American Express credit card w/lounge access?

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altiplano
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by altiplano »

Maybe worth mentioning as an alternative...

Priority Pass membership is included with Wealthsimple Black ($100K managed). That's only $360/yr (0.4% on 90K) and you get your portfolio managed.

You need to have $100K to invest though... if you're looking for a free lunch that might not be where you're at yet. But you never know.
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av8ts
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by av8ts »

I’m a commuter and the Amex card is definitely worth it. $700 however you get a $200 travel credit so it’s really $500. Divide that by 12 months and you don’t need to eat very many meals in the lounge to make it worth it. Plus the card has the usual travel/rental car insurance. And you get a free Priority Pass card that I’ve used in many countries while on vacation.
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skypirate88
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by skypirate88 »

To add, you also get 50000 welcome points if you spend 3k in the first 3 months. That is worth about 450 bucks. I used the points for a bunch of Home Depot gift cards.
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by complexintentions »

How do the brown-baggers get away with bringing fruit, vegetables, or meats across borders? Do they just hope the cute little beagles don't catch them or do they just fly within Canada?

It'll be a cold day in hell before I give $700 to a credit card company. They've given me thousands of dollars in cash back over the years. I much prefer that arrangement. :mrgreen:
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atphat
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by atphat »

complexintentions wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:58 pm How do the brown-baggers get away with bringing fruit, vegetables, or meats across borders? Do they just hope the cute little beagles don't catch them or do they just fly within Canada?

It'll be a cold day in hell before I give $700 to a credit card company. They've given me thousands of dollars in cash back over the years. I much prefer that arrangement. :mrgreen:
The list of food you cannot bring across the US border is actually quite small. Never had an issue. I love the lounge. But I'm bougie like that. Wait...on second thought the lounge is terrible, and a total waste of money. Steer clear! Way too many epaulettes in there already. Georgian...i'm looking at you
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complexintentions
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by complexintentions »

So the US border is the only one anyone crosses, then?

If you want some free entertainment, hide a banana in your buddy's flight bag when you do a trip into Australia. Then watch the Aussie ag inspector go bananas.

I have to admit I hate airport lounges. Use them occasionally if the company deadheads me and throws in in, but most are pretty sad. What was once an actual luxury reserved for flyers who had paid real money for premium seats is now full of rockstars who paid their 30 bucks or whatever so they can get as many little plates of free mozzarella sticks and glasses of cheap table wine as possible.

Ugh.
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by atphat »

complexintentions wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:39 pm So the US border is the only one anyone crosses, then?
I'm just a lowly narrow body driver at the moment....just sharing my own experience and most likely the experience of many on avCANADA. Like all of Jazz, Georgian, Sky, Encore, vast Majority of WJ. How about WB guys from AC and Transat disregard. Perhaps you'd feel more at home on an expat site wherever you're based?
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PostmasterGeneral
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by PostmasterGeneral »

WHO the hell spends 15 days a month in the airport?!
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by daedalusx »

Subway... healthy :?

Enjoy your overpriced sandwiches half chicken-half corn patty, topped with botulism ridden week-old veggies wrapped in a yoga foam bread, from a company whose former head pitchman was a well known pedo even before his arrest ...
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by flyinhigh »

daedalusx wrote: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:54 am Subway... healthy :?

Enjoy your overpriced sandwiches half chicken-half corn patty, topped with botulism ridden week-old veggies wrapped in a yoga foam bread, from a company whose former head pitchman was a well known pedo even before his arrest ...
Well they always said the meat was fresh😀,
Haha sry that’s wrong
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Kaykay
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by Kaykay »

daedalusx wrote: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:54 am Subway... healthy :?

Enjoy your overpriced sandwiches half chicken-half corn patty, topped with botulism ridden week-old veggies wrapped in a yoga foam bread, from a company whose former head pitchman was a well known pedo even before his arrest ...
Same as most of the other crap food recommended in the thread. Pretty well anything you buy in restaurants or fast food is awful for you; soaked in butter, gravy, lard, cheese etc. I've never had any meat at subway so I can't comment on its "half-corn" nature :P Make your own food with fresh ingredients or accept that what you're eating when eating out is probably not very good for you in some way.
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Heliian
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by Heliian »

Yup, Subway chicken is only 48% chicken or something awful like that.

As far as lounges go, American had some great ones, I mostly waste my time at the nearest bar/restaurant. Any airport that has a good lounge is big enough that it has several other pay choices. If I'm on a long enough layover, I'm outside the airport for better choices.

I agree with the above poster that they aren't what they used to be but on those mid length stops, a hot shower and cold beer is paramount.
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by montado »

skypirate88 wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:43 am To add, you also get 50000 welcome points if you spend 3k in the first 3 months. That is worth about 450 bucks. I used the points for a bunch of Home Depot gift cards.
It’s a fact you spend more when you pay with plastic. Clearly AMEX has the upper hand in this. Everyone who thinks they are winning AMEX would say otherwise! Kind of crazy to have to spend hard money for “points”. I already know the rebuttal, you were going to spend that 3k anyways with or without the new card.

Here’s an idea. Take your 700 dollar fee, and 3k you have to spend. Scrap the points... take 3700 bucks and invest in some weed stocks. They will likely double in 6 months (ambitious I know... maybe not likely but a better chance to make money rather than have some useless shit you buy on your Amex). Then take out a hundred bucks cash per week and use that for food. You will save money and eat better.
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skypirate88
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by skypirate88 »

montado wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:56 pm
skypirate88 wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:43 am To add, you also get 50000 welcome points if you spend 3k in the first 3 months. That is worth about 450 bucks. I used the points for a bunch of Home Depot gift cards.
It’s a fact you spend more when you pay with plastic. Clearly AMEX has the upper hand in this. Everyone who thinks they are winning AMEX would say otherwise! Kind of crazy to have to spend hard money for “points”. I already know the rebuttal, you were going to spend that 3k anyways with or without the new card.

Here’s an idea. Take your 700 dollar fee, and 3k you have to spend. Scrap the points... take 3700 bucks and invest in some weed stocks. They will likely double in 6 months (ambitious I know... maybe not likely but a better chance to make money rather than have some useless shit you buy on your Amex). Then take out a hundred bucks cash per week and use that for food. You will save money and eat better.
How about you keep your wonderful financial advice to yourself without knowing someone's financial position?

I was going to spend the 3k either way, since I was building a deck on the back of my house. That money was going to get spent one way or the other. By getting the card, I got 200 to spend on travel, 460 on points. The card is nearly free at that point, and now I have unlimited lounge access.

Perhaps reconsider criticising someone without knowing anything about them next time.
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Bede
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by Bede »

Gear Jerker wrote: Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:51 am The American Express Platinum card is most likely the one you're referring to. The solution is strength in numbers. One card is around $700, like you said. However, you can add up to (if I'm not mistaken) 10 supplementary cards, and when I did the math the unit cost per card comes down to around $230. So if you know/trust the guys from your initial class, see if everyone wants to go in on cards. Or, get in touch with other buddies. That being said it requires some vigilance as one person becomes the primary card holder and is responsible for the account. Everyone needs to be clear that it's just for lounge access, and not for use on any transactions.

Get a group of people you trust and it's definitely worth it.
Forgive me for being blunt, but that is an incredibly dumb idea. I have colleagues that do this and I say the same things to their face. (I'm a joy to fly with :roll: ) All you need is one person with a shopping habit (or an unreported stolen card) and the credit card company will come after you to pay the bill.

I looked into this card and what stopped me is the fine print. It actually says in the fine print that airline employees are not allowed in and that you need a confirmed boarding pass. Its only a matter of time until they catch on and stop employees from coming in.
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by av8ts »

My fine print just said you need a boarding pass. Nothing about employees or confirmed. It does however say the card gives you access to some Airline lounges, and for those you need a confirmed boarding pass
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by complexintentions »

atphat wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 2:51 pm
complexintentions wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:39 pm So the US border is the only one anyone crosses, then?
I'm just a lowly narrow body driver at the moment....just sharing my own experience and most likely the experience of many on avCANADA. Like all of Jazz, Georgian, Sky, Encore, vast Majority of WJ. How about WB guys from AC and Transat disregard. Perhaps you'd feel more at home on an expat site wherever you're based?
Ah c'mon, spare me the passive-aggressive bullshit. No need to be so sensitive. Or is this a forum catering solely to "lowly narrow body drivers"?

Pretty sure every pilot needs to eat.There are plenty of Canadian pilots - based in Canada as well as out - who do cross more borders than the US one. And the US can be sticky too with fruit, veg, and meat. Just pointing out that brown-bagging isn't really an option for many due to the restrictions. Kind of a key point in a discussion about healthy eating on the road, if the goal of bringing your own food is to carry fresh perishables, no?

And we mock Americans for being insular, sheesh.
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by atphat »

:goodman:
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snowcone
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by snowcone »

The card also has great other perks.

Gold status at most hotel we stay at. Tou don't get the points, but you get the nigts stay and access to the hotel lounge or breakfast included.

As a commuter Inrent cars often. Recently Someone ran into my rental and took off. With the Amex I am covered upto $89,000.00. Not a problem.

I don't eat every full meal in the lounge. Sometimes I just gonin for a glass of milk and granola/yogurt. What does granola/yogurt cost at the airport, $5 - $7.00 by itself? Milk, $3 - $4.

$200 travel credit which you don't actually have to use, just get a $200 credit on your account.

And if you are travelling not in uniform you can skip the security line.

Well worth it as a commuter for sure!
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Re: American Express credit card w/lounge access?

Post by Redwine »

Not worth it in my opinion. I f you want to eat healthy, you have to look after yourself, which means packing your own food. Lounge and airport restaurant food in general is smack full of sodium and trans-fats etc etc.
The lounge used to be a relaxing quiet place to sit. Not anymore....
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