Travel Credit Cards

[+ Notor]

I would try to find one with no foreign transaction fees.

[cany10011]

On 2/28/2022 at 10:46 AM, MassageAdam said:

The places I went to, "hardly anyone" took it... so that has been my experience..... does that mean its a fact, no... but I'm literally just stating my experience.. chill

Most hotels in Europe take Amex. At least in my limited experience. 

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

While I've always been a huge fan of Amex Platinum, I'm just finishing up my first year with the Cap One VentureX and it's been worthwhile.  I'll keep it around for awhile.

They have airport lounges.  Good kickback perks.  No foreign transaction fees.  Their hotel program isn't as strong as Amex's FHR, but it's better than what Chase's top-tier cards offer.

I don't think their customer service is at the same level as Amex.  That's the only caveat.

Edited November 4, 2022 by BenjaminNicholas

[+ Lucky]

Capital One Venture X has a lot of good things going for it, but I am not sure i will renew. Their points are worth only  a penny each, and their customer service lags. Capital One Shopping can be attractive, until something goes wrong. Long delay in applying cash back offers.

[EZEtoGRU]

I've been an AMEX platinum card member for years.  I almost certainly will not renew in March 2023.  I find the value I get out of the card to be decreasing whilst the yearly membership keeps increasing.  Centurion lounges have turned to shit since they started reopening after pandemic closures.  The food quality has gone seriously downhill.  The lounges are very crowded now...to the point that there is sometimes a waiting list to get in for members.  They simply aren't relaxing anymore.  Several months ago, I was connecting at LAX heading to Vegas.  I could have used the Admirals Club but since my flight was departing from TBIT, I opted to try the Centurion Lounge in that terminal...big mistake.  It's in a basement-type area.  It was hot, over-crowded, and generally a dump.  I spent about 5 minutes there before getting flustered and opting to leave.  I ended up waiting at the gate for 1.5 hours until boarding.  The gate area was less crowded and cooler than the AMEX lounge.

Beyond the lounge problems, I find many of the events that AMEX sponsors and/or invites members to are on the coasts(think NYC/BOS/DCA/MIA/LAX/SFO/SEA).  If you live anywhere in fly-over territory in the US, you have much more limited options.  Same with the Equinox bennies.  Of no use to me where I live in Michigan.  As a principle, I don't shop at Walmart so the credits to be gotten from them are of no value to me. The UBER credits each month are useful to me 4-5 months a year when I travel to Miami or Las Vegas.  There is no UBER where I live in Michigan so I cannot use the credits for the months I am not traveling.  Flyover territory issue again.

I do use the CLEAR membership benefit but only because it was part of what the Platinum Card covers now.  I'm not sure I really need it as I've been a member of Pre-Check for years and 90% of the time Pre works just fine.  Since I currently have both Pre-Check and CLEAR, when I'm ready to pass through security at the airport, I just pick the shortest of the two lines.  Incidentally, the line is shorter at Pre-Check about 40% of the time and shorter at CLEAR 60% of the time.  Losing Clear once I give up AMEX Platinum is not a big deal to me.  It's nice to have but certainly not essential if you already have Pre-Check.

In conclusion, I feel that the AMEX Platinum Card has diminished in usefulness for those that don't live on the coasts or in one of the big US cities (where there is Equinox and UBER).  My alternatives are Chase Sapphire Preferred as well as a newly acquired Delta Skymiles AMEX.  The annual fee is lower than the AMEX Platinum card and it gives me access to Delta lounges/Centurion Lounges when flying Delta.  As I am transitioning my domestic flying from American to Delta I might as well go all in with Delta😍!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

I'm happy with my Costco VISA for travel purchases.  3% cash back on all travel related purchases, no foreign transaction fees, and no annual fee except the Costco membership.