AMAZING DEAL – 100K MR for Amex Platinum or 50K MR for Amex Premier Rewards Gold (targeted)

I found out about this deal while casually browsing FlyerTalk today, but the thread was locked and the link was taken away. I immediately got on Twitter to see if anyone was discussing it. After some back-and-forth, I found that Travel Summary has a link to the card! He explains most everything in that post. That is not my affiliate link, although I believe Travel Summary might receive credit — even he doesn’t know, he just became an affiliate today! As always, read his post and decide how you want to proceed.

For me the options were either the 100K Amex Platinum (on $3K spend, $450 fee not waived) or the 50K Amex Premier Rewards Gold (on $1K spend, $175 fee waived first year).

I am already an authorized user on a relative’s Amex Platinum card, and so don’t need the benefits of the Platinum. However, the bonus is so much larger on the Platinum!

My valuation:

I could get the Amex Platinum for the bonus and get 103K MR (with the bonus + spend). I would also have it as a no forex Amex for overseas trips in case. The $200 airline incidentals fee is good per calendar year, so I could get it in both 2013 and the first week of 2014, so that’s $400 off the fee! In other words, my outlay of fees is only $50 on the Platinum card.

If I got the Amex Premier Rewards Gold, I would get 51K with the bonus + spend, and would probably use it for airfare, but would struggle to hit 70K points with my spending. Even though the fee is waived, I would get about 33K fewer points than the Platinum. The $50 I end up paying is more than worth the 33K points for going for the Platinum.

Keep in mind that whichever card you get, you have to have not had it for the past year. Also, you cannot apply for a Platinum card if you got another consumer Amex card (like the PRG, Zync, Green card) in the past 90 days. I have actually never had a Membership Rewards card for myself (I have always been an authorized user on a parents/sibling’s card to help them earn points), so this wasn’t a big deal for me. Kathy (Will Run For Miles) in the comments says she was approved for the Platinum a few months after canceling her personal PRG, although Amex has been shady awarding bonuses lately, so please read the T&C carefully if you currently have a Membership Rewards card! Remember that consumer cards are separate from business/corporate cards!

I applied for 5 cards exactly 50 days ago, and they all hit Experian for me. I put Experian under a credit freeze and when I applied for the Platinum, I was given a phone number to call and a tracking number. I tried to ask the rep to pull another bureau, but he wouldn’t, so I rolled the dice and gave him my PIN for accessing my credit report. A minute later, my gamble paid off, since I was approved! Sure it’s another credit pull, but 100K MR is way too much to pass up, especially if I was semi-targeted. This just means I’ll have to push back my future apps by a little bit (which is fine with me … I’m starting to only care for big limited-time offers nowadays).

I took screenshots the entire way and always saw the 100K offer, so hopefully American Express honors it. My plans for the points? Singapore Suites!