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There are a lot of premium cards available in the market now and they carry a hefty price tag. For starters, the annual fee may be over-whelming. To Justify the annual fee, each card is packed with a wide range of benefits . With a little effort, it is possible to enjoy benefits that can outweigh the annual fee.
In this post, we will compare the key features of the following cards
American Express Platinum Card
The Platinum Card from American Express
American Express Business Platinum
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Citi Prestige
US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card
CNB Crystal Visa Infinite
United MileagePlus Club card
Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard
Delta Reserve
SPG Luxury Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
CNB Crystal Visa Infinite Card
Annual Fee: Annual fee is key factor when choosing the premium cards and there could be additional fee for authorized users.
| Card Name | Annual fee | Fee for Authorized Users |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | $550 | $175 (For upto three additional card holders) |
| American Express Business Platinum (Effective from Feb 01, 2019) | $595 | $300 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $450 | $75 |
| Citi Prestige | $495 | $75 |
| US Bank Altitude Reserve visa Infinite Card | $400 | $75 |
| CNB Crystal Visa Infinite | $400 | $0 for up to three additional card holders |
| United MileagePlus Club card | $450 | $0 |
| Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard | $450 | $0 for upto 10 additional card holders |
| Delta Reserve | $450 | $0 |
| SPG Luxury Card | $450 | $0 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | $450 | $0 |
Rewards & Annual Credits: Each card offers a variety of rewards and the annual credits plays a key role towards offsetting the annual fee.
| Card Name | Rewards | Annual Credits |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | 5X on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel and on prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com | $200 credit towardsincidental expenses with chosen Airline. $200 in Annual Uber Credits |
| American Express Business Platinum (Effective from Feb 01, 2019) | 5X on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com 1.5X on purchases above $5000 | $200 credit towards incidental expenses with chosen Airline. $200 in statement credits towards Dell Purchases |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 3X on Travel and Dining | $300 towards Travel expenses |
| Citi Prestige | 5X on Air Travel and Dining 3X on Cruise lines and Hotels | $250 Travel Credit |
| US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card | 3X on Travel and purchases made through Mobile Wallets | $325 in travel credit towards purchases made directly with Airlines, Hotels, Cruises, Car rental etc.. |
| CNB Crystal Visa Infinite | 3X on Gas, Grocery, Travel & Dining | $250 towards Domestic Airline Incidental credit per card (even for Authorized users x 3) |
| United MileagePlus Club card | 2X on United Purchases and 1.5X on all other purchases | None |
| Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard | 2X on American Airlines Purchases | None |
| Delta Reserve | 2X on Delta Airlines Purchases | None |
| SPG Luxury Card | 6X on Marriott Purchases 3X on US restaurants and travel purchases made directly with Airlines 2X on all other purchases | $300 credit towards eligible purchases at Marriott Hotels |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | 14X on Hilton Purchases 7X on flights booked directly with Airlines or Amextravel.com; US Restaurants or select Car rental companies 3X on all other purchases | $250 credit towards Airline Incidental purchases $250 Hilton Resort Statement Credit $100 Hilton On-property credit |
Other Key Benefits: All cards offer No Foreign transaction fee as one common benefit. Apart from that, you could get Airport lounge access with limited options to vast options.
| Card Name | Airport Lounge Access | Other Key Benefits |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | Access to Amex Centurion Lounges Priority Pass Select Membership Delta Skyclub (When flying Delta) | $100 credit towards GlobalEntry |
| American Expresses Business Platinum (Effective from Feb 01, 2019) | Access to Amex Centurion Lounges Priority Pass Select Membership Delta Skyclub (When flying Delta) | Get 35% of the points back when you book flights through amextravel.com and pay with Membership rewards Hilton Honors and Marriott Gold status One year Complimentary Access to Weworks |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | Priority Pass Select Membership | $100 credit towards GlobalEntry or TSA PreCheck application |
| Citi Prestige | Priority Pass Select Membership | Fourth night hotel free ( limited to twice per calendar year) $100 Global Entry application fee |
| US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card | Priority Pass Select Membership (Complimentary for first 4 visits) | 12 Go-go Inflight Wifi Passes $100 towards GlobalEntry or TSA PreCheck application |
| CNB Crystal Visa Infinite | Priority Pass Select Membership with Unlimited Guests | $100 towards Global Entry (X4 including three AU’s.) 12 Gogo inflight wifi passes per card |
| United Mileage Plus Club card | Full United Club Membership | Baggage Fee waived (Up to 2 bags) for you and a companion when flying with United No fee on Close-in award booking and expanded access to United Saver awards |
| Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Master Card | Admirals Club Membership (Access to AA Lounges even when not flying with AA) | $100 towards Global Entry Earn 10,000 EQM’s when you spend $40K in a Year |
| Delta Reserve | Delta Sky Club lounge access for card member only | Annual Companion Certificate for flying Domestic 15,000 MQM’s when you spend 30K in a year and an additional 15,000 MQM’s when you spend an additional 30K in an year |
| SPG Luxury card | Priority Pass Select Membership | Marriott Gold Elite Status 1 Free night award (Redeemable up to 50,000 points/night) 100 towards GlobalEntry or TSA PreCheck application |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Priority Pass Select Membership | Hilton Honors Diamond Status 1 Free weekend night award at participating hotels in Hilton Portfolio |
Plaza Premium Lounge – Siem Reap Angkor Intl Airport – Accessible with your Priority Pass
Other Key Points to Consider: There are also other benefits like Concierge, Purchase protection etc.. which could further enhance the value if used appropriately. You may get a lot of value from the credit card the first year especially with the sign-up bonus. If you do not see much points earning benefit the next year you could always downgrade the card to a no fees card. This helps you establish a long credit history and you don’t come across as someone who just gets credit card for sign-up bonuses.
Conclusion: Several Premium cards are now available in the market and competing for your business. Even though these cards come with a huge annual fee, it is easy to reap huge value with little planning and execution.
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