Best Credit Card for Travel and Lounge Access

Hey All,

Have a bunch of travel coming up and was wondering what everyone uses for credit cards for both international travel and lounge access. I was thinking about upgrading to American Express Platinum however I am worried about traveling in Asia and Europe and acceptance at local establishments and might need to carry a second credit card(Visa or MasterCard). I am leaning towards American Express Platinum for lounge access and back up Citibank MasterCard? Do I need a Visa Card? What does everyone else carry?

Chase reserve. Same lounge access as the Amex plat. But better travel reimbursements.

I think there is still time to apply at your local branch for 100K points with $4k minimum spend.

Domestic Lounge access is very limited now. Amex Platinum lets 1 person per card in to the delta lounge. They also have centurion lounges at some airports in the US. DFW, LAS, LGA, IAH, SFO, MIA, SEA coming to PHL. The Centurion lounges are great
I have had very little success with the Priority Pass lounge system which both Amex and Chase offer. So I give the nod to Amex on lounge access.

So from a lounge access standpoint I travel mostly on AA so I have their card that allows me in to the Admiral’s club.

From a points standpoint. Amex Plat does pay 5X on airline tickets. Which is great. Chase reserve is 3X on dining and travel which is really good if you eat out a lot and stay in hotels. Their travel reimbursement is $300 vs $200 for Amex. It is also much more flexible.

I would never travel only on an American Express due to its lower acceptance levels.

George

Chase Reserve for int’l travel, especially if traveling with companion/family (their priority pass level covers them).

For domestic only, Amex platinum might be ok if you fly to locations with Centurion lounges frequently.

You can gain access for a second person to the Delta Lounge for $29.

I visited the DFW Centurion lounge for the first time last week and wasn’t impressed. Several of the food options were gone, there were no forks left, only knives and spoons, the food wasn’t good (an incredibly tough pork chop being the worst example), there were no seats available, and the Chianti was oaky.

George: What level AA card do you need for lounge access?
Thanks!


Cheers!
Marshall [cheers.gif]

Marshall,
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®. $450/yr.

Chase Reserve offers access through Priority Pass. Downside is that a good number of lounges (Sky Team, especially) have restricted hours for PP users.

Additionally, Amex has its challenges in Europe, and you’ll find quite a few places refuse to accept it. You won’t have any issues at hotels, etc., but restaurants and taxis might be an issue at times.

Platinum or of course Centurion (Black)

George

Thank you very much! Need to look into that card.
Cheers!
Marshall

I keep getting the offer to upgrade to Platinum with the Admiral Club access. Get to keep my Master Card number. Annually $450. Trying to decide whether to do it or not.

How much do you travel? All on American? I by comparison travel once to three times per month depending and I find it indispensable as a result. If I flew twice a year I wouldn’t spring for it.

Sorry missed the AA card. Was thinking Amex. The one I have is this. Although I know AA is doing some stuff now with Barclay Bank IIRC

https://secure.fly.aa.com/citi/direct-exec?anchorLocation=DirectURL&title=citiexecutive

George

No such thing as Platinum with Admirals club access. The Citi Aadvantage Platinum card is one thing, the Citi Executive card (which gives access) is a different card.

Correct. My error. Went to look at the offer, and it is Executive, although the color of the card looks like my wife’s Platinum card.

I used to travel weekly, and I enrolled in the Admiral’s Club. Lately, not much travel. Holding off on this until I know I will be traveling more regularly.

I almost jumped on this a couple of months back. Out of the blue, they offered some bonus miles (I think 20-25K). They usually do not offer existing customers bonus miles.

I’m glad you didn’t.

Upgrading the card is a rookie play.

Take out a new card for the signup bonus (50K for $5k spend). Don’t cancel the old card until you get the new card. And make sure you haven’t taken out any
Citi AA card in the last two years.

Per their T&C

American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.

The Centurion Lounges are pretty great by domestic standards. But there are very few of them.

I fly United so go through Houston a lot and they have one. I might even drop my United Club membership.

Jason