pilot2804

Hey y'all,
Looking at travel cards and was wondering if the cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve or the American Express Platinum are worth the purchase to use things such as club lounges or such.

Otterbox

Depends on your job and how much you would be able to use the lounges (paid ticket vs non-rev)

I have an executive platinum card that gets me AA Advantage mileage and Admirals Ckub lounge entry and a Fidelity card that I use to cash back to fund IRAs.

NatGeo

I'm not a believer in huge annual fees. I know that you get a big credit back with the Chase Saphire Reserve but I do not think that is worth it.

I would go with a normal Chase Saphire, 50k bonus points for signing up, $99 annual fee, 1 point for every dollar spent, no foreign transaction fees.

The Chase United Mileage Plus is also good. The Chase Ink is a good business card that is similar to the Saphire except you get 80k points for signing up.


The key is to take advantage of the entry bonuses and then cancel the card and sign up for it again 2 years later when you can get the entry level bonus again.

e6bpilot

Amex plat is a big fee (475 I think?), but it is worth it as long as you extract the value out of it.
$200 airline credit right off the bat that you can buy gift cards with and turn into tickets.
Global entry or precheck free.
Points for paying bills and buying groceries that turn into merchandise or rewards points for other places.
Amex centurion lounges, depends on your commuting and traveling habits, but if you can manage to get a confirmed boarding pass, you can enter. Great lounges. I hardly get to use them due to the airports I normally inhabit.
Priority Pass used to be kinda meh, but now they are adding tons of restaurants in all different airports instead of just cheesy lounges. I have probably gotten at least $500 in comped meals this year alone.
Delta lounge access with a boarding pass or jumpseat request. Just don’t be dumb and wear your uniform shirt.
Marriott and Hilton gold status. Marriott is great about giving lounge access or free breakfast for airline folks. Hilton is hit or miss.
There are other things that people really dig about it, but I hardly use the other stuff. I would say I get around $1,500 in benefits and meals every year with the card. Considering switching to the chase card next year.

pilot2804

Is it worth it if you're a commuting pilot? Or even a at base pilot? I feel like just meals alone that you could snag before a trip (or maybe even in the middle of a trip?) would be worth it.
Is wearing uniform allowed in Priority Pass/Amex lounges? I understand probably not Delta lounge but I haven't seen anything about it.

e6bpilot

Amex lounges, no. It outlines in their terms and conditions. They don’t like commuting airline folks and do everything in their power to keep them out. If you have a confirmed pass (inbound or outbound), there isn’t a thing they can say, though.
I have heard of folks buying a refundable ticket and then refunding it once inside.
Priority pass, maybe, but definitely bad form. I just throw a sweater over and take my tie off. Blammo.
Like I said, it works for me. It may not work for everyone. I commute and I travel with my family a few times a year. It comes in handy. Every year I think about ditching it, but I do a cost benefit and end up keeping it.

pilot2804

Yeah, I was researching the Priority Pass restaurant discount - 28 bucks can get you a pretty decent meal at a restaurant. Even if you just snag one to go and eat it in the cockpit that might be worth it. Though its select places, its slowly growing. I may try it for a year and see how it works out.

threeighteen

What does the chase offer that the Amex doesn't?

Typhoonpilot

The way I see it with Chase you pay $150/year for Priority Pass and get 3 points/$ on travel related purchases. It also has primary car rental protection. If you can extract $150 value out of PP, car rental protection, and the extra points earning then it's a good deal.

Amex Personal Platinum costs $550/year now. You get $200 incidental airline credit from a specific chosen airline; $200 Uber credit at $15/month plus $35 in December (something like that); Centurion Lounge access and Delta lounge access when travelling on Delta; 5 points/$ on airline purchases directly with the airline and on some Amex travel stuff; Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold. The new Marriott Gold does not allow lounge entry so you only get lounge entry at Hiltons.

To me the Amex is more difficult to justify primarily because I live outside of the USA and can't get the Uber credit, if I could it would be much easier to justify. I have Marriott Platinum Premiere and Hilton Diamond so no benefit to me with that. So it is basically $350/year for some lounge access and 5 X points on airfare.

The Global Entry credit doesn't get calculated because that is just once every 5 years so only $20/year value and most other cards have that now as well.

A better option might be the Amex Business Platinum at $450/year if you really want the Centurion lounge access and Hilton Gold Status.

wankel7

Even if there was an airport lounge out there that allowed pilots to be in uniform I would still cover up.

I honestly think the other lounge patrons would make it awkward.

It is worth noting you can use the Amex Uber credit for UberEats also.