re: Not real sure there is much everyday benefit to these Amex cards.

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Over past two months we have spent about $8,000 between the cards. The problem is I’m not seeing any value in these rewards points.

I have a Sapphire card that will give me 1:1 points for southwest. 8,000 points could get me a one way flight on Southwest. With Amex, I might get $30 in amazon credits.

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I don't understand what your problem is. Have you not researched transfer partners for Amex MR points? Amex is 1:1 for Delta as an example, which is literally the same transfer ratio you gave as your example.

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Sapphire seems like overall the best card to own for rewards. Any others worth owning?

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I was going to tell you Barclaycard Arrival Plus but it looks like it’s no longer an option. I get 2x points on all purchases and pay for travel with points

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We use the travel benefits regularly and the lounge access has been worth its weight in gold for me internationally. The everyday points purchases is what I am trying to discuss. What cards do you get for it.

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United Mileage Plus because I want free flights to Europe

I might be moving on from Amex gold. Planning a trip, and Amex point redemptions are more expensive than Chase for flight/hotels by a long shot. This always seems to be the case when I compare too.

I also tried booking a rental car on Amex. That process is a joke. Their website wouldn’t let me use the points, so I asked their online agent for help. She explained the process is that they charge you the rental in full up front, then 48 hours after you turn in your car you call Amex to get a credit. My trip would be a couple months from now, so essentially you float the cost, then they hope you forget to call for credit. Anyone else dealt with that?

Yeah, for best redemption you want to use Citi cards to accumulate AA miles.

Outside of partners you're looking at a .01 redemption per point at best.

As another poster mentioned, the value in Amex points is typically in international business or first class travel.

If you search for "best use of Amex points" you will find some great deals. For instance, I believe one is a first class flight in one of Emirates' private rooms for under 100,000 points, which is absurd value.

That being said, if you have no need for upgraded international travel I agree Amex points don't go far otherwise. I've flown open-jaw to Japan and back from Manila on under 50,000 CSR points. The redemption rate on the CSR is unmatched for travel right now.

I don’t use my cards for building wealth. That’s a dumb quote because the premise is idiotic that it is anything more beyond a service.

The points are lagniappe. Like I said, the Amex benefits are on point under normal circumstances if you’re traveling. They’ve been the most seamless thus far. I don’t think I’ll ever get a ton of points only spending $50-70,000 per year. Maybe that’s enough for one international flight per year? Maybe not.

I have pretty much that same lineup, +/- some of the rotating category ones.

If you didn't know, the Amazon Chase card has a promo going for 4% back on everything until February. So it's replaced my usaa 2.5 card until then.

Used to have the Uber Visa card that was 4% on travel and dining until they nuked that benefit. Can't find a replacement I really like

Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts is one of the best benefits of the card, if you like nice hotels, early check in, late check out, room upgrades, resort credits, and daily breakfast. And airline partners are great.