panic mode. Even though I have a good job, our health insurance was through his company (and sadly my healthcare job has worse, more expensive insurance.)

I know how stressful this must be, and just wanted to say I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

 

[trenty]

Thanks. DH is over 60, but kiddo is still in HS so definitely not planning on retirement yet.
So no one thinks AutoSlash will refund immediately? It's a pay now rate, so the reservation I made in November has been fully paid, I'd make a new one, pay in full and cancel the old one.

Sorry to hear about DH. Hopefully something will open up for him very soon.
I always use autoslash, but never pay until at the counter, so not sure.
I would think that the refund (if it is refundable) would come from the car rental company, not autoslash.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I would think that the refund (if it is refundable) would come from the car rental company, not autoslash.

Interestingly, the charge posted from AutoSlash, not Avis.

 

[ten6mom]

For the Centurion Lounge, no guests are covered unless you spend $75k in a year. Access is only 3 hours before a departing flight. For Priority Pass lounges, you can bring in 2 guests. Each lounge has different restrictions, which you can see in the app, but somtimes it's clear as mud. I think the airline you're flying would only matter if you're going to a Delta or Lufthansa lounge using the plat benefit (not using Priority Pass).

The Uber benefit is monthly, use it or lose it. When we had a plat, we'd use it for Uber Eats pick-up and pick a restaurant where the price isn't too inflated ($1-2 upcharge per item is pretty common). I'd order enough to use up the credit and do a separate direct order for everything else.

For the airline incidentals credit, the easy loopholes are United Travel Bank or Southwest flight <$100 (possibly up to $108 if you're feeling brave). If you want to use it for actual incidentals, I think seat selection is covered, but not upgrade to a different class. You might want to search the Flyertalk threads to check (there's one about the credit for each airline).

FHR only requires 1 night, so if you can find a FHR hotel around $200, then it is "free". Some places I've seen this are Vegas, Portland (Oregon), and San Francisco.

Thank you; clearly more research is needed before I drop $700 on an AF! Reading more about it now. I rarely fly United but I'm sort of intrigued by the Travel Bank!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm currently going back and forth between the Buddha, and Disney. The big buddha seems like the most cultural/famous landmark/thing that Hong Kong has, so it'd be nice to do. Disney is obviously our passion as well, so that's the other option. I wonder if we could do both in one day if we started really early, lol.

For me Big Buddha checked a list of things to see. HK DL I actually enjoyed.

 

[trenty]

Interestingly, the charge posted from AutoSlash, not Avis.

Interesting. I always choose to pay at the counter and, of course, the charge on my cc has always been from the rental company.

 

[happ]

I think it was this board where capitol one shopping rewards were mentioned. I did a bunch of shopping thru it, don't have apitol one cc, and have accrued a few hundred pending dollars. before I use it more (some great offers) I can't tell if it's esy and worth it to cash out for gift cards. any pitfalls?

thanks

I use Capital One Shopping sometimes if I get a good targeted offer. I've had some instances where my purchases didn't track correctly and I had to contact them, but I've found that to be true of other sites too. I believe redeeming for a gift card is the only redemption option, and there are limited GC choices, which is why I usually favor other portals that earn cash. Sometimes the GCs change, so I wouldn't wait to cash out if there's something there you'd use.

 

[IFlossU]

Thank you; clearly more research is needed before I drop $700 on an AF! Reading more about it now. I rarely fly United but I'm sort of intrigued by the Travel Bank!

If you do decide to get the Platinum card don’t completely dismiss the FHR credit. I didn’t use it for a few years, and now I’m kicking myself. There are some excellent properties up in Scottsdale that can be booked for $250 or less during Summer months. DH and I did 4 one night staycations last Summer in Scottsdale. After one we were hooked. The FHR benefits are really nice, and just going and relaxing for 24hrs at a resort was such a nice break from life’s rat race. We found the resorts to be incredibly welcoming, not a snooty Scottsdale vibe. We stayed at Royal Palms (outstanding), and The Andaz (just ok). Just my 2 cents.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Interesting. I always choose to pay at the counter and, of course, the charge on my cc has always been from the rental company.

I have not done the pay ahead before but the rate was $400 vs over $800. Costco's cheapest is $1000 right now, but even in November was $800+

 

[Sheree]

I use Capital One Shopping sometimes if I get a good targeted offer. I've had some instances where my purchases didn't track correctly and I had to contact them, but I've found that to be true of other sites too. I believe redeeming for a gift card is the only redemption option, and there are limited GC choices, which is why I usually favor other portals that earn cash. Sometimes the GCs change, so I wouldn't wait to cash out if there's something there you'd use.

thanks
i prefer rakuten and tcb but their offers were way higher. hopefully i can get a bunch of retail gift cards to use for gifts next holiday season.

 

[djmeredith]

Haven't really told anyone IRL but DH got laid off yesterday. 3 weeks severance at a job he had for 25 years. Kind of in panic mode. Even though I have a good job, our health insurance was through his company (and sadly my healthcare job has worse, more expensive insurance.)
Trying to cut all the corners and make plans and will be canceling any cc with an AF in the next few months. My CSR will be due in Feb/March. TC has reset, so I'm looking to use it. We have Yellowstone booked in June and car rental thru AutoSlash for $395, can still book for $399 today. I plan on cancelling the original booking and rebooking. Have never used AutoSlash before, so someone reassure me the cancellation will refund me quickly and easily.

So sorry to hear about your husband's job loss. Once he is ready to move forward, he may want to seek out your state's workforce development office. They can help with filing an unemployment claim and with his job search.

 

[Twilghtsprkle]

So sorry to hear about your husband's job loss. Once he is ready to move forward, he may want to seek out your state's workforce development office. They can help with filing an unemployment claim and with his job search.

My suggestion would be to reach out to LinkedIn connections. My husband doesn’t do any social media except for LinkedIn. Sometimes people can help you with postings. My husband’s current ‘unicorn’ job was gotten that way. He reached out to the one person he knew at the company & it turned out to be the hiring manager. That guy liked him so he was a shoe in for the job.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

A $17,000 stay for 480k Hilton points

So just back from Hermitage Bay in Antigua, an SLH hotel that recently became available through Hilton. I booked within hours of availability being released and used 2 FNCs and 120k Hilton pts/nt x2nts. We were booked during hurricane season, but then they had some renovations go long and bumped our stay. I negotiated peak January dates and an upgrade to a Hillside Pool Suite, plus Hilton provided me with a Be Our Guest certificate (more on that soon).

Hermitage Bay is totally all-inclusive and even includes priority access through customs/immigration and round-trip transfers for 3nts or more stays. The resort only has 30 suites (cottages/bungalows), so there are a max of 60 guests at a time.

Upon arriving at the resort, it literally looked like Season 1 of White Lotus. It's truly beautiful. The resort and surrounding hills gave us a Hawaii meets Mexico vibe. For the first 3 nights we stayed in a Hillside Pool Suite. While the resort is in the process of updating rooms, the outdoor space is really unbelievable. For the last night we stayed in an oceanfront suite, and that too had amazing deck space and was just steps to the water. Being ground level made accessing cocktails super easy.

View from our deck and private pool:




View from our oceanfront suite:



The grounds:




While drinks were VERY good, we found most food to be just average, though with lots of variety. DH had seven different types of fish while we were there. The culinary highlight was an afternoon sushi bar, built into a tree on the beach. The chefs were especially skilled and did an amazing job making me creative vegetarian versions of DH's courses. We cannot eat to the same level of most guests, and skipped lunch each day. That was such a mistake! Our last day we did lunch and it was one of the best meals, with some really creative shared plates. Dinner one night was surf and turf, with as much lobster and steak as you cared to enjoy and it sounds like lobster is routinely served at lunch. Our room was stocked with a mini-fridge, Lays chips and candy bars.

Hermitage has some activities, like snorkeling, kayaking and then a garden tour, cooking demonstrations and a one-hour boat tour, all complimentary. We added on massages and while one therapist was great, another was very unskilled. We did have a LOT of downtime, so if we returned we would like do some water/boating excursions.

Service was outstanding. As an example, on arrival night I couldn't find my iPad. I tracked it and saw that it was at the airport, so I must have left it on the plane. The next morning, I talked with reception and asked if there was a way to claim it and have it held at lost&found until our return flight. She said "Leave this with me and I'll take care of it." Within hours, she had my iPad in my hands. Most service was truly personalized like that and it was a great combo of team members who really got to know you and others who provided you with some anonymity, which was just a great balance. I did find by the end of our stay I needed a bit more anonymity and I think that comes from being a bit of a social introvert.

It was a very good stay and we are glad we did it. The value is insane. Guests were literally paying $4,000+ a night after tax and service fee was added. We did really enjoy never having to sign a check or leave cash tips; it really allowed us to relax.

Would we return? The rates have increased to 150k a night. Oddly, right now, their calendar is open like 12-13 months out, so it's possible to book. That's very unusual for an SLH, or really any Hilton property. We are holding a room for 2026, but not sure we'll keep it. It was maybe too quiet for us, maybe too intimate? The food was just ok (with the exception of sushi) and the rooms are dated with some quirky details, like bathroom open to the bedroom. Other reviews have been effusive and so I think this just comes down to personal travel preferences. There are so many places to try and enjoy and we will likely only do one adults only trip in 2026, so thinking maybe Lake Como/Switzerland.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

And now I'm ruined for domestic/short travel...

I've never bothered to book domestic First or non-lay flat biz seats, because I just thought it was a waste of points. One of our legs to Antigua was 4 hours and I found a great American rate of 25k pts for first vs the 10k pts for econ, so I switched. Um, it was actually quite relaxing, great space and actually really decent food.

AA MKE-ANU 36kAA pts/rt + $109/taxes/fees/pp for first/biz ow and econ ow

We spent two days essentially in airports and only spent $20 on food (totally voluntary) with lounge access from American as well as priority pass.