Who knows what’s going on with Amex? Despite the scandal of someone approving many targeted offers with high sign-up bonuses which were eventually shut down, the Amex points keep rolling in. Last year, I took on more than I should have by applying for his and hers Biz platinum, his and hers Biz gold, and one United Business card (see Oops!… I Did It Again: Min Spending Hell). This year, those same offers are still available, but this time I am approaching it more cautiously by staggering my applications. With a $695 annual fee, I question whether having a 15k minimum spend to reach 150k points is worth it?
The answer for this points grubber is yes. First, the points alone justify the cost because one day I will take another trip around the world courtesy of ANA (see Booked! ANA RTW: 22,000 Miles in Glorious Business). Indeed, I will take several of these trips because I am flush with MRs. Second, the benefits of the card offset the annual fee. I will use my $400 Dell credits and my $120 in Adobe credits. The $200 airline credit is not as lucrative as it once was, but maybe it will come in handy for a golf trip (see Finally Using the Amex Airline Credit As Intended). Worst case, Amex shuts me down and Bachuwa Law has to hire more counsel to stop these unjust crackdowns (see Amex Shutdown? Remedy & Going Forward). In anticipation of that, I have $90 a quarter to spend at Indeed.
How many targeted offers have you received in the mail this week?
Yes, yes and yes. We have 8, and will gladly take 20. I honestly think AMEX WANTS us to have all of these cards. They are pushing them like crack dealers…
Indeed you do.
Literally haven’t even used the new AMEX Biz Plat card I received three days ago, and I just got a popup in my account asking me to sign up for ANOTHER one. Insanity. I learned last year that you do need to wait 3 months to apply again, so these aggressive popups dont always work.