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A cautionary tale: Amex v Marriott Visa
I just wanted to share something with y'all. H and I have had our Amex since 2006. We started with the Gold then eventually went up to Platinum, due to all of H's travels. The larger annual fee wasn't that big of a deal, because of all the money and points we would get back. We handle his mothers finances, so we got a card in her name, to put all of her payments and bills on. Long story short, while it cost us a little more a year (for the annual fee and to have two additional cards in mine and his mom's name) we each got our own credit card number, but we could pool all of our points together. We will obviously keep our Amex open, but we may downgrade again to the Gold or Green so we lower the annual fee.
(Note: Amex gets paid off every month. There is an option to pay over time but the interest rate is high, and it's only for purchases more than $100.00. Let's be honest, interest rate, paying over time...Ain't nobody in MM got time for that)
Soooo...Since Costco, is making the change from Amex to Visa, we did a little research and with the traveling we like to do, it would be in our best interest to collect hotel points over, airline miles. We opted for the Marriott Rewards Visa. Bonus: They gave us a very generous limit. Second Bonus, by signing someone else up, you get a 7500 bonus in points when they use the card. Third Bonus: If you spend $3,000 in the first three months you get an additional 80,000 points. (This is super easy for us to do). Fourth Bonus: We don't have to pay any additional money in annual fee's and the fee is cheaper for the Visa. Fifth bonus, one free hotel night in a category 5.
But there's always a catch: H is a Starwood, and Marriott Elite. (However, now we're not sure if this merger is going to happen). I admit it, we jumped the gun a little bit. Strike One. HOWEVER, and this was the part that really disappointed me. We all have the same credit card numbers, unlike Amex. So if one of us loses the card or it is stolen, we have to cancel everyone's card. This especially concerns me, because while H is traveling he would have to get a new card about once a year, because it would become compromised. ie. someone, some where, duplicated it and used it. aka credit card fraud. Strike Two. Amex has always been excellent at catching these sort of instances, I'm not so sure if Visa will be. Foul.
I called Visa and asked what if they offered different numbers. In order for me to get my own number on my card, I would have to open my own account, and have my own annual fee. The good news is I know I'm not liable for any unauthorized charges. If I do this, I wonder if I can transfer points? If I can we might be able to double our Marriott points. Stay tuned!
Re: A cautionary tale: Amex v Marriott Visa
Sorry to hijack your post @emily1004.
What is going on with the Costco Amex to Citi situation? I received official information about it when it was first announced like a year ago. But I have not received any communication since. From either Amex, Citi, or Costco.
I think that Amex card just disappears and I automatically get a Citi card? Is that the deal? And when does it happen? I thought it was going to be sometime in the next month or two, which is why I've been annoyed that none of these companies are keeping me apprised of the situation.
Thanks! Sweet. I love that Costco purchases will now be at 2% back. Plus I get 2% back annually anyway in a Costco gift certificate for the type of membership I have, so now it will be like all my Costco purchases have a 4% discount. I found it surprising with Amex...considering my specific Amex was related to Costco...was only 1% back there, which was just like at any other store.
And hopefully Citi will be more exact with their categories. I continually had problems with Amex restaurant purchases only getting 1% back in points when they were supposed to be 2%. I even called Amex customer service a few times about the problem, but it was always just a waste of my time.