Amex Gold Refresh, Plus New Perk For Platinum & Green Cardholders
It has been rumored for a week or so that the Amex Gold card would be doing away with the airline incidental credit. That was music to many people’s ears because the credit has become harder and harder to use. It has also led to shutdowns and clawbacks. It had gotten to the point that many people greatly reduced the airline incidental’s $100 face value. The excitement for the change was tempered, of course, until we knew for sure what would be replacing it. It was announced today that an Amex Gold Uber benefit would be replacing the airline incidental credit. This will work the same as the Amex Platinum Uber benefit. Let’s take a look at the details.
Amex Gold Uber Benefit
Here are the details of the new Amex Gold refresh:
- $10 monthly Uber credit.
- The perk should start sometime in early 2021, no concrete start date given.
- The $100 airline incidental credit will be going away in 2022.
- That means there will be one year of double dipping the credits. That could be an extra incentive for grabbing the card if you do not have it already.
- This is on top of the current $10 Grubhub, Shake Shack, Ruth’s Chris etc. credit
This $10 monthly credit should stack with any Amex Platinum $15 ($35 in December) credits that you have as well.
Final Thoughts
I think people will either love or hate this change. If they have Uber in their area, then I think it it will be a good change for them. Especially if they already get credits from a Platinum card, since they will stack. Having said that, monthly credits usually lead to breakage. I also usually discount Uber credits quite a bit.
If you don’t have Uber in your area, then this will be a bad change for you, especially with people traveling a lot less these days. It will make it harder than ever to make out the Uber credit.
Either way you slice it we will at least get to have our cake and eat it too in 2021. I think the two credits overlapping in 2021 adds a little extra oomph to an already great card.
Basically useless changes for me. I cannot seem to easily use the airline credit, especially this year, of course. I hardly ever Uber since I ain’t traveling and don’t need it at home and all this take-out and delivery food stuff is also worthless to people who don’t like delivery or take out.
They ought to just make a Travel Credit that you can use on Travel (of whatever kind) and call it good. I have this card but for where I live, I just can no longer justify it and come April, unless they make some big changes, or offer a helluva retention bonus, I am headed back to the no-fee card to keep my MRs good.
Amex is being too damned stingy, if you ask me.
I wish they would go to a travel credit like everyone else, even if at a lower amount, but they won’t because this comes with breakage.