American Express Platinum CC or Qantas Ultimate?

[jandk]

Hi guys - looking for some advice, which card would you rather have? The Platinum Credit Card or the Qantas Ultimate? Same annual fees and same benefits (from what i can see)? Can someone let me know what would push you to one or the other?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mal]

From my recollection of both (havn't double checked by looking at the Amex site).

The Plat card has a better flight offer (couple of extra cities) and the points can go to quite a few different airlines, not just Qantas.
The Qantas card earns better points on Qantas purchases.

 

[beardoc]

The big thing for me is that with the Platinum Credit Card you earn points in the Membership Rewards Ascent Program, which are far more flexible as they can be sent to other airline programs as well as QANTAS.

With the QANTAS Ultimate, if you have a BIG QF spend, then it might be worth it for the extra point per dollar (2.5 points per dollar spent on QF), but you lose the flexibility on where you can use the points.

 

[jandk]

thanks guys, applied for the platinum earlier today after talking with amex call centre a couple times (side note: very impressed it sounded like an australian call centre both times! so nice when they can understand you and don't ask things like "what state is that in?" when you tell them "sydney")

They said i can apply for platinum and then get a credit for unused annual fee for ultimate (when i cancel it).

thanks for the info.

 

[Paul_PER]

If you are a Chartered Accountant there's a $100 p.a. discount for AMEX Plat. I'm sure groups like CPA, doctors, law society, etc get a similar deal.

Last time I heard the plat call centre was at 175 Liverpool Street, Sydney.

 

[beardoc]

If you are a Chartered Accountant there's a $100 p.a. discount for AMEX Plat. I'm sure groups like CPA, doctors, law society, etc get a similar deal.

Yes, all of them can get the deal. And apparently if you spend more than $30,000 through the Platinum card, they'll waive the annual fee as well (so your free flight really does cost you nothing!)

Last time I heard the plat call centre was at 175 Liverpool Street, Sydney.

Which is where the old Amex Customer Service was before they outsourced overseas.

 

[togi]

And apparently if you spend more than $30,000 through the Platinum card, they'll waive the annual fee as well (so your free flight really does cost you nothing!)

Hi beardoc:

Is this stated (by Amex) or understood?

 

[Maca44]

Two weeks ago I contacted Amex with the intention of cancelling my Platinum credit card, and more so with the intention of using this 'threat' of cancellation as a means of having the $395 annual fee waived and/or reduced. Even though I spend over $50K per annum they would not even consider waiving/reducing the fee, and was told this is the same situation with the Platinum charge card. The only thing they did do was offer me 2x$100 Harvey Norman vouchers, which I accepted as I need to buy some electrical goods anyway, so in essence this reduced the card to $195 and I still get the free flight. So the $30K spend would work having the fee waived, however, if anyone has been successful I would be very interested for next year.

 

[beardoc]

Hi beardoc:

Is this stated (by Amex) or understood?

Have a look at this thread: http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ards/anybody-get-waiver-annual-fee-10608.html - in that, some people (alanslegal and Sheriff) mention they got waivers for the QANTAS Ultimate - sheriff mentioned that an Amex rep told him he threshold for an annual fee waiver on the QANTAS Ultimate was $30,000 spend per year - but it seems that other people have not.

It's worth a read.

 

[oz_mark]

Have a look at this thread: http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...ards/anybody-get-waiver-annual-fee-10608.html - in that, some people (alanslegal and Sheriff) mention they got waivers for the QANTAS Ultimate - sheriff mentioned that an Amex rep told him he threshold for an annual fee waiver on the QANTAS Ultimate was $30,000 spend per year - but it seems that other people have not.

It's worth a read.

While there have been reports of waivers on the Ultimate card, I am not sure I have seen anyone successfuly report getting a waiver on the Platinum Card.

I don't think you will find anywhere that Amex themselves state these waivers exist.

 

[beardoc]

While there have been reports of waivers on the Ultimate card, I am not sure I have seen anyone successfuly report getting a waiver on the Platinum Card.

I don't think you will find anywhere that Amex themselves state these waivers exist.

I'd be interested to see Sheriff comment on this thread again - he seems to report the greatest success at getting these waivers. He did mention that he was going for a waiver on the Platinum Credit - I'm keen to hear his report back on how he went.

 

[pksw]

I'd be interested to see Sheriff comment on this thread again - he seems to report the greatest success at getting these waivers. He did mention that he was going for a waiver on the Platinum Credit - I'm keen to hear his report back on how he went.

I have the Platinum Amex CC ($295 pa thru a professional organisation), and have spent a lot more than 30k pa, and have never been offered an annual fee waiver. I have spent over 30k in a month at times.

 

[Mal]

I have the Platinum Amex CC ($295 pa thru a professional organisation), and have spent a lot more than 30k pa, and have never been offered an annual fee waiver. .

You often need to discuss cancelling your card to get a waiver. A customer who actually is happy to pay a fee will rarely get an offer to not pay it!

 

[Maca44]

There has been a lot of discussion on how Amex Platinum card holders get the annual fee waived, but I have yet to hear from anyone who has done so. As mentioned in my earlier post I contacted AMEX to cancel the Plat credit card, specifically with the intention of a waiver as I could not seen that the added befefits would assist my personal needs. The only real difference, from my personal position only, is that the rewards maximiser card still gives points at a ratio of 1:1.5, only no flight and (depending on how high the fuel fines increase the fares) I could probably pick up a cheap return flight for less than $200 between the cities they allow. So, if anyone has obtained an annual fee waiver specifically from the Amex Platinum charge and/or credit card please let us know how you did it.

 

[Sheriff]

I have the Platinum Amex CC ($295 pa thru a professional organisation), and have spent a lot more than 30k pa, and have never been offered an annual fee waiver. I have spent over 30k in a month at times.

Why would AMEX offer you an annual fee waiver if you have become accustomed to paying $295 pa for the Platinum Amex :?:

 

[Sheriff]

I'd be interested to see Sheriff comment on this thread again - he seems to report the greatest success at getting these waivers. He did mention that he was going for a waiver on the Platinum Credit - I'm keen to hear his report back on how he went.

I'll be applying for a Platinum credit card in August so you'll have to wait until then.