I am a techie/technologist/geek (read: I’m heavily into emerging technology). Rarely does my love of technology cross over into my love of travel, but every once in a blue moon developments in travel make it into the mainstream tech publications. When that happens and my friends start sending me articles about the subject, it means that the development has entered the main stream.
That was the case this morning when a friend sent me a link to an article on Tech Crunch about the Amex Everyday card, which touts the card as the “most mobile-integrated, rewards-focused credit card” put forth by American Express. That’s quite the mouthful, I know, but also a sign that we all need to start paying attention: this is a big deal.
A no annual fee rewards credit card from American Express that is focused on the primary shopper in a household (mom), and offers category spend bonus at supermarkets is big news!
Big enough news that the New York Times wrote about it yesterday.
Big enough news that Tina Fey has been tapped as the celebrity spokesperson for the Amex Everyday card.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the inside scoop directly from Amex like Gary does, so I am consuming this news just like everyone else. One thing is clear: the points and miles game might start making its way into the mainstream. Like you, I’m not sure how I feel about this development.
The Good: More Earning Options
On the positive side, we now have more earning options for American Express Membership Rewards points. We also have a complimentary card to the Chase Sapphire Preferred. On the surface this is good news because it allows us to collect and store our Membership Rewards points balances without having to pay an annual fee.
In theory we could simply bring this card with us to the supermarket and achieve 2x points for everyday purchases, use it for nothing else, and accrue thousands of Membership Rewards points each year. That’s not counting achieving the bonus for purchasing items like gift cards or testing the waters to find stores that are coded as supermarkets but offer other products as well (while Costco does not qualify as a supermarket, maybe Super Target would?)
More earning options is generally a positive thing for all of us who play the points and miles game.
The Not as Good: More Points Saturation
On the negative side, more earning options and the mainstream appeal of the card could mean more competition for the rewards we want. Points and miles enthusiasts make up a very small percentage of overall credit card users, so while we may have balances of millions of points, this card and ensuing television campaign may create much more competition for our ability to use these points.
While Membership Rewards transfer seamlessly to many airlines and give us diversity in options, the sheer number of Membership Rewards points will be higher than ever. When there is a high balance of points on the books for American Express, they will have two options: Get people to spend them or make them less valuable. When the points become less valuable, it’s the enthusiasts that end up losing the most.
Time will tell how much this impacts our hobby, but I think it is important to treat the miles you gain from these developments as an inflationary currency. They will never be more valuable in the future. Earn and burn!
