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Having followed advice here since about 2019, I’m the proud owner of an HSBC World Elite Mastercard and a BAPP, which I used as my main with the HSBC as back-up for the few places that don’t accept Amex. I’m also a supplementary holder on my wife’s Virgin Atlantic Reward+ (uselessly low credit limit). I currently hold a BA GC but I have no appetite for tier-point running to retain it. Our future is in buying the best cash offers on business class to our chosen destinations.
Having been unable to secure 2-4-1 redemptions in CW, and with BA’s route cutbacks, we have used Etihad for 3 mh/lh Asia trips and have booked an attractive fare in F with Swiss. In the current circumstances we are going to redeem our stockpile of Avios on BA European positioning flights for ex-EUs with probably EY, EK and Star Alliance carriers and random shops at Sainsbury’s.
On that basis, I downgraded the BAPP to the free version (we don’t need to accumulate more Avios). I read that the new Barclaycard Mastercard is a better option than the HSBC World Elite but I’m happy to accumulate HSBC rewards for conversion to Etihad et al (plus not a fan of Barclays). I’m mulling over applying for an Amex Platinum or Gold charge card. I understand the benefits of both and am drawn to Platinum for the insurance plus lounge and hotel benefits whilst accepting that the points earning rate isn’t the best.
Sometimes it’s easy to think oneself into a corner and miss the obvious, so I’m interested in observations/suggestions on my thought process and options.
The HSBC World Elite is an expensive card. You need to push significant spend through to justify the fee. If you can, and you have little interest in BA and it’s vouchers, I’d pass on Amex for day to day spend. Every second year maybe get the Amex Gold card with a sign up bonus, hold it for the spending offers and anniversary benefit, then close it. Player two can alternate years with you perhaps which would reduce the downtime between Amexes. I can’t see a scenario when paying for HSBC WE and paying Gold makes sense unless you spend a huge amount on airline tickets on the Gold card annually. Similarly paying the annual fee for BAPP on top of HSBC WE doesn’t add up unless you want a companion voucher.
The biggest platinum benefit is lounge access, which you already have. I’ll let others comment on wether Platinum makes any sense without it.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
You really need two strategies:
*cards you keep for long-term spending (which could be HSBC) and
*cards you churn through for bonusesThese can intertwine.
For example, I can imagine quite a few BAPP cardholders with a few vouchers backed up moving to Barclaycard for 2 years. This will reset their ability to get Amex bonuses, so they can charge back in in 24 months and hoover up 100,000+ points across multiple Amex application.
Thanks @memesweeper and @Rob for your comments. I haven’t used the HSBC WE lounge access – it has been my back-up non-Amex spending option. I’ll examine the benefits more closely. I wouldn’t have difficulty in hitting the spending targets for Amex bonuses.
The two strategies idea is neat. I’d not really thought about churning cards for the sign-up bonuses.
I’m not really motivated to accumulate more Avios based on our inability to redeem with 2-4-1s plus the high charges levied on redemptions by BA on l/h. When compared with cash fares, and valuing the Avios earned for cash, Avios redemptions aren’t so attractive. I justified the BAPP fee for the annual 2-4-1 voucher.
Amex reward points earned would go towards Etihad or Emirates redemptions.
To qualify for bonuses on BAPP when reapplying, would I have to close the free BA Amex account?
You really need two strategies:
*cards you keep for long-term spending (which could be HSBC) and
*cards you churn through for bonusesThese can intertwine.
For example, I can imagine quite a few BAPP cardholders with a few vouchers backed up moving to Barclaycard for 2 years. This will reset their ability to get Amex bonuses, so they can charge back in in 24 months and hoover up 100,000+ points across multiple Amex application.
^ This.
I’ve got 3 x 241 vouchers expiring March 2023, Sept 2023 and March 2024 so not keen to earn anymore of these at the moment (restricted to how much leave I can take from work in next 12 months). Now have the Avios Barclaycard, Black BA Amex (Sept anniversary) and Platinum charge card. My focus is Avios but I’m thinking I might be best placed to cancel the BA Amex and just focus on the Barclaycard until 2024…this feels odd to not have an BA Amex though! Are others also doing this?
@Flyingred – not only would you have to close the free card to qualify for the BAPP sign up, you’d need to wait for 2 years. Read the rules carefully before making any Amex decisions!
Current rules summarised here – https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/12/29/what-amex-sign-up-bonuses-are-you-still-eligible-for-2/
Thanks @memesweeper and @Rob for your comments. I haven’t used the HSBC WE lounge access – it has been my back-up non-Amex spending option. I’ll examine the benefits more closely. I wouldn’t have difficulty in hitting the spending targets for Amex bonuses.
The two strategies idea is neat. I’d not really thought about churning cards for the sign-up bonuses.
I’m not really motivated to accumulate more Avios based on our inability to redeem with 2-4-1s plus the high charges levied on redemptions by BA on l/h. When compared with cash fares, and valuing the Avios earned for cash, Avios redemptions aren’t so attractive. I justified the BAPP fee for the annual 2-4-1 voucher.
Amex reward points earned would go towards Etihad or Emirates redemptions.
To qualify for bonuses on BAPP when reapplying, would I have to close the free BA Amex account?
Availability with the new premium 241 voucher is much better and BA’s fees aren’t that much higher than emirates and etihad from LHR, they are a lot higher than Etihad ex-eu but emirates have increased their fees a fair bit ex-eu in the past few months.
I’ve been looking at all 3 this weekend but need 4 reward seats and emirates and BA are the only ones who offer that.
We used to be able to do 2J and 2F on etihad but they aren’t flying For class that much currently.@northernlass, thank you for your words of caution.
@Rob – thanks for the link. It’s a really helpful summary. As soon as I don’t need the credit limit on my BA Amex, I’ll cancel to begin the 24 month fallow period. I’ve been re-reading the Barclaycard MC reviews!
@yuff, thanks for your datapoints on new 2-4-1 availability and EY/EK fees. We’d probably be looking to book ex-EU mostly.Doesn’t cancelling the Amex card restrict ability to redeem the 2 for 1 vouchers? I thought you needed an Amex to pay the associated taxes?
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Doesn’t cancelling the Amex card restrict ability to redeem the 2 for 1 vouchers? I thought you needed an Amex to pay the associated taxes?
I have a Platinum Cashback Everyday in the drawer that I can use for fees, etc.. (Just reading through the Amex sign-up bonus rules again and having the cashback card disqualifies me from the Gold bonus but not Platinum, if I’m reading it correctly. I’ll go through the post a few more times before I contact Amex CS). Having read the discussions on a few more card reviews, I’m going to cancel my old Halifax Clarity and a NatWest MC (the successor to the old Natwest Airmiles MC). Having those spare cards doesn’t appear to harm my Equifax credit rating, btw.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Don’t cancel the clarity card. It’s one of the few credit cards with zero fx fee.
Don’t cancel the clarity card. It’s one of the few credit cards with zero fx fee.
Haha, that’s what I used to think too! I can avoid the fx in the EU with the Virgin Atlantic card and the Curve Metal everywhere else. I was influenced by Rob’s justification (in a comment somewhere) that using Amex Gold abroad beats Halifax Clarity, because the double points more or less covers the 3% fx fee.
Doesn’t cancelling the Amex card restrict ability to redeem the 2 for 1 vouchers? I thought you needed an Amex to pay the associated taxes?
You need AN Amex. No reason why you can’t use your partners or a family members.
Has anyone tried this and it worked? My wife has a BA Blue Amex, we don’t really use it and would prefer not to have it, but we have a 2-1 voucher. Can we say… cancel the BA blue, and in the future use an Amex basic card (non BA card from different family member) to book in BA website with the 2-1 voucher?
Has anyone tried this and it worked? My wife has a BA Blue Amex, we don’t really use it and would prefer not to have it, but we have a 2-1 voucher. Can we say… cancel the BA blue, and in the future use an Amex basic card (non BA card from a different family members) to book in BA website with the 2-1 voucher?
Pretty sure I have never paid the tax using the card the voucher was earned ever as I am very efficient about cancelling to break and earning bonuses again. Must have redeemed at least 4 2for1 vouchers over the last few years (not many compared to others, covid/being out of the country/ low earner/ late to HTP etc amongst the reasons). The last one I redeemed was in Jan this year I think, flying in May. That voucher was earned using a card that was closed 2 years ago (just qualified for the bonus again, hoping for an uplift soon, Rob any insight?)
If that is not enough for you, I just cancelled one family member’s BAPP yesterday, voucher earned a couple of months back, got offered a retention bonus, once that was done and some amex offers paid out I gladly said goodbye to it.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Don’t cancel the clarity card. It’s one of the few credit cards with zero fx fee.
Haha, that’s what I used to think too! I can avoid the fx in the EU with the Virgin Atlantic card and the Curve Metal everywhere else. I was influenced by Rob’s justification (in a comment somewhere) that using Amex Gold abroad beats Halifax Clarity, because the double points more or less covers the 3% fx fee.
Hmmm. That’s a lot more less than more. If you can’t otherwise spend £15K for the extra 10K MR you can make an argument for this. But I’d disagree that a 3% FX fee is in anyway worth an additional 1 MR. To be fair to Rob I don’t think I’ve seen him say otherwise.
Don’t cancel the clarity card. It’s one of the few credit cards with zero fx fee.
Not only that, it is also amazing to take out cash in foreign countries (no limit, no fees). You can use a cashpoint/atm anywhere in the world and if you immediately transfer the money to your card account won’t be charged anything at all (other than possible local fees by the atm provider).
Another good FX card is Tymit (allows you to spread costs over 3 months). However, you cannot take out much cash when travelling. This is still necessary in some countries where cash is king … like Japan.
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