AMEX Platinum

[SynixMan]

$450 fee is not waived for Military, right?

 

[CommodoreMid]

Fee is waived for military. Once I get out of the military I ain't paying for this Once you apply and receive the card, call them and tell them you're military.

 

[AllYourBass]

Fee is waived for military. Once I get out of the military I ain't paying for this Once you apply and receive the card, call them and tell them you're military.

Are we talking about the Platinum or the aforementioned CSR?

 

[webmaster]

I dropped the Amex platinum last year due to the fees. It was a good deal with the military discount and annual fee waived. But not so much any longer. Ymmv

 

[AUtiger]

The Chase Sapphire Reserve and all chase cards from what I've read do not waive the fees. That being said the signing bonus is legit. Amex waives all fees. Barclays just stopped waiving fees.

 

[squorch2]

If you travel regularly for business and fly delta the Amex platinum is worth it for the sky club access.

 

[azguy]

For those of us with Barclay's Gold -- do we have to cancel it now to avoid the $1k/yr fee? What's the grace period? Thanks...

 

[Spartan43]

I just got my Amex fee waived. Here's a link if you don't want to call.

 

[AUtiger]

I believe you'll be grandfathered in with the Gold card but don't take my word for it. They just stopped waiving fees in Nov.

 

[SynixMan]

$450 fee is not waived for Military, right?

Sorry I meant for this Chase Sapphire. It appears it isn't quite the deal that the AMEX is.

 

[Gatordev]

If you travel regularly for business and fly delta the Amex platinum is worth it for the sky club access.

Honest question, what do you guys find so great about the Sky Club access other than that you have it? Every one I go into has the same lackluster food choices (and how long has that chicken salad been sitting out there?), same minty water beverage setup, I haven't found the bathrooms to be any cleaner or have less traffic/stall than out in genpop (especially if you know how to pay attention to traffic patterns and can find less-used bathrooms out in the terminal), and even the seats aren't really all that more comfy than out in the terminal. I usually find them to be fairly busy and it's hard to find a place to yourself. I get the internet access is nice, but the last airport I've been in that didn't have public WiFi was Houston several years ago.

I get it's a nice place to duck into, and I still will do that from time to time while I have the access for a little more time, but I just don't see the value if you have to pay that annual fee.

 

[SynixMan]

Honest question, what do you guys find so great about the Sky Club access other than that you have it? Every one I go into has the same lackluster food choices (and how long has that chicken salad been sitting out there?), same minty water beverage setup, I haven't found the bathrooms to be any cleaner or have less traffic/stall than out in genpop (especially if you know how to pay attention to traffic patterns and can find less-used bathrooms out in the terminal), and even the seats aren't really all that more comfy than out in the terminal. I usually find them to be fairly busy and it's hard to find a place to yourself. I get the internet access is nice, but the last airport I've been in that didn't have public WiFi was Houston several years ago.

I get it's a nice place to duck into, and I still will do that from time to time while I have the access for a little more time, but I just don't see the value if you have to pay that annual fee.

It probably depends on your travel habits. I regularly connect through ATL on Delta, so there's a SkyClub in each terminal and I take advantage. Even on a short layover, nice to grab a snack, free beer/wine/cocktail/coffee, and just be out of the terminal environment if only for a few minutes. My wife's a big fan as well.

And even if you don't roll on Delta metal often, the AMEX branded Centurion Lounges in most big cities can cover you. Same food, drink, wifi, seats, outlets type of deal.

 

[squorch2]

• Free food. ($8/leg)
  
• Free, high-quality coffee & tea. ($5/leg)
  
• Free magazines/newspapers. (NYT, WSJ, FT, Economist, local rags) ($2-15+/leg)
• On the way home, free beer. ($8/leg)
  
• Quiet. (priceless)

After a week of herding cats, it's a nice respite from the teeming hordes.

 

[azguy]

I get it's a nice place to duck into, and I still will do that from time to time while I have the access for a little more time, but I just don't see the value if you have to pay that annual fee.

If you fly a lot, both for work and on your own dime, you can just about justify it. Between the annual free airfare credit, lounge access, and the Gold status (Hertz, Hilton, Starwood, and now Marriott), you can pull $495/yr worth of value out of that. The concierge and free Global Entry are gravy.

Again, you have to travel a decent amount for it to work out...

 

[armada1651]

While I do enjoy the Sky Club and Admiral's Club (American will let military in free, usually they'll want orders though), the Amex Centurion Club seems to be a cut above. The food there is legitimately very good, as is the bar. It's also nice to be able to take a shower between red eye and your next connection. I haven't taken advantage of it but Centurion Clubs also offer massages. And in general, I find almost any of the lounges to be a vastly more comfortable experience than waiting out in the terminal, especially if you have more than an hour or so to kill.