Tag Archives: American Express Membership Rewards Points

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My Experience Using the InKind App at 3 Restaurants in Seattle

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Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, I spent a long weekend with my brother and dad in Seattle.  We went to a few Seattle Kraken hockey games, a few Seattle Mariners baseball games, went on a locks cruise to Lake Union, took off in a sea plane from Lake Union, and wandered around Woodland Park Zoo.  With all of those activities, we worked up big appetites.  Luckily, I had some InKind credit to use and there were many excellent restaurants in Seattle that worked with InKind.  If you are unfamiliar with InKind, please read My Experience with the InKind App to Pay Restaurant Bill, $25 Referral Credit, & $50 AMEX Offer.

In today’s post, I will highlight the restaurants I went to, the issue I encountered with splitting an InKind bill with my brother, and the $24 March Madness bonus I unlocked.  Since I tend to eat early and I like good deals, we did happy hour at Bourbon Steak, Tavolata, and The Victor Tavern.  There are many restaurants throughout Seattle that partner with InKind.  To see the whole list, go to the Explore tab, type in the city name, and then click the up arrow at the bottom of the screen.

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I Paid $4,043 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2022 – Was it Worth it?

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Good evening everyone, I hope your week is going well.  With the end of the year right around the corner, I decided to publish my 2022 version of credit card annual fees I paid this year.  For comparison, here are my previous credit card annual fee posts:

For this year’s post, I decided to break up the list of credit cards into 5 sections:

  • Annual fees paid on new credit cards with sign up bonuses
  • Annual fees paid on credit cards that received retention offers
  • Annual fees on credit cards that have been upgraded / downgraded / product changed
  • Annual fees on credit cards that I closed
  • All other credit cards

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My Experience with AMEX Expand Your Membership with American Express Business Gold Card & Instant Card Number

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few weeks ago, Laura and I moved into a new home and we are in the process of getting custom closets installed in the bedrooms.  With that large purchase on the horizon, I wanted to get a new credit card to pick up another sign up bonus.  I saw that I was targeted by American Express to expand my membership by getting another business card.  I decided to get the American Express Business Gold Card.  I will share the application process and welcome letter below, but first, here are the front and back of the new card:

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American Express Business Platinum Authorized User / Employee Cards Increasing to $350 Annual Fee (Effective June 1, 2022) & New Executive Business Card?

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Good evening everyone, happy (almost) Friday.  I was reviewing my recent American Express Business Platinum Card statement and saw this upcoming change.  Effective June 1, 2022, if you have or add an authorized user / employee Platinum card, the cost will increase from $300 per card to $350 per card.  I believe the only real benefit of having an authorized user / employee Platinum card is the ability to get into Centurion Lounges when they are travelling by themselves.

Also, if you are a servicemember (thank you for your service), you will still be eligible for the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) which waives all annual fees on American Express credit cards.

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American Express Changes: No Cash Advance Fee for Precious Metal Coins, Bullion, and Digital Precious Metals Products

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Good evening everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  I was just reviewing my recent American Express statements and saw a few changes regarding cash advance fees, earning bonus points on meal-kit delivery services, losing points when you close an account, late payment fees and the Centurion Lounge Guest Access Policy.  The most interesting change is regarding cash advance fees.  Effective October 1, 2021 (aka now), “precious metal coins or bullion and digital precious metals products” are no longer considered as a cash advance, so those purchases should earn points, miles, and cash back.  This is great news if you buy coins from the US Mint (to keep or resell).  As you might remember, American Express added precious metal coins or bullion and digital precious metals products to their definition of cash advance effective January 15, 2021.  It is good to see American Express changing their mind regarding precious metal coins and bullion.

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