I recently shared our story of going to the AMEX Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). I had neglected to put my AMEX Platinum Card in my wallet and wasn’t sure if we could get into the lounge without it. When I explained the situation at the check-in desk, the agent looked up my account and let us in with no problems. What I didn’t say in that post was the conversation between me and the AMEX agent, with my wife Sharon standing nearby.
Looking up my account or accounts
After verifying my information, she looked up my AMEX profile. When it pulled up, she said something like, “You sure do have a lot of cards. I’ll have to see which one is the Platinum Card.”
Um, do I have a lot of AMEX cards? I don’t think so. I only have six active cards, one of which is an additional card on Sharon’s account. Surely, there’ve been people coming to the Centurion Lounge who have more cards than I do.
She reviewed my accounts and asked if paying all of those annual fees is worth it?
Not wondering why the AMEX lounge agent asked if I thought paying a large amount of fees to her company was worthwhile, I switched to travel blogger mode. I began listing off all my AMEX cards and the benefits of keeping each one.
Meanwhile, Sharon stood next to me, nodding in agreement with the agent, likely thinking that a simple “Yes” to her question about the fees would have sufficed (Note from Sharon: He knows me entirely too well). They both had a nice chuckle about it, which is OK. I’m used to getting side-eye from my wife whenever I start talking about credit cards with strangers. 🙂 (Sharon: #sigh)
But the exchange made me think, “Why do I have all these AMEX cards? Am I getting value from each one?” So I looked at each of my cards and the value I get for the annual fees
Current AMEX Cards
- Platinum Card
- Bonvoy AMEX
- Bonvoy Business AMEX
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business
- Optima
Platinum Card ($695 Annual Fee)
I’ve broken down the AMEX Platinum Card benefits and how I make back more than the $695 annual fee by utilizing the available benefits and statement credits.
Bonvoy AMEX ($95 Annual Fee)
I keep this card for the free night certificate for a room charging up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It’s no longer available to new applicants, so it’s one of my dinosaur cards, which, if I cancel, I’d only be able to get by downgrading another AMEX Bonvoy card.
Bonvoy Business AMEX ($125 Annual Fee)
I keep the business version of the Bonvoy AMEX for the same reason: the 35,000-point free night certificate. While it’s $30 more expensive, I still find these free nights are worth a minimum of $200 at Marriott properties like Courtyard by Marriott or Residence Inn.
The card also provides automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Business ($150 Annual Fee)
As long as we fly with Delta Air Lines, I’ll keep at least one Delta co-brand AMEX card. With the free checked bag benefit and the 15% discount on award bookings, I will make more than the $150 fee. If I use the $150 Delta Stays credit, that covers the annual fee. Spending $10K in a calendar year earns a $200 Delta flight credit.
Optima
This was one of my first American Express cards. With its long account history and no annual fee, I’m not planning to get rid of it, even though it occupies a slot in the total number of AMEX cards I can have.
I’m not sure how complete the list of my AMEX cards on the list pulled up at the lounge was. If all of my closed AMEX cards from the past decade also appeared on her list, I could see her thinking I had a larger number of cards.
- Green Business
- Business Rewards Gold
- Platinum Card (Canceled 2018)
- Delta SkyMiles Gold
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum
Final Thought
While I can justify spending $900+ in annual fees with the benefits we receive because of our travel needs, not everyone is in the same situation. Oh, and I’m glad she didn’t have to pull up Sharon’s AMEX accounts because she has four additional cards.
I don’t want to sound offended or upset about the encounter. The Centurion Lounge agent was very friendly and helpful in getting us into the club after we left our Platinum AMEX cards at home. To most people who don’t collect points, the idea of having more than a few credit cards, not to mention having six cards from the same issuer, sounds crazy.
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