Best traveling credit card?

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Skypilot101

Well-Known Member
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
 
Skypilot101 said:
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
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I've had CSR for a number of years and have been really happy with them, but if lounge access is your main goal I think you may be better off with AMX Platinum which includes Centurion lounge access and i think the Delta lounge club. Both have priority pass which is pretty good overall, some lounges are better and some are worse. Can also get a 28$ credit per person at some airport restaurants which is nice.
 
My primary card for the past decade has been Marriott Bonvoy Visa. Doesn't help with the lounges but I haven't paid for a hotel on vacation ever and im talking top tier Marriott properties - JW, Ritz etc...I just came back from the W in Costa Rica, had I paid out of pocket it would have been over $4,500 for the hotel and I still have well over a million Marriott points.
 
Skypilot101 said:
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
Click to expand...
AMEX Platinum is the king for the airport Lounges and airport perks
-I used to have it but downgraded to the Gold card since I don't use the Lounges anymore.
Chase Sapphire Reserve (I have the Chase Sapphire Preffered)
-apparently is slightly better for everything else (hotels, food, shopping)
Ultimately they are splitting hairs, I do know that getting the Chase Sapphire is much harder than the AMEX Platinum (760 + credit score and high income)
 
Best traveling credit card?


The one that fits in your wallet and flies with you?


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Skypilot101 said:
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
Click to expand...
If I can have just have a moment of your time to tell you about a special offer. This thread has been selected for a one time offer with the Red aviator Mastercard…
 
Skypilot101 said:
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
Click to expand...
It really depends on you. I got a thing for the Amex Platinum the other day. Looked over the benefits and found that I am not likely to use half of them. I don't pay for my hotels or airline tickets as it stands so I find these specialty cards to be a bit lacking.

If you actually pay for that stuff then you need to look at what each one offers and compare it to your spending habits. You can certainly min/max a credit card with some research.
 
Skypilot101 said:
Looking into getting a new credit card mainly for the traveling benefits. Was looking into amx platinum or the chase sapphire reserve. Anyone have recent experience on these cards with regards to the airport lounges and priority pass?
Click to expand...

Amex Platinum gets you into Centurion Lounges, it is worth it for that alone. And Delta clubs. And enough random stuff you get rebates for, the price is roughly a wash.
 
For foreign travel, a LOT of businesses don’t accept AmEx.
I have a Delta AmEx and an American Airlines Mastercard Earning miles is easy with both
 
Priority Pass has been a huge letdown so far. I think most lounges have been inundated with the travel rebound as I've been denied entry to multiple lounges due to capacity. KLM lounge at IAH told me they've just stopped accepting Priority Pass guests entirely, even though it's still on the PP website. At least with the Platinum you can always visit a Centurion lounge, which are typically very nice.

The Priority Pass restaurant restaurant voucher, however, is actually pretty incredible if you frequent an airport with a participating restaurant. It's a $28 daily credit so you can pretty much eat for free (and usually pretty good food for an airport). The only downside is the AMEX Platinum does not include the restaurant voucher, just Priority Pass lounge access, so you'd have to get the Chase Sapphire Reserve for that.
 
Centurion at Seatac has been garbage lately. Line out the door all day every day. Delta lounge is magical though. I think many of the other centurions have been more gentlepeoplely though. Off topic of cards, but has anyone done Alaska+ lounge membership, and is it worth it? Sounds like you get the Admiral's clubs too, in addition to the company lounges (which are admittedly pretty specific to west coast travel)
 
I’d say it depends on where you live and what airline you primarily fly. It makes sense to have an airline card for your most frequent airline just for the first free bag benefit. I fly AA out of DCA for the most part so the AA card goes a long way.

I also have an Amex Platinum. The platinum virtually pays for itself with $15/month Uber Credit; free CLEAR, Hilton & Marriott Gold and a bunch of other benefits. They also cover the first $200 of incidentals you charge from your selected airline. Plus I got 150,000 reward points for signing up. The lounges are very nice but not everywhere like an Admirals club. And they are printing memberships so I got waitlisted for 30 minutes last month for the JFK centurion lounge and it was PACKED.
 
///AMG said:
Centurion at Seatac has been garbage lately. Line out the door all day every day. Delta lounge is magical though. I think many of the other centurions have been more gentlepeoplely though. Off topic of cards, but has anyone done Alaska+ lounge membership, and is it worth it? Sounds like you get the Admiral's clubs too, in addition to the company lounges (which are admittedly pretty specific to west coast travel)
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I never really was a fan of SEA Centurion even when it wasn't busy, at least compared to the Sky Club there. Probably my fav Sky Club in the system and at this point it would fall somewhere in the calculus of a future domicile transfer :)

Also, for those of us with Amex access be aware that there seems to be a pretty vocal contingent of folks who believe the solution to overcrowding is to revoke credit card membership access to lounges. Doubtful it'll happen though, especially how deep DL is with Amex now and how much of a profit center that relationship is but really hope status quo remains 'cause lounge life is da bomb.
 
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