Founderscard American Airlines Platinum Challenge and Total Rewards Diamond
About a month ago I wrote about why I was thinking about joining Founderscard. In that post I covered some of the benefits of the card and why the annual fee may make sense in my situation. Ultimately I decided to join because Caesar’s Total Rewards Diamond status is valuable enough for me to justify the cost. Founderscard also added a great American Airlines benefit that I think many of you will be interested in. Let’s take a look.
Caesar’s Total Rewards Diamond Experience
After successfully signing up for Founderscard, I immediately logged in to match to Caesar’s Total Rewards Diamond status. I filled out the form on June 21, 2016 and received a confirmation that my request was expected to be processed by July 8, 2016. That seemed like a long turn around time and I was hoping it was just a conservative estimate.
While it didn’t take until July 8, it took awhile. Ultimately I received confirmation of my Total Rewards Diamond status until July 5, 2016. Basically, it took two full weeks to complete my request. To be honest that is quite a long time, but thankfully once the request was complete my Total Rewards account properly reflected the Diamond status.
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Getting A Diamond Card
After confirming my match, I decided to head down to Caesar’s Palace in order to pickup my newly minted Diamond card. It is much prettier than my Mlife Platinum card and it is shiiiny. Aesthetics aside, I learned that as a new Diamond guest I am eligible for the $100 Celebration Dinner (basically a $100 restaurant credit) and two free show tickets! A nice bonus indeed.
Of course as I mentioned in my original post, I plan to review many of the Total Rewards properties over the next year, so Diamond will get me waived resort fees and front of the line access as well. All told, I believe all of these benefits justify the $295 annual fee. I also plan to review my Total Rewards Diamond status in more depth once I get to experience it a bit more. Look for a post on that soon!
Founderscard New American Airlines Status Benefit
Back when I originally published my post last month, I wrongly said that Founderscard gives American Airlines Platinum status. The truth is that the American Airlines benefits change frequently and at that time the Platinum status benefit wasn’t available. Thankfully, that has now changed. Here is the new benefit that Founderscard has added for American Airlines:
Receive AAdvantage® Platinum status from August 22 – November 22, 2016 and keep it through January 31, 2018 by:
Being enrolled in the American Airlines Business Extra® Program
Earning 12,500 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) by traveling on American Airlines or other select airlines* during the challenge period
Earn EQMs faster by booking First Class, Business Class, or Full-fare Main Cabin fares
Basically they are giving a free Platinum status challenge to members. By signing up for the benefit by the end of July, you get Platinum status through November 22, 2016 and then if you complete 12,500 EQMs the status is extended through January 31, 2018! This is a great and valuable benefit in my opinion and while I can’t take advantage of it (since I am already Executive Platinum), I know many of you will be interested.
Signing Up
Founderscard has several different deals going on right now for signing up. You can sign-up with one of 4 codes depending on what you are looking for. Here is how to do it.
Signing Up
Go to this page and fill in your information. This is my personal referral link and I would appreciate you saying that Shawn Coomer or Miles to Memories is how you found out about Founderscard.
After a day or two you will receive an email with instructions on how to sign-up. When signing up for your account, you can use the following codes:
- VIP2YEAR – $295 per year with two years up front. $95 initiation fee waived.
- 100AMEX2YR – $295 per year with two years up front. $100 Amex gift card. $95 initiation fee NOT waived.
- VIP1YEAR – $395 per year. $95 initiation fee waived.
- 100AMEX1YR – $395 per year. $100 Amex gift card. $95 initiation fee NOT waived.
I personally used the VIP2YEAR code when signing up and paid $590 for a two year membership. If I decide to renew beyond that, my annual rate is locked in at $295.
Conclusion
If you are looking to find out more about Founderscard, I suggest seeing my original post. In the end I am satisfied so far with the value I am receiving from the card and I haven’t even really touched the surface on the benefits. For many of you, the Vegas benefits may be of use and for others the AA fast track could put Founderscard over the top.
Do you have a Founderscard membership or are you thinking about joining? Post your questions and experiences in the comments!
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[…] is not the first time FoundersCard has given members AAdvantage Platinum Status and a challenge opportunity. This challenge turns out to be a hugely valuable benefit of […]
[…] have covered my experience with Total Rewards Diamond status before along with why I got Founderscard. I also recently also covered my recent TR Diamond “free” trip to Atlantis. Look […]
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Is it possible to enroll in Platinum Challenge without being part of Business Extra? I don’t have a way to be part of Business Extra.
I think you need to join, but it is free so you should be able to do it. You join Founderscard as a business person so that is sort of the idea behind the promotion.
Hello all- I stumbled across this blog and noticed some of the comments regarding our Member Services Team. As Vice President of Operations at FoundersCard, I take this feedback seriously. I can confidently say we have made significant changes in the past year to increase Member engagement and make Member feedback our top priority. I would love the opportuntiy to speak to you directly, if possible, to right any past wrongs that may have occurred. I am confident we can come to a resolution if given the opportunity. Please email me directly at memberservices@founderscard.com or call 800-963-1988. Also, if you have questions about how any of our Member benefits work, please feel free to email us directly to make sure you’re always getting the most up to date and accurate information. I look forward to hearing from you!
What do I do to keep the Total Rewards Status?
Did you mean your TR diamond status is good through July 5, 2017?
No it resets for all TR members on February 1 as far as I understand it. I believe I will have to re-match at that time.
Tiers at Ceasar resorts reset on March 1 but any reward credits earned (for comps) remain in your account for 6 months if no activity (play). I have been a diamond as well as a 7 Star player with TR. diamond is very good as it’s only one tier below 7*. I have toned down my play and I have been thinking about this FC as I get the other benefits with my other cc’s
As a diamond member you get 2 shows per month which will pay for itself if you live in/near Vegas.
FoundersCard is on the down and out… Pretty sketchy at best these days. Read the BBB reviews.
Hi Shawn,
Do I receive AAdvantage® Platinum status from August 22 – November 22, 2016 and keep it through January 31, 2018 by being enrolled in the American Airlines Business Extra® Program, or by earning 12,500 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) by traveling on American Airlines or other select airlines* during the challenge period regardless if I buy a one or two year membership? In short, am I correct to stay that both memberships have the same platinum elite benefits extended to them for the same time frames and are they both only extended by the same challenges? I’m wondering if buying a one year membership followed by a second upon its expiration would be a better idea for me?
Sketchy post bro. I usually like your work
??? Why ?? He’s updating a post, relaying additional benefits, and chis own experiences.
Jealous?
I dislike liers but liars are even worse.
I agree with Michael. Founders Card Customer Service is SHIT!!! They are a bunch of LIERS!!
But if you could get value from FC Perks, Annual fee is Justified.
I signed up for FC a few months ago and used the Total Rewards diamond benefit over the July 4 weekend at Flamingo. I was duly impressed. I avoided an hour-long check-in line by visiting the Diamond room; I received the $100 food voucher; I received a pair of show tickets; and I was comp’d the daily resort fees. For my four-night stay, I received over $300 in comps. So I paid for the card with one stay. I typically visit Vegas 2-3 times a year so the rest will be net gain.
Since I like the benefit so much, I’ll likely lock myself in to Caesar’s properties, but that’s not such a bad thing.
I can vouch for Shawn. The personal referral links are different (and not as good) as the ones he mentioned. I’ve been a FC member for years and while I think their customer service is pretty crappy, if you can find one or two super awesome perks, it may pay for the card itself — if not, it’s a waste of money. 🙂
There iou go! Would you still get one now with the AA benefits?
I understand the need to generate money for your work, but it would be helpful and more honest to indicate whether you’re receiving compensation for referrals. This definitely sounds like an advertisement for Founderscard (and I’ve seen similar articles on other blogs in the past).
Founderscard has a personal referral program for all members who join. You earn points that can get you gift cards, etc. I paid for my membership and have no special arrangement or business relationship with Founderscard. This is a personal review and that is my personal referral link. It is a link that every member has. If it were a sponsored post or ad then I would disclose it.
From where I’m sitting, there’s full disclosure. Shawn has always been upfront with his compensation. If you want to be an affiliate, inquire and find out yourself.