American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card: My Latest Points Hack
Last year I managed to nearly double my credit card rewards (to more than $1,500) by signing up for a few select promotions that paid juicy bonus points.
I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find such good deals again this year because several banks and credit card providers were discontinuing or devaluing their premier rewards cards. But I was wrong.
Today I signed up for the American Express Air Miles Platinum credit card. The offer is a good one. Earn 2,000 Air Miles when you charge $500 to your card within the first three months. The annual fee – only $65 to begin with – is waived in the first year.
American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card
I prefer Air Miles Cash to Air Miles Dream rewards because I like the instant gratification of the eVoucher program. 95 Air Miles gets you $10 off at grocery stores, gas stations, or the movies, to name a few. That means 2,000 Air Miles can get me more than $210 worth of stuff that I would normally buy anyway.
Related: Air Miles e-Voucher breathes new life into rewards program
Use the American Express Air Miles Platinum card at Air Miles sponsors and at other eligible grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores in Canada and earn 1 Air Miles for every $10 spent.
When it comes to my core spending I stick with the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite card for groceries, gas, drug store, and recurring bill payments, and the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard for everything else.
What I look for in a supplementary card is a rich bonus offer that is easy to attain so I don’t have to go out of my way to earn more points. I prefer a no-fee card, or else an offer that waives the annual fee in the first year. I also want to make sure the rewards are easy to redeem so I’m not stuck with unused points.
The American Express Air Miles Platinum card ticked all three of those boxes for me. Spending $500 within three months is very reasonable. The $65 annual fee is waived in the first year. And 2,000 Air Miles can easily be redeemed using the Air Miles eVoucher program, which I already use regularly.
Click here to take advantage of this credit card offer and enjoy 2,000 bonus Air Miles.
Just to clarify my understanding you always cancel these cards prior to the end of the 1st year to avoid fees?
@tp1943 – yes, that’s the plan.
Thats a pretty decent sign up bonus. Air Miles aren’t what they used to be so for the few I do collect I have switched to cash so that I can use them in increments of 100 instead of having to save up a much larger amount for a flight. It’s definitely not my main rewards program but it’s nice to have a few on the side to use for grocery purchases
Hey Dan, thanks for stopping by. I saw that a BMO card was offering 500 bonus Air Miles but that’s only worth $50. Air Miles definitely isn’t what it used to be but it’s hard to pass up 2,000 Air Miles that I know I can put to good use.
Agree, Air Miles Cash definitely offers the biggest bang for your buck.
You seem to be applying and cancelling credit cards on a regular basis usually just to get a credit card’s first year’s bonus offers. Do you know if this has any adverse affects on your credit rating? I guess if you always cancel the previous year’s credit card, your credit limit should never be over-extended. I just wondering if the credit companies look at your credit report when you apply to a new card, figure out what you are doing and then deny you the card.
@Henry Lee – I interviewed someone from Equifax last year and asked that very question. He said that inquiries make up just 7-10% of your overall credit score. So the impact, if any, is slight.
Read the full interview here – https://rewardscardscanada.com/how-a-credit-inquiry-affects-your-credit-score/
I wouldn’t recommend applying and then canceling the same card over and over again. I’ve heard of some credit card issuers, like Capital One, who will deny your application if they suspect you’re just in it for the bonus points.