re: Amex Platinum worth it?

I have a boatload of Amex points. I might have to use them for that purpose one day.

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So much fail.

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But if you don't travel much why not get the cash back card instead?

Amex points are worth between .5 and 1 cent per point day in and day out. You can jump through hoops and get bonus points on this or that but over time it is what it is. LINK

For the aforementioned "round the world" flights you have to jump through a mydrid of hoops, fly when and where the airlines say and still surcharges. The article says it is 125,000 points.

Amex charges 2.5 cents per point when they sell you points.

If at the end of the day you got a full point for every dollar you spend it would take $125000 in spending to get the points you need to take the trip. You would have paid on the Platinum card $550 a year in fees and the surcharge of $250 to $500 per person.

Had you instead spent $125000 on a fidelity 2% cash back card you would have $2500 cash in your pocket plus you would not have spent $550 a year nor would you have spent the surcharges. Add all of that up and you have $3300. You could rather easily build a "round the world' trip with that without confining yourself to the Air Nippon stipulations. You could also do a lot of other things with $3300.

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Amex points are worth between .5 and 1 cent per point day in and day out. You can jump through hoops and get bonus points on this or that but over time it is what it is. LINK

For the aforementioned "round the world" flights you have to jump through a mydrid of hoops, fly when and where the airlines say and still surcharges. The article says it is 125,000 points.

Amex charges 2.5 cents per point when they sell you points.

If at the end of the day you got a full point for every dollar you spend it would take $125000 in spending to get the points you need to take the trip. You would have paid on the Platinum card $550 a year in fees and the surcharge of $250 to $500 per person.

Had you instead spent $125000 on a fidelity 2% cash back card you would have $2500 cash in your pocket plus you would not have spent $550 a year nor would you have spent the surcharges. Add all of that up and you have $3300. You could rather easily build a "round the world' trip with that without confining yourself to the Air Nippon stipulations. You could also do a lot of other things with $3300.

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Not sure what Amex points are worth but I'm pretty sure they're worth more than 1 cent per point. I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, and they are worth at least 1.5 cent per point (when you book from the Chase Portal which is usually competitive with direct booking from airlines). Spending just $6000 on travel and dining (3x points) will allow you to break even with the Fidelity 2% card.

Showing my work:

Fidelity - $6000 spend on travel and restaurant.
6000 * $.02 (multiplier)= $120

CSR - $6000 spend on travel and restaurant.
$6000 * $.045 (multiplier * value per point) - $450 (fee) + $300 (Travel Credit) = $120

And I don't travel a ton for business like some in this thread.

EDIT: After breaking even on travel and dining. I'll still be ahead of the Fidelity card on non-bonus spend as I also have a Chase Freedom Unlimited which gives 1.5 points per dollar spent. Transfer those points to Chase Sapphire Reserve, and I effectively get 2.25 cents per dollar on every other purchase which is still better than 2 cents per dollar on the Fidelity card.

ANOTHER EDIT: I will agree with you though that airline miles are overrated. Seats aren't usually available when you want them. I've only redeemed one Transpacific business class trip that was worth the points. However, hotel points are usually pretty easy to redeem. I easily get way over 1.5 cents of value per point whenever I transfer my Chase points to Hyatt, and they're not too hard to find.

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How much to you pay annually for that card?

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It's in my post. $450 annual fee - $300 travel credit, so effectively $150. Yet, even with the fees if I spend $6000 on travel and dining I would break even with the Fidelity card. $6000 in spend on travel and dining will net me $120 even with annual fees ($270 in benefits - $150 in fees). The same as the Fidelity card. Everything after that, the card outperforms the Fidelity card.

Since when is it made of metal? I’ve had one for 15 years and don’t have a metal one.

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You could rather easily build a "round the world' trip with that without confining yourself to the Air Nippon stipulations. You could also do a lot of other things with $3300.

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Not in Business Class.

I can buy that ticket today business class for $2287.

LINK

American is screwing anybody that pays $8461

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The guy would still be getting 4 cents per point value even at the price you found. That 100% greater value than a 2% card

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Just pointing out that Buckeye's flight is one way nonstop I assume while the airfare Freeman found is Roundtrip.

I'd also point out a 23 hour layover in Dublin may or may not be a good thing for that price depending on the passenger.

While comparing revenue cost to award cost is a useful metric, there can be issues in doing so.

That's also without mentioning Buckeye is probably not flying on American metal, and business class is not the same across airlines in quality.

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$300 travel credit

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What can this be used for? I rarely travel, but when I do, it's typically for vacations and I don't generally stay in hotels. I tend to rent condos or houses and I've found that to be almost impossible to redeem credits for, depending on how the owner classifies the purchase.