When you read most credit card game blogs, the authors typically focus on the highly publicized benefits such as hotel status, airline credits, travel credits, and how to maximize your points earning. I am certainly guilty of this, however I wanted to post about the “other benefits” that often get overlooked and rarely used. These benefits often push me over the break even point, ensuring the cards are providing me with positive Return On Investment(ROI).
AMEX Offers
American Express offers are simply monetary or additional point offers that can be added to your cards. These offers have varied from “Spend $100 get $100 back at Best Buy” to “Earn 10 additional points for every $1 spend on Amazon” and anywhere in between. Since 2020, I have saved $970 using Amex offers on things I was going to purchase anyways… add in the additional point offers and this has netted me easily over $1200 in point/monetary value.
Arguably my most successful story/use was this past spring when I was able to purchase a Blackstone Griddle for $50 out of pocket… this particular model typically retails for $199+tax. My AMEX platinum had a “spend $100 get $100 back at Home Depot”, which I was able to combine with a sale they had on the griddle for $149. Using my AMEX platinum I was able to spend a net $50 and get an additional year warranty free of charge… this leads to my next benefit!
Extended Warranty
“Would you like to purchase our protection plan?”… the first phrase out of every retail electronic store employees mouth when they ring up just about anything. As someone who set some records selling laptop protection plans I can tell you they are a rarely worth it… this is where American Express comes into play! American Express will extend the manufacturers warranty for an additional 1 year, covering up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year. The process itself is fairly straight forward and took only a few weeks to receive my payment. If you add up the cost of all “protection plans” you have purchased on electronics it would more than cover the annual fee.
Return Protection
With companies tightening their return policies due to fraud, long gone are the days of testing something for 28 days and returning it right before the return period ends. Most companies are now moving toward a 15 day return policy or less and charging restocking fees for big ticket items like televisions, computers, and phones. With the American Express Platinum card, you are able to simply file a claim form online and submit for reimbursement if the store is unwilling to take your item back. This return protection is available for up to 90 days after the purchase of your item with a $300 occurrence and $1,000 a year limit.
Concierge
The American Express Concierge service is arguably one of the best kept secrets of the platinum and centurion cards. The concierge service is completely free of charge and can help with anything from sending flowers or gifts, to getting you into sold out restaurants and concerts. I have personally used them to change my flight while driving to the airport after a lunch meeting ended early… nothing like flying from Tampa to Detroit same day for a 2 hour lunch meeting! They even managed to score me an upgrade to First Class free of charge!
The Centurion Lounge
My personal favorite of the “other benefits” is the American Express Centurion Lounge system at airports around the world. The Centurion lounge in Dallas was arguably the nicest airport lounge I have been in and made my flight delay a little less frustrating. The lounge included top shelf liquors, beer on tap, hot food, and a relaxed atmosphere to get away from the hustle and bustle of the massive DFW airport. There are currently 13 Centurion Lounges in the US with more scheduled to open soon!
Did you know about these “other” benefits? Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below!
The Points Authority: Mastering The Points Game 