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Off Topic : 1) When Does a software engineer start financial planning for retirement since the our Career span is only 15-20 years on average.
2) How much and which schemes to invest to mitigate the risk?
3) How much do we need for retirement? Tata Consultancy Infosys Mindtree IBM Wipro Capgemini Cognizant HCL Technologies
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CSR essentially pays for itself and is accepted in more locations - I vote CSR
You can use that Amex travel credit for an Amazon gift card with the United MileagePlusX app. (Transactions in that app are categorized as airline)
We're consultants... You get spg gold in <2 months...
Nerd Wallet Comparison.
@D1, it says online that it does
Whoa MileagePlusX app. What a great hack. Seems like they offer GCs for everything. Thanks @M2!! Triple points plus United miles. Going to buy my parents a damn shed with a Home Depot gift card through this.
If the hotels fall under travel category, then you'll definitely get the full $300 rebate relatively quickly, which effectively pushed the annual fee down to $150. So you should use that figure in making your comparison - the actual decision will depend on your own personal situation.
Wow oversight on my end, yes hotels count. Thanks y'all!
Not sure if csr has it but one of my favorite benefits of my platinum card is Hilton gold, SPG gold and Marriott gold as well as National Executive Elite.
C1 that is very true. It's nice because I don't feel the need to have super brand loyalty because I have some degree of status at each. It allows for more flexibility. So instead of having all my perks and status at once chain, I have it everywhere I would stay .For example, I stated at JW Marriott in DC and got the free upgrade to an ambassador suite because of gold. I stayed in a Hilton in Hawaii and didn't feel the need to chase down a Marriott. National exec elite is awesome because whether it's business or personal travel, you pay for a midsize and get any car off the lot. My last trip, I paid for a midsize sedan and got a brand new grand Cherokee and then a Tahoe another time. Stuff like that are just nice. Nothing earth shattering but still nice.
Plat for sure
Amex Plat for Delta lounge access. Many other perks unavailable on the Sapphire Reserve (hence the steep annual for the Plat).
@OW, I am considering getting the CSR to use only to pay for my hotels. Would it be worth it then? Or is CS preferred better because of a much lower annual fee?
CSR doesn't classify hotels as travel (correct me if I am wrong) so not sure getting CSR just for hotels is optimal
I have CSR. Hotels count as travel
Is the Hilton, SPG, and Marriott Gold worth it? What are some examples where it has helped you out or provides you value?
It really depends on your travel habits. If you're going to the traveling to / out of an airport with Centurion lounge, that can really pay off the value of the card itself. Dfw for example has a spa in their lounge. Value for each visit is a solid $15. If you're stuck due to weather issues at dfw and need to kill a few hours, bring that up to let's say $50 with all the free booze/food. Corp platinum is diff than the platinum card tho. So if it's personal , then I would say the value of the Amex lounges plus the $200 credit overrides the CSR $300 credit
AmEx Platinum $200 credit is frustrating that it's only on extras (bag fees, on-board Wi-Fi,etc.)
C1- so I've learned that it's actually anything that codes as that airline (assuming you've selected that airline for the credit) I upgraded seats from IAD to Hawaii and paid with my Amex and they applied my credit to that charge on my statement. Also, wifi isn't covered because it runs as the wifi company, not the airline.
M2, that's genius. Any other hacks for the airline credit?