You know Joeyman, I have 36K points as of this writing and although it won't pay for a round trip ticket to the Bay Area just yet ( would have to pay $70 ) I am in no rush at the moment to cash them in. Thing is I pay for everything with my card and average around 3K points a month. When I heard about this business owner with 500,000 points I was just floored ! I wish I could pay my car note and mortgage and then the points would really rack up.

Keep piling them up Joeyman, your turn will come soon...........

I'm saving my points right now for gift cards as Christmas presents.


5k points gets me a $50 gift card with my credit union visa... My elan card has horrible rewards, I've gotten like 3 iTunes gift cards in total. LOL. My capital one has no rewards, it's just a starter card. Soon enough I'll get a high profile card, soon enough!

Can't seem to accumulate points fast enough to save huge numbers. The expire is right there nipping at my heals. To collect 10k is my best... That is why I switched to cash rewards where I am able to get my full value without worrying about expiring (no I didn't mean death).

I want either the Amex Blue cash or Costco Amex. Waiting until February and I will have four inquiries fallen off by then!

Dang! I get excited when I reach 10k... LOL.

Can't seem to accumulate points fast enough to save huge numbers. The expire is right there nipping at my heals. To collect 10k is my best... That is why I switched to cash rewards where I am able to get my full value without worrying about expiring (no I didn't mean death). Gettin' older ya know...!

You know Joeyman, I have 36K points as of this writing and although it won't pay for a round trip ticket to the Bay Area just yet ( would have to pay $70 ) I am in no rush at the moment to cash them in. Thing is I pay for everything with my card and average around 3K points a month. When I heard about this business owner with 500,000 points I was just floored ! I wish I could pay my car note and mortgage and then the points would really rack up.

Keep piling them up Joeyman, your turn will come soon...........

Have you guys heard the new Amex commercial being played on your local radio station ? Seems this lady's sister passed away and she took in her kids. She now is responsible for 14 children. So this business owner hears about this and takes some of his 500,000 rewards points to help this needing woman out. Obviously an owner with a big heart, but man, 500,000 points !

He has a Gold Business card. 500.000 points, now that's a free round trip ticket to the SF Bay Area at least once a year for the next 13 years, amongst other ideas !

Shows you how from a personal AMEX what can be done when you pay for everything with your card and just let the points continue to increase !

Dang! I get excited when I reach 10k... LOL.

Have you guys heard the new Amex commercial being played on your local radio station ? Seems this lady's sister passed away and she took in her kids. She now is responsible for 14 children. So this business owner hears about this and takes some of his 500,000 rewards points to help this needing woman out. Obviously an owner with a big heart, but man, 500,000 points !

He has a Gold Business card. 500.000 points, now that's a free round trip ticket to the SF Bay Area at least once a year for the next 13 years, amongst other ideas !

Shows you how from a personal AMEX what can be done when you pay for everything with your card and just let the points continue to increase !

The only backdating that matters is the open since date on your credit reports. If it's correct, then I wouldn't bother calling them.

I just opened a new account with AMEX. I had an two accounts with them in the past and closed them. On the card I just received it said member since 2010. When I went online to access the account it said at the top of the page member since 1996. Anyone ever heard of this happening?

They usually backdate them. It is odd that the card says Member Since 10 but the online account management says 1996. I would call them and ask them to backdate the account. Have you checked your credit report since opening the account? The main thing is that you want the account to be opened 7/96. I work now with a girl that worked for Amex in Utah and she said they will always backdate to your original Member Since date. Even auth users on an existing account are supposed to be backdated even if the account pre-dates your birth (like lets say you were born in oh, 1979 and your parents added you on their Amex that they opened in 1977, when you get your own, it should say Member Since 1977).

I guess the solution is to garner as many points as you can and then use whatever you have to take the discount off the price American Express Travel will offer. The flip is whatever the difference in price, AMEX will pay you triple points for ever dollar of the difference.

The other option is to spend $30K a year on the card, with all your purchases being gas and groceries, get the 15K bonus points and your on your way !

I just opened a new account with AMEX. I had an two accounts with them in the past and closed them. On the card I just received it said member since 2010. When I went online to access the account it said at the top of the page member since 1996. Anyone ever heard of this happening?

I would call Amex and tell them that you were a customer back in 1996. Amex does backdate accounts. It would add 14 year of credit history to your file.

I just opened a new account with AMEX. I had an two accounts with them in the past and closed them. On the card I just received it said member since 2010. When I went online to access the account it said at the top of the page member since 1996. Anyone ever heard of this happening?

I have noticed with my Bank of America Amex card rewards have been devalued. It would cost me about 11,000 points to get a 25 dollar gift card to Amazon.com. When I redeem points from my points from my Amex Gold the points match up to the gift card I want.

Smcc, that doesn't surprise me at all. As I said earlier, all lenders are finding ways to cut down rewards and increase merchant fees to make up for their losses. They are hurting right now and guess who's paying for that? We the consumers.

Have any of you fellow Amex cardholders been monitoring this ? Now over the last 12 months I have accumulated 29,500+ points (not bad I think). Wanted to get an idea of using these points for an airline ticket from Atlanta to San Francisco, do you know that the ticket, based on departure on a Thurs and returning on a Sunday was $444. Using my accumulated points only took the ticket down to $286 !

There was a time when the points would have paid for the whole ticket ! Now I know AMEX travel isn't looking for the cheapest ticket but geez ! I know this is in response to the Credit Card Act and banks are making its patrons use even more points to do the same thing they did before the Act but at this rate I am going to need over 60,000 points to do the same thing 25,000 points did just a couple of years ago !

I can live with an annual fee to a degree, but I do have limits about what I will pay in annual fees. I find that the double points with gas and groceries on the Gold Premier justifies the annual fee.