American Express Offers Fee Free Consumer Cards
By Adriana Barnes on April 28, 2011, 8:23 pm
Clearly, the big deals in these offerings are the companion tickets and the 15% discount on all air tickets. I checked on the usual “gotchas” in such offers, and Citi responds that the promotion doesn’t involve the big problem that afflicts so many such offers. All too often, a “free” companion ticket or big discount offer requires you to buy the base ticket at an inflated fare, but Citi says this isn’t the case. The base fares for the companion ticket and the 15% discount, Citi says, are the lowest published fares available through the GDS. Those are normally the lowest fares you can find anywhere other than a few negotiated discounts.
Free Tickets
For example, Citi recently tacked on a free airline ticket to its ThankYou Premier and Prestige Card accounts, as well as more perks including deeper discounts on flights, the report said. Similarly, the American Express Platinum card will now grant carriers entrance to more VIP airport lounges, up to 600 at 300 airports around the globe. Starting today, there are two cards, the Everyday card, which will have no annual fee, and the Preferred card, which will cost $75 a year. The old card had no annual fee. Holders of the Everyday card will earn 3 percent cash back at grocery stores, 2 percent back at gas stations and department stores and 1 percent back on all other purchases. The old card gave back 5 percent on all gas, grocery and drug stores once you passed $6,500 in total annual spending, which made the card popular among big spenders.
Reward Programs
You see, other products emerged that had rewards structures able to not only compete with the Blue Cash’s earning rate but also beat this once-dominant spending vehicle in terms of rewards earning simplicity. There’s the Bank of America Accelerated Cash Rewards Card, which offers 1.25% on all purchases; the Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards Card, with 2% on gas and groceries and 1% else; the Chase Freedom Visa, with up to 5% cash back on rotating spending categories; and last but not least the Capital One Venture Rewards card, which is basically a 2% cash back credit card when miles are redeemed for any travel-related purchase.
