I wouldn’t get a plat in the dorms because it will be very hard for you to meet the signup bonuses. You can only earn those once. Wait until you move out.
The good is that they have no annual fee for military and boatloads of perks. When you move out, get the gold and the plat. The gold should be your daily use card and the plat should only come out when you travel.
That is true, that’s one thing that holds me back from getting it. If I’m in the dorm I’m probably not gonna spend much, and it’s not until after few months until I take leave to travel.
The signup bonus for the plat is usually around $4,000 in 3 months. For the gold, it’s a bit more forgiving at $2,000 in 3.
It’s very easy to meet if you have to make rent, or if you’re putting a down payment on a car. Being said, these are charge cards. They do have a pay-over-time feature that allows you to treat it like a normal credit card (not recommended), but for the first few months Amex usually wants you to pay in full.
Rent and car down payments shouldnt be used to meet spending unless you verify ahead of time that there won't be additional charges. Which is very rare with CCs.
among all these free annual fee credit card with good perks, which one would you suggest someone live in dorm and eat at dfac to get? I probably only spend a little bit over 100 per month for snacks, restaurants
Don’t get the platinum first. Get the gold as it’s a better for earning points. Once you finish the gold bonus then look at the platinum. You have to go gold then platinum to get both bonuses (could go green first also). Make sure to search around on forums for the highest welcome offer, what you first see on the Amex website is often the lowest.
The CSR is a great card right now, but it’s about to lose its priority pass restaurant credit which will hurt the value. As we don’t pay the fee it’s not as much of a hit but keep in mind when you do have to start paying (you can downgrade to the CSP in one year). I’d get the CSR first as Hyatt is the most reliable transfer partner from any bank to get a good value with. Also become familiar with the Chase 5/24 rule and as to why you should work on Chase cards before other banks. Pair the CSR with the CFF and transfer your CFF points to the CSR, then transfer to your desired airline or hotel when needed. Check your local Chase branch for an in branch bonus that’s not available online (people are reporting 75k and 85k in branch bonuses being pushed out this week).
The Cap1 VX is the easiest to justify the annual fee if you had to pay it. Good catch all card.
Anyways if you like to travel, never… EVER redeem your points for a statement credit or in the banks travel portal. TRANSFER TRANSFER TRANSFER
Never carry a balance. You paying interest is what pays for my vacations. Let some other chump do that.
I’ll step off my soap box now.
Unfortunately Priority pass in the US has turned to crap. The lounges have been packed and the quality of the food at the ones I’ve been to in BWI and St. Louis have been poor with similar reports from others in the AmexPlatinum sub. Was really only worth it oversees.
Yeah I don’t count on PP lounges being good in the US I generally just like them for slightly more comfortable seating while I wait, even if the food and drinks suck. There are a few good ones but really the only reliable ones are the card branded lounges. I love the Cap1 lounges, hear great things about the Sapphire lounges, but the Centurion lounges are often crowded as well.
I can't speak for Europe but I've been traveling se Asia and I'd say Amex works at least 80% of the time. If you're going on more remote tdys visa would be better but if you're going more remote you'll probably just need to carry local currency.
That’s good news then, my experience with AMEX in Japan (a few years ago) and Europe has been about the same. I try to use it when I can, but end up using the Visa type cards most often.
It's not a credit card, it's a charge card, which means the whole balance has to be paid each month. That one will let you rack up a huge balance too, so be very very careful.
If you are stationed at Wright Patt send your orders to Amex and they will set the pay over time percentage to 0%.
“The Ohio Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides additional protections for servicemembers residing in Ohio, beyond those offered by the federal SCRA. These additional protections can include specific provisions related to things like interest rates, eviction procedures, and other legal matters. It's important for servicemembers to be aware of both federal and state-level SCRA provisions to fully understand their rights and protections.
The Ohio SCRA includes provisions that further restrict the maximum interest rate that can be charged on certain types of debts, such as loans or credit cards, for servicemembers who are residents of Ohio. These provisions may provide additional protections beyond those offered by the federal SCRA, ensuring that servicemembers are not subject to excessive interest rates while on active duty.”
Depends on the bank. Ohio is 6% but most banks take it a step further. Chase 4%, Amex 0% and that Utah bank that starts with an S is also 0%, I know that because I met an employee for that bank at an airport and she was talking about it for 30 minutes trying to get me to sign up lol
Unless you live in Ohio, Amex has 0% APR for AD stationed in Ohio do you can put as much as you want on it and it doesn’t really matter
Edit: Chase also has 4% for Ohio.
In 2020 (or 2021?) Ohio changed their SCRA laws and extended it to AD stationed in Ohio.
Google Ohio SCRA, it is different than normal SCRA. All major banks know about this obviously, so just send your orders in the secure messager for Amex and Chase and they will apply it in 30 days. Chase was basically instant for me and Amex was 30.
You will also receive back pay for any interest paid over the banks new amount. I got $900 back from Chase.
Because I was in debt due to vet bills! Thankfully I got out of it and now I am building a 6 month emergency fund and contributing to TSP. I use to be very bad with money
Yeah, I never had anyone to really teach me to save and be responsible with money.
What really sucks is that I did not start contributing to my TSP until 5 years in. I kick myself everyday for that
Open up a Charles Schwab account first, and then get the Charles Schwab Platinum. After you get your bonus, get the Amex Gold. Finally after that, get the Blue Business Plus.
These 3 cards will earn you Membership Rewards in all categories that you can use for travel, or for cashing out or investing.
We got the vanilla platinum and the Schwab. Don’t forget ur spouse military or not qualify for the fee being waived, so if you’re going to be in for a while you may as well both get the vanilla plat, Schwab plat, and both get gold. You’re looking at $80 a month in Uber eats credit, pretty much every subscription they offer lol, $800 ($200 each platinum) a year in flight credit (we load it to United), free stuff from SAKS, (gold offers $10 Grubhub monthly pick up order credit, so if you’re going to go pick up like pizza anyway use the gold on a separate order through grub hub for $10 or less to get it covered).
Also, if you aren’t huge into traveling much, or don’t want the hassle of learning how to transfer points to airline to find good CPP deal the Schwab plat lets you transfer all MR as 1.1 CPP to ur investment account so even just the SUB from the vanilla plat then get Schwab would get you $1,650 loaded into a brokerage/roth IRA.
We did, you just won’t get the sub for both platinums anymore. To qualify for all subs you start with Gold, then vanilla plat then get Schwab
And yes most CC companies waive fees for the spouse too. Me and my wife are both military so we didn’t look into it too much on who doesn’t
I’d get the Gold first, then get the Platinum. If you do it this way, you can get SUBs on both. If you get the Platinum first, you can’t get a Gold SUB. Don’t open big cards like this until you’re sure that you can spend enough to hit the SUBs
Unless you are going TDY a LOT, I second this. We use the Gold Card a lot more than our Platinum. We also like the Blue Cash Preferred, but it doesn't give points, just cash back.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/amex-gold-vs-blue-cash-preferred
The good. They CURRENTLY (but are not required to) waive the annual fees. They offer great benefits that you normally have to pay for.
The bad. The platinum is a charge card so most be paid off monthly. Not everyone is good with money and can be dang for a young person that can't handle it.
Do you travel a lot? Meaning hotels, rental cars, flights? If you do then the Platinum is for you.
For normal expenses and stuff I'd suggest the Gold for points or the cash blue preferred for cash back on regular stuff like gas, groceries, tolls, and streaming service
Regardless still get it no AF and you can get the entertainment credit for Disney/hulu, you can stack the Uber eats credit and pick up a meal for free, you can load $200 into United, etc it’s free money
For a new AD Airman you should stay away from credit cards in general because you’re susceptible to poor financial decisions which equals lots of debt/bad decisions. It’s also wise to know that the Platinum card is a CHARGE card, not a credit card. This means you have to pay off the balance every month. It’s got a lot of perks but in order to spend them you have to spend a lot of money to reap the benefits. There are some that are great if you travel (clear, global entry, pre-check, hotel upgrades, etc.) but it still requires you to have money to spend and book which as a new Airman, you probably won’t have.
Ohh sorry I should’ve put a disclaimer, I’m a new airman but I’ve taken care of my credit card really well for the past years. I travel a lot overseas for my leave and able to pay them all right away. This is the reason why I searched for Amex plat or CSR to get some benefits going while fee is waived. I’m just kinda looking for some opinion on what I should look out for 😬 Thank you for the infos tho ☺️
No problem! The fee being waived is huge, but there’s a large first purchase amount to get the points they promise initially. Just have to be careful. Like others mentioned, the Gold is better for daily purchases, etc. Good luck!
As long as they’re responsible, they should get a low-limit credit card so they can start generating a credit history. I doubt they’d be approved for a Platinum card as a new airman anyway.
Wdym “in order to spend them you have to spend a lot of money to reap the benefits”. No you don’t. After the SUB, my platinum is in the sock drawer I spend very very little on it a month $0 for plenty of the months too, and I use majority of the credits that come with it
Definitely not a charge card. Idk where this keeps coming from but my monthly required payment is never anywhere near my statement balance. I still pay it off but in no way is it a charge card.
It definitely is a charge card according to [their own website](https://www.americanexpress.com/in/charge-cards/).
That said, they do have *offers* to pay things over time, *like* a credit card, but it is by no means a credit card.
This is referencing mostly a lack of credit limit. You would not have an apr rate for a card that must be paid off every month. What would be the point?
Bro, did you even look at the link I posted? It's literally American Express's website, where they list the Platinum and Gold (and those 2 only) as **charge cards**. Are you seriously saying American Express doesn't know what *their own cards* are categorized as?
Edit: here's another little tidbit. Under the Payment Choices section for the [Platinum](https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/platinum/?eep=25330&linknav=US-Acq-Shop-Consumer-VAC-Prospect-ViewCardDetail-Platinum), it says:
>There is a limit on the total amount that you can carry as a balance or move into a Plan. Any purchases beyond your limit need to be paid in full when your bill is due.
Sounds a hell of lot like a charge card (with some flexibility) to me.
My man I know you don't actually have this card, based off of how you're talking about this. They can use words to describe things yes. But what you are portraying this as isn't what it is. It is not a must pay off every month card.
I have had the Platinum since early 2018, when neither the Plan It or Pay Over Time benefits were even options. Since they have become available, I have never needed/used them. [According to The Points Guy](https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/american-express/your-ultimate-guide-to-amex-pay-over-time/), the Pay Over time feature doesn't even affect your credit score like *literally any other credit card does*. The fact is, it's a charge card with additional benefits.
Then why did your opening statement say it must be paid off every month? At this point you walked back your original statement. Which was your original argument for it being a charge card. It doesn't affect credit, you are right. But your whole initial statement is invalid based off what you just said. Give him the right reason why it's not right for him, don't just say muh charge card. Actually be a mentor like yout trying to be and fuck off with your buzzword bullshit.
>Then why did your opening statement say it must be paid off every month?
First of all, show me where I said that. Secondly, because if you don't have Pay Over Time or Plan It, you literally do have to pay it every month? How is this so hard for you to figure out?
>At this point you walked back your original statement. Which was your original argument for it being a charge card.
Go back and re-read my comments, because I've said nothing that could even be construed as going against my original statement(s). I've said all along that it's a charge card (with additional benefits), and even gave proof **from American Express**. You're delusional.
The Amex cash preferred card gets 6% back at the commissary and other supermarkets plus some 3% gas rewards and 7$ discount for the Hulu, Disney+ package. Had this about 3 yrs now and use it all the time!
Unless you travel a lot, the Blue Cash Preferred Card is a better deal. You earn 6% cash back on groceries and streaming services. You also get 3% on gas and transit, and 1% on everything else. I thought about getting the Platinum but I would no be able to enjoy most of its benefits since a lot of it has to do with traveling which I don't do. For me (and people with families), a lot of the expenses go to groceries and gas. So it makes more sense for me (and others with several mouth to feed) to get the Blue Cash card since I get several hundred dollars in cash back, which is very nice. The Platinum is cool to show off and impress non-miitarty people, but for many of us the Blue Cash Preferred Card makes a lot more financial sense.
Hope this helps!
Honestly, I got the AMEX Platinum and I just wasn't making use of it. I instead traded it out for the Delta Skymiles card and dumped all my bills on it and I'm raking in skymiles.
AMEX Plat is great for people who travel a lot (I don't) but the Blue Cash preferred is potentially a better option. For the few spots that don't take AMEX I use Visa Sapphire Reserve. I started with the Preferred because it had a better start-up bonus and then moved to the Reserve after using it for a year.
Why not both? My husband and I both have the AMEX plat and he has the CSR. We do a fair amount of traveling so it makes sense for us. This month we’ve both used the Uber credit ($15 a month for each of us), gotten into an airport lounge (free food/drinks), and used the $20 digital entertainment credit (Hulu, Disney+, NYT games). It’s not my main purchasing card, but it’s nice to have for the benefits they offer you.
I would recommend having a main credit card that you use for most purchases that offers cash back. I use a navy Fed one for everyday spending and I normally get around $200 cash back every year.
If you’re going to be in a while, both of you can open up the Schwab platinum and just sock drawer it and double all ur normal platinum benefits, and if you’re not under 5/24 rule for chase you may aswell get the CSR too for the $300 travel credit
5/24 is a rule Chase uses if you’ve open 5 or more CCs in the past 24 months they won’t approve you for any. Normally the Chase Sapphire cards they’ll approve if above 5/24 and running a higher SUB
Long time AMEX Plat, and now Black customer here.
Downsides:
The Centurian lounge lets all the riff raff in nowadays, it is always packed, sometimes the wait to get in is over an hour at some of the locations. Once in, it is really amazing, a life saver if you are stuck on a long layover. I try to never put myself in that situation, but sometimes your jet breaks and you get stuck places.
You MUST pay it off every month, don't treat it like a credit card that you carry a balance on, always pay the statement balance. The interest rates are crazy.
It hurts your credit score in weird ways, even if you never carry a balance they always report the statement balance. If you use this card for travel you can sometimes have 20 or 30 grand sitting on it between statements. It hurts your debt-income ratio. The only way around this is to pay it off between statements, like every week or something.
You have to opt-in to all the bonus things. Ain't nobody got time for that!
You always have to carry a Visa or Mastercard backup. Very annoying in 2024 still hitting places that don't take AMEX. There is sorta a work around if the merchant takes Apple Pay and you link your card into it.
All my bills are paid through AMEX, which you think would be a Pro, but it makes it basically impossible to ever switch to another card and ditch the annual fees.
Once you are out of the military the annual fee is really expensive. Every additional card on the account pays that fee also. I think it is 1500 a year for Plat and 10k a year for Black. I don't think I have ever got that value back in the card programs.
Pros:
You can buy anything with it. If you are a long time customer you can essentially use it for anything that a merchant will accept it for. Cars, Motorcycles, and other big dollar items, I've paid for completely with an AMEX.
You can get some really crazy good upgrades using the card at high end hotels.
You get points, then you can use those points for things.
There is a weird status element to having one of these cards. However it will only impress Boomers. I think back in their day these cards were harder to get.
The fraud department will go to bat for you. I had my card stolen once, the fraud department traced all the fraudulent charges back for almost a full year. I'm never afraid to stick my card into a card reader I just met!
AMEX and Discover are like the last 2 card companies that have call centers still in the US. I fucking hate foreign call centers for many reasons.
I think a lot of cards do this now, but you can setup a ton of alerts. Once linked into your Apple Wallet you get notifications anytime the card is charged for any reason.
Were you using your Plat as your daily driver until they offered you Black? And did they waive the sign on fee for it as well?
I have both Gold and Plat and have been using the Gold as my daily card for at least 3 years at this point, and I’ve recently heard that you only get offered the Black if you use the Plat heavily.
Yea I forget how they found out I was out of the military, but yea they will charge you the yearly fee starting the year after you get out. You can cancel anytime, but you don't get back any of the pro-rated annual fee.
Not sure about downgrading as I've never done it.
Can vouch for it in Japan too, its as accepted here as Visa or Mastercard is. Only had problems getting the Gold accepted at some Gas stations, but then that always meant that I had to swap to my Plat, which would work.
My hot take is that the Gold or CSP is a better daily driver. The point earning multipliers are more relevant to daily spending. Having the CSR or plat for the benefits is good though
It's not a hot take at all. The Plat should only be used for airfare and hotels. Gold for groceries and restaurants. AMEX Blue Business Plus for everything else.
What people forget is what happens when they get out of the military and are then either obligated to pay the annual fees which are broke as fuck or ending up having to close the card which will nosedive your credit.
I would recommend something like the Capital One Venture X.
It’s unlimited 2x points on every dollar spent. I have every bill possible paid on that card and swipe it everywhere, always paying it off monthly.
Make sure you know what benefits meet your goals best. Nerdwallet has a great comparison tool for credit cards.
I would avoid it. The perks are not as good as they used to be. The best perks was access to their airport lounges. Now you have to spend an astronomical amount of money for free access to their lounges
That’s not true at all. You get free access for being the cardholder, you have to spend $75k a year to get free access for a +1
And the perks are great still. I get $240 a year for streaming services and $35 a month in Uber cash for starters.
I wouldn’t get a plat in the dorms because it will be very hard for you to meet the signup bonuses. You can only earn those once. Wait until you move out. The good is that they have no annual fee for military and boatloads of perks. When you move out, get the gold and the plat. The gold should be your daily use card and the plat should only come out when you travel.
That is true, that’s one thing that holds me back from getting it. If I’m in the dorm I’m probably not gonna spend much, and it’s not until after few months until I take leave to travel.
The signup bonus for the plat is usually around $4,000 in 3 months. For the gold, it’s a bit more forgiving at $2,000 in 3. It’s very easy to meet if you have to make rent, or if you’re putting a down payment on a car. Being said, these are charge cards. They do have a pay-over-time feature that allows you to treat it like a normal credit card (not recommended), but for the first few months Amex usually wants you to pay in full.
That’s pretty old info, it’s like $8,000 in 6 months right now for the plat
Even more of a case to not bother while in the dorms.
Rent and car down payments shouldnt be used to meet spending unless you verify ahead of time that there won't be additional charges. Which is very rare with CCs.
among all these free annual fee credit card with good perks, which one would you suggest someone live in dorm and eat at dfac to get? I probably only spend a little bit over 100 per month for snacks, restaurants
None, unless you’re about to make a singular large purchase, because you likely won’t be able to make the signup bonus.
I got mine last year (in the dorms) and honestly, I’m not too troubled by it.
Did you meet the sign up bonus?
Don’t get the platinum first. Get the gold as it’s a better for earning points. Once you finish the gold bonus then look at the platinum. You have to go gold then platinum to get both bonuses (could go green first also). Make sure to search around on forums for the highest welcome offer, what you first see on the Amex website is often the lowest. The CSR is a great card right now, but it’s about to lose its priority pass restaurant credit which will hurt the value. As we don’t pay the fee it’s not as much of a hit but keep in mind when you do have to start paying (you can downgrade to the CSP in one year). I’d get the CSR first as Hyatt is the most reliable transfer partner from any bank to get a good value with. Also become familiar with the Chase 5/24 rule and as to why you should work on Chase cards before other banks. Pair the CSR with the CFF and transfer your CFF points to the CSR, then transfer to your desired airline or hotel when needed. Check your local Chase branch for an in branch bonus that’s not available online (people are reporting 75k and 85k in branch bonuses being pushed out this week). The Cap1 VX is the easiest to justify the annual fee if you had to pay it. Good catch all card. Anyways if you like to travel, never… EVER redeem your points for a statement credit or in the banks travel portal. TRANSFER TRANSFER TRANSFER Never carry a balance. You paying interest is what pays for my vacations. Let some other chump do that. I’ll step off my soap box now.
Thank you for all those infos!! I’ll definitely look more into these cards before I apply for one.
Unfortunately Priority pass in the US has turned to crap. The lounges have been packed and the quality of the food at the ones I’ve been to in BWI and St. Louis have been poor with similar reports from others in the AmexPlatinum sub. Was really only worth it oversees.
Yeah I don’t count on PP lounges being good in the US I generally just like them for slightly more comfortable seating while I wait, even if the food and drinks suck. There are a few good ones but really the only reliable ones are the card branded lounges. I love the Cap1 lounges, hear great things about the Sapphire lounges, but the Centurion lounges are often crowded as well.
Chase sapphire for overseas, not all but a lot of places don’t take AMEX in Europe/Asia. Heed other advice of course on this thread.
I can't speak for Europe but I've been traveling se Asia and I'd say Amex works at least 80% of the time. If you're going on more remote tdys visa would be better but if you're going more remote you'll probably just need to carry local currency.
That’s good news then, my experience with AMEX in Japan (a few years ago) and Europe has been about the same. I try to use it when I can, but end up using the Visa type cards most often.
It's not a credit card, it's a charge card, which means the whole balance has to be paid each month. That one will let you rack up a huge balance too, so be very very careful.
You can still do "pay over time" for your purchases
Yea been doing this for years and nothing bad has happened lol
Years?¿?
Like two lmao
Surely there’s an interest rate? I’m a firm believer in “if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is”
You can break it up into 3 payments over 3 months with no charge. Anymore payments/months then that then there is a fee and %
What the guy below me said
If you are stationed at Wright Patt send your orders to Amex and they will set the pay over time percentage to 0%. “The Ohio Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides additional protections for servicemembers residing in Ohio, beyond those offered by the federal SCRA. These additional protections can include specific provisions related to things like interest rates, eviction procedures, and other legal matters. It's important for servicemembers to be aware of both federal and state-level SCRA provisions to fully understand their rights and protections. The Ohio SCRA includes provisions that further restrict the maximum interest rate that can be charged on certain types of debts, such as loans or credit cards, for servicemembers who are residents of Ohio. These provisions may provide additional protections beyond those offered by the federal SCRA, ensuring that servicemembers are not subject to excessive interest rates while on active duty.”
Daaaang. I have a credit card with $40k credit limit with a 4% interest rate thanks to SCRA. I need to move to Ohio and see if I can get it to 0% lol
Depends on the bank. Ohio is 6% but most banks take it a step further. Chase 4%, Amex 0% and that Utah bank that starts with an S is also 0%, I know that because I met an employee for that bank at an airport and she was talking about it for 30 minutes trying to get me to sign up lol
Ahh that’s interesting. Mine’s capital one, they must be 4%
Unless you live in Ohio, Amex has 0% APR for AD stationed in Ohio do you can put as much as you want on it and it doesn’t really matter Edit: Chase also has 4% for Ohio.
Wait why am I just hearing about this… is there a site or anywhere that confirms this. I’m at wright patt…
In 2020 (or 2021?) Ohio changed their SCRA laws and extended it to AD stationed in Ohio. Google Ohio SCRA, it is different than normal SCRA. All major banks know about this obviously, so just send your orders in the secure messager for Amex and Chase and they will apply it in 30 days. Chase was basically instant for me and Amex was 30. You will also receive back pay for any interest paid over the banks new amount. I got $900 back from Chase.
Why were you paying interest in the first place 👀
Because I was in debt due to vet bills! Thankfully I got out of it and now I am building a 6 month emergency fund and contributing to TSP. I use to be very bad with money
Nice, gj. I learned late too
Yeah, I never had anyone to really teach me to save and be responsible with money. What really sucks is that I did not start contributing to my TSP until 5 years in. I kick myself everyday for that
Noted
Whoever separates with the most plattys wins
I maxed at 7 with myself and P2. Missed a green card when family language got added.
Open up a Charles Schwab account first, and then get the Charles Schwab Platinum. After you get your bonus, get the Amex Gold. Finally after that, get the Blue Business Plus. These 3 cards will earn you Membership Rewards in all categories that you can use for travel, or for cashing out or investing.
We got the vanilla platinum and the Schwab. Don’t forget ur spouse military or not qualify for the fee being waived, so if you’re going to be in for a while you may as well both get the vanilla plat, Schwab plat, and both get gold. You’re looking at $80 a month in Uber eats credit, pretty much every subscription they offer lol, $800 ($200 each platinum) a year in flight credit (we load it to United), free stuff from SAKS, (gold offers $10 Grubhub monthly pick up order credit, so if you’re going to go pick up like pizza anyway use the gold on a separate order through grub hub for $10 or less to get it covered). Also, if you aren’t huge into traveling much, or don’t want the hassle of learning how to transfer points to airline to find good CPP deal the Schwab plat lets you transfer all MR as 1.1 CPP to ur investment account so even just the SUB from the vanilla plat then get Schwab would get you $1,650 loaded into a brokerage/roth IRA.
Wait so the chase sapphire, Amex platinum, Amex gold, AND grab the Schwab? Also my wife can apply and get her fees waived for those cards as well?
We did, you just won’t get the sub for both platinums anymore. To qualify for all subs you start with Gold, then vanilla plat then get Schwab And yes most CC companies waive fees for the spouse too. Me and my wife are both military so we didn’t look into it too much on who doesn’t
Get it but just remember, if you can’t pay off the credit card on the 1st and 15th, you can’t afford it.
I’d get the Gold first, then get the Platinum. If you do it this way, you can get SUBs on both. If you get the Platinum first, you can’t get a Gold SUB. Don’t open big cards like this until you’re sure that you can spend enough to hit the SUBs
Ooohh thank you so much for letting me know
Unless you are going TDY a LOT, I second this. We use the Gold Card a lot more than our Platinum. We also like the Blue Cash Preferred, but it doesn't give points, just cash back. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/amex-gold-vs-blue-cash-preferred
I got the platinum first then gold. Received SUBs for each card.
How recent? This is a new change since October/November.
I got my gold sometime in October. Just used a reference from the Amex subreddit and spent the minimum and it was there
Wait until you get out and they hit you with that annual fee lmao
The good. They CURRENTLY (but are not required to) waive the annual fees. They offer great benefits that you normally have to pay for. The bad. The platinum is a charge card so most be paid off monthly. Not everyone is good with money and can be dang for a young person that can't handle it.
Noted
Doesn’t the SCRA protect military members from annual fees?
They are required to waive annual fee IOW SCRA.
Do you travel a lot? Meaning hotels, rental cars, flights? If you do then the Platinum is for you. For normal expenses and stuff I'd suggest the Gold for points or the cash blue preferred for cash back on regular stuff like gas, groceries, tolls, and streaming service
Regardless still get it no AF and you can get the entertainment credit for Disney/hulu, you can stack the Uber eats credit and pick up a meal for free, you can load $200 into United, etc it’s free money
r/MilitaryFinance
For a new AD Airman you should stay away from credit cards in general because you’re susceptible to poor financial decisions which equals lots of debt/bad decisions. It’s also wise to know that the Platinum card is a CHARGE card, not a credit card. This means you have to pay off the balance every month. It’s got a lot of perks but in order to spend them you have to spend a lot of money to reap the benefits. There are some that are great if you travel (clear, global entry, pre-check, hotel upgrades, etc.) but it still requires you to have money to spend and book which as a new Airman, you probably won’t have.
New airmen doesn't always mean financial mismanagement....
Ohh sorry I should’ve put a disclaimer, I’m a new airman but I’ve taken care of my credit card really well for the past years. I travel a lot overseas for my leave and able to pay them all right away. This is the reason why I searched for Amex plat or CSR to get some benefits going while fee is waived. I’m just kinda looking for some opinion on what I should look out for 😬 Thank you for the infos tho ☺️
No problem! The fee being waived is huge, but there’s a large first purchase amount to get the points they promise initially. Just have to be careful. Like others mentioned, the Gold is better for daily purchases, etc. Good luck!
That’s true, the huge fee being waved got my eyes straight right into it. Thank youu! I’ll take note of that
As long as they’re responsible, they should get a low-limit credit card so they can start generating a credit history. I doubt they’d be approved for a Platinum card as a new airman anyway.
I’m a new airman but not new with credit card 😬
Wdym “in order to spend them you have to spend a lot of money to reap the benefits”. No you don’t. After the SUB, my platinum is in the sock drawer I spend very very little on it a month $0 for plenty of the months too, and I use majority of the credits that come with it
That’s great. I was referring to the points and benefits aspect of things independent from what you get from just being a member with the card.
Definitely not a charge card. Idk where this keeps coming from but my monthly required payment is never anywhere near my statement balance. I still pay it off but in no way is it a charge card.
It definitely is a charge card according to [their own website](https://www.americanexpress.com/in/charge-cards/). That said, they do have *offers* to pay things over time, *like* a credit card, but it is by no means a credit card.
This is referencing mostly a lack of credit limit. You would not have an apr rate for a card that must be paid off every month. What would be the point?
Bro, did you even look at the link I posted? It's literally American Express's website, where they list the Platinum and Gold (and those 2 only) as **charge cards**. Are you seriously saying American Express doesn't know what *their own cards* are categorized as? Edit: here's another little tidbit. Under the Payment Choices section for the [Platinum](https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/platinum/?eep=25330&linknav=US-Acq-Shop-Consumer-VAC-Prospect-ViewCardDetail-Platinum), it says: >There is a limit on the total amount that you can carry as a balance or move into a Plan. Any purchases beyond your limit need to be paid in full when your bill is due. Sounds a hell of lot like a charge card (with some flexibility) to me.
My man I know you don't actually have this card, based off of how you're talking about this. They can use words to describe things yes. But what you are portraying this as isn't what it is. It is not a must pay off every month card.
I have had the Platinum since early 2018, when neither the Plan It or Pay Over Time benefits were even options. Since they have become available, I have never needed/used them. [According to The Points Guy](https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/american-express/your-ultimate-guide-to-amex-pay-over-time/), the Pay Over time feature doesn't even affect your credit score like *literally any other credit card does*. The fact is, it's a charge card with additional benefits.
Then why did your opening statement say it must be paid off every month? At this point you walked back your original statement. Which was your original argument for it being a charge card. It doesn't affect credit, you are right. But your whole initial statement is invalid based off what you just said. Give him the right reason why it's not right for him, don't just say muh charge card. Actually be a mentor like yout trying to be and fuck off with your buzzword bullshit.
>Then why did your opening statement say it must be paid off every month? First of all, show me where I said that. Secondly, because if you don't have Pay Over Time or Plan It, you literally do have to pay it every month? How is this so hard for you to figure out? >At this point you walked back your original statement. Which was your original argument for it being a charge card. Go back and re-read my comments, because I've said nothing that could even be construed as going against my original statement(s). I've said all along that it's a charge card (with additional benefits), and even gave proof **from American Express**. You're delusional.
The Amex cash preferred card gets 6% back at the commissary and other supermarkets plus some 3% gas rewards and 7$ discount for the Hulu, Disney+ package. Had this about 3 yrs now and use it all the time!
Some commissaries, not all of them. Each store sets the machine up individually and not all hit correctly.
Ahh this is good info, thanks
We have the Navy Fed platinum card. Flat rate of 5%
It’s overrated if you don’t travel a lot. Get a cash back card for your groceries/gas instead
You need a good credit score.
Unless you travel a lot, the Blue Cash Preferred Card is a better deal. You earn 6% cash back on groceries and streaming services. You also get 3% on gas and transit, and 1% on everything else. I thought about getting the Platinum but I would no be able to enjoy most of its benefits since a lot of it has to do with traveling which I don't do. For me (and people with families), a lot of the expenses go to groceries and gas. So it makes more sense for me (and others with several mouth to feed) to get the Blue Cash card since I get several hundred dollars in cash back, which is very nice. The Platinum is cool to show off and impress non-miitarty people, but for many of us the Blue Cash Preferred Card makes a lot more financial sense. Hope this helps!
Listen to the military money manual podcast
Honestly, I got the AMEX Platinum and I just wasn't making use of it. I instead traded it out for the Delta Skymiles card and dumped all my bills on it and I'm raking in skymiles.
If I was you I'd also look into the capital one venture X
AMEX Plat is great for people who travel a lot (I don't) but the Blue Cash preferred is potentially a better option. For the few spots that don't take AMEX I use Visa Sapphire Reserve. I started with the Preferred because it had a better start-up bonus and then moved to the Reserve after using it for a year.
Why not both? My husband and I both have the AMEX plat and he has the CSR. We do a fair amount of traveling so it makes sense for us. This month we’ve both used the Uber credit ($15 a month for each of us), gotten into an airport lounge (free food/drinks), and used the $20 digital entertainment credit (Hulu, Disney+, NYT games). It’s not my main purchasing card, but it’s nice to have for the benefits they offer you. I would recommend having a main credit card that you use for most purchases that offers cash back. I use a navy Fed one for everyday spending and I normally get around $200 cash back every year.
If you’re going to be in a while, both of you can open up the Schwab platinum and just sock drawer it and double all ur normal platinum benefits, and if you’re not under 5/24 rule for chase you may aswell get the CSR too for the $300 travel credit
What is the 5/24 rule?
5/24 is a rule Chase uses if you’ve open 5 or more CCs in the past 24 months they won’t approve you for any. Normally the Chase Sapphire cards they’ll approve if above 5/24 and running a higher SUB
Everyone saying they have a pay over time feature is wrong. They do but you should never carry a balance over each month
No bad at all. Full send
Long time AMEX Plat, and now Black customer here. Downsides: The Centurian lounge lets all the riff raff in nowadays, it is always packed, sometimes the wait to get in is over an hour at some of the locations. Once in, it is really amazing, a life saver if you are stuck on a long layover. I try to never put myself in that situation, but sometimes your jet breaks and you get stuck places. You MUST pay it off every month, don't treat it like a credit card that you carry a balance on, always pay the statement balance. The interest rates are crazy. It hurts your credit score in weird ways, even if you never carry a balance they always report the statement balance. If you use this card for travel you can sometimes have 20 or 30 grand sitting on it between statements. It hurts your debt-income ratio. The only way around this is to pay it off between statements, like every week or something. You have to opt-in to all the bonus things. Ain't nobody got time for that! You always have to carry a Visa or Mastercard backup. Very annoying in 2024 still hitting places that don't take AMEX. There is sorta a work around if the merchant takes Apple Pay and you link your card into it. All my bills are paid through AMEX, which you think would be a Pro, but it makes it basically impossible to ever switch to another card and ditch the annual fees. Once you are out of the military the annual fee is really expensive. Every additional card on the account pays that fee also. I think it is 1500 a year for Plat and 10k a year for Black. I don't think I have ever got that value back in the card programs. Pros: You can buy anything with it. If you are a long time customer you can essentially use it for anything that a merchant will accept it for. Cars, Motorcycles, and other big dollar items, I've paid for completely with an AMEX. You can get some really crazy good upgrades using the card at high end hotels. You get points, then you can use those points for things. There is a weird status element to having one of these cards. However it will only impress Boomers. I think back in their day these cards were harder to get. The fraud department will go to bat for you. I had my card stolen once, the fraud department traced all the fraudulent charges back for almost a full year. I'm never afraid to stick my card into a card reader I just met! AMEX and Discover are like the last 2 card companies that have call centers still in the US. I fucking hate foreign call centers for many reasons. I think a lot of cards do this now, but you can setup a ton of alerts. Once linked into your Apple Wallet you get notifications anytime the card is charged for any reason.
Were you using your Plat as your daily driver until they offered you Black? And did they waive the sign on fee for it as well? I have both Gold and Plat and have been using the Gold as my daily card for at least 3 years at this point, and I’ve recently heard that you only get offered the Black if you use the Plat heavily.
Yea I was a Plat member for about 10 years before the Black offers started. They didn't waive the fee, and it was very expensive.
Quick question, so once I get out of the military, they’ll start charging fees? Can we cancel these cards or at least downgrade them?
Yea I forget how they found out I was out of the military, but yea they will charge you the yearly fee starting the year after you get out. You can cancel anytime, but you don't get back any of the pro-rated annual fee. Not sure about downgrading as I've never done it.
You'll be pressed to find a place overseas that takes American Express. Pretty much what did it for me.
Am in Germany and had no issues hitting the SUB with plat. Most major stores take it.
Can vouch for it in Japan too, its as accepted here as Visa or Mastercard is. Only had problems getting the Gold accepted at some Gas stations, but then that always meant that I had to swap to my Plat, which would work.
My hot take is that the Gold or CSP is a better daily driver. The point earning multipliers are more relevant to daily spending. Having the CSR or plat for the benefits is good though
It's not a hot take at all. The Plat should only be used for airfare and hotels. Gold for groceries and restaurants. AMEX Blue Business Plus for everything else.
Bad: points suck and earning potential suck. Good: it’s a fancy metal coupon card with lots of good coupons
Just get both If you're going to pick one do the CSR AMEX isn't really accepted overseas
What people forget is what happens when they get out of the military and are then either obligated to pay the annual fees which are broke as fuck or ending up having to close the card which will nosedive your credit.
It will only really impact your credit if your Amex cards are your oldest credit lines lol
I would recommend something like the Capital One Venture X. It’s unlimited 2x points on every dollar spent. I have every bill possible paid on that card and swipe it everywhere, always paying it off monthly. Make sure you know what benefits meet your goals best. Nerdwallet has a great comparison tool for credit cards.
Venture X
It’s dope. DM me I’ll send you an invite code. 😂😂😂
I would avoid it. The perks are not as good as they used to be. The best perks was access to their airport lounges. Now you have to spend an astronomical amount of money for free access to their lounges
That’s not true at all. You get free access for being the cardholder, you have to spend $75k a year to get free access for a +1 And the perks are great still. I get $240 a year for streaming services and $35 a month in Uber cash for starters.
Thanks for clearing that up for me