Which Amex Card to Get? Airmiles Blue or BlueSky?

[Shadow Rider]

So I'm obligated to get an Amex Card and I can either get the Airmiles Blue or the BlueSky card. Anyone have any recommendation on which one I should get?

I gotta say, Airmiles doesn't seem like a good deal at all. 1pt for every $20? And the points don't even convert at a great rate on the products page.

Airmiles Blue
http://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/ca/en/personal/chooseacard/allcards/airmilescreditcard_pr.do?vgnextoid=bd14e452a54e411 0VgnVCM100000cef4ad94RCRD

BlueSky
http://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/ca/en/personal/chooseacard/allcards/blueskycreditcard_pr.do?vgnextoid=400309f09a019110 VgnVCM100000defaad94RCRD

[brunes]

So I'm obligated to get an Amex Card and I can either get the Airmiles Blue or the BlueSky card. Anyone have any recommendation on which one I should get?

I gotta say, Airmiles doesn't seem like a good deal at all. 1pt for every $20? And the points don't even convert at a great rate on the products page.

Airmiles Blue
http://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/ca/en/personal/chooseacard/allcards/airmilescreditcard_pr.do?vgnextoid=bd14e452a54e411 0VgnVCM100000cef4ad94RCRD

BlueSky
http://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/ca/en/personal/chooseacard/allcards/blueskycreditcard_pr.do?vgnextoid=400309f09a019110 VgnVCM100000defaad94RCRD

BlueSky points are worth more for sure, but have more restrictions on use.

[blu3xtc]

I don't have any experience with the AirMiles Blue but I do have the Blue SKy one and it is pretty good. I've yet to use the points and I have already achieved my spend bonus for the bonus points so they're just sitting there.

[Shadow Rider]

Can I use BlueSky points when purchasing from Expedia or a travel agent? Or do I always have to book through Amex? I should probably mention that I already have a 1% cashback card as my main card.

[blu3xtc]

Redeemable on any type of travel such as car rentals, flights, hotels. I guess expedia would only need maybe a merchant code or for just the name "EXPEDIA" to show up on your statement and they will give you credit for it. It's a pretty good system IMO but I haven't traveled recently so I haven't used the points on my blue sky card.

[JUnit]

I gotta say, Airmiles doesn't seem like a good deal at all. 1pt for every $20?

They also round your points down. So if you make $39 in purchases in a month, you will only get 1 point.

[brunes]

They also round your points down. So if you make $39 in purchases in a month, you will only get 1 point.

The thing good about the Airmiles card though is, especially as a backup card, is you don't have to collect a ton of points to make them useful.

IE, BlueSky points can only be redeemed for travel and the minimum redemption is $10000 - you get 1.25 / dollar, so you have to charge $8000 to get $100 back. This is a 1.25% return of course.

Airmiles return is less, but you can redeem them much faster. For example, you can get a free shell car wash for only 75 AM, which you will have after only 1500 in spending. This item in particular is about a 3.3% return. This is pretty much the highest return rate for Air Miles rewards from the catelogue though, most are around 0.6%-1%.

So this is what you need to ask - if this is a backup card, how long will it take to accumulate $8000 in charges on it?

[lillilland]

I vote for Blue Sky, if you do any travelling at all (flight, hotel, air, rail, etc) You even get 12,000 pts initially for spending $1000 in the first three months and 12,000 is worth $120 in redemption. And you get 1.25 pts per $1 spend, which is 1.25% back. You do have to redeem at least 10,000 ($100) per redemption and then increments of 5000 pts (e.g. $100, $150, $200, etc).

This is the card I'm using now, even though I have other Amexs, Visas, and MasterCards :D

[greenmoon]

The thing good about the Airmiles card though is, especially as a backup card, is you don't have to collect a ton of points to make them useful.

IE, BlueSky points can only be redeemed for travel and the minimum redemption is $10000 - you get 1.25 / dollar, so you have to charge $8000 to get $100 back. This is a 1.25% return of course.

Airmiles return is less, but you can redeem them much faster. For example, you can get a free shell car wash for only 75 AM, which you will have after only 1500 in spending. This item in particular is about a 3.3% return. This is pretty much the highest return rate for Air Miles rewards from the catelogue though, most are around 0.6%-1%.

So this is what you need to ask - if this is a backup card, how long will it take to accumulate $8000 in charges on it?

If Airmiles always rounds down to the nearest $20, it may take a backup card a lot more than $1500 in spending to accumulate 75 points and the effective return rate will be lowered.

[icedtee]

I vote for Blue Sky, if you do any travelling at all (flight, hotel, air, rail, etc) You even get 12,000 pts initially for spending $1000 in the first three months and 12,000 is worth $120 in redemption. And you get 1.25 pts per $1 spend, which is 1.25% back. You do have to redeem at least 10,000 ($100) per redemption and then increments of 5000 pts (e.g. $100, $150, $200, etc).

This is the card I'm using now, even though I have other Amexs, Visas, and MasterCards :D

I think its $3000 in the first 6 months to get the 12,000 pts.

[brunes]

If Airmiles always rounds down to the nearest $20, it may take a backup card a lot more than $1500 in spending to accumulate 75 points and the effective return rate will be lowered.

The comment by that poster was very misleading, the rounding is done at the statement level not the transaction level.

IE, if your statement is for $799, you will get 39 air miles, not 40. This is not that big of a deal because you only get 12 statements / year.

[greenmoon]

The comment by that poster was very misleading, the rounding is done at the statement level not the transaction level.

IE, if your statement is for $799, you will get 39 air miles, not 40. This is not that big of a deal because you only get 12 statements / year.

I get that part about rounding on the statement. I just would not call a card with $799 statement a backup. I would expect statements on a backup card to be in the amount of ~$100 if that, but that depends on your habits.

Speaking of backups, would the OP care to elaborate in what situations this backup is to be used? Since Amex is less accepted than Visa/MC most people have a backup Visa to their Amex, not the other way around.

[Shadow Rider]

I get that part about rounding on the statement. I just would not call a card with $799 statement a backup. I would expect statements on a backup card to be in the amount of ~$100 if that, but that depends on your habits.

Speaking of backups, would the OP care to elaborate in what situations this backup is to be used? Since Amex is less accepted than Visa/MC most people have a backup Visa to their Amex, not the other way around.

Oh I work at a place that only takes Amex in the caf, been paying by debit. I think I might just take bluesky, rounding down my points doesn't sound too happy to me, and if I ever shop at Costco or something I might rack up 8k eventually.

Actually, does anyone know if I have a US address, after getting my Canadian Amex can I request an US Amex card too? I heard before that you can do that without them checking whether you actually have US residency.

[lillilland]

I think its $3000 in the first 6 months to get the 12,000 pts.

Oops, sorry. Still a good deal :)

[Shadow Rider]

Although with bluesky I'd be in a loop of always having to use amex (to use the points I'd have to use my amex to buy travel stuff) what a shame that I didn't get that 2% amex last year...

[angel_wing0]

i would say amex bluesky.

[PaterFamilias]

They seem to be friggin' giving away the Business Gold Card these days. No fee for the first year, 25k points for signing up and spending $1k in 3 months, and if you look around you can get some cash back just for applying for the damn thing.

I'd say forget about those other two cards, and go for the Business Gold Card at least for the first year when it is free.

Otherwise, you're probably better off with one of the cashback cards than a points card. Try the Costco card, or the business cashback credit card which has the same cashback terms as the CostCo card, but no need to have a CostCo membership.

You don't need a business to have a business Amex, so don't discount them.

[Shadow Rider]

They seem to be friggin' giving away the Business Gold Card these days. No fee for the first year, 25k points for signing up and spending $1k in 3 months, and if you look around you can get some cash back just for applying for the damn thing.

I'd say forget about those other two cards, and go for the Business Gold Card at least for the first year when it is free.

Otherwise, you're probably better off with one of the cashback cards than a points card. Try the Costco card, or the business cashback credit card which has the same cashback terms as the CostCo card, but no need to have a CostCo membership.

You don't need a business to have a business Amex, so don't discount them.

Yea but then the second year they hit you with their fees. Eh I got approved for their bluesky. I don't have a costco membership so I can't get a card, someday though maybe.

[greenmoon]

Try the Costco card, or the business cashback credit card which has the same cashback terms as the CostCo card, but no need to have a CostCo membership.

You don't need a business to have a business Amex, so don't discount them.

Actually, the business one is better than Costco because it has higher maximum cashback ($1000 vs. $500). Not that it would be relevant for a backup card but still worth noting.

Yea but then the second year they hit you with their fees. Eh I got approved for their bluesky. I don't have a costco membership so I can't get a card, someday though maybe.

You can always convert the Business Gold to some other non-fee card before the year ends, can't you?

[tng11]

You can always convert the Business Gold to some other non-fee card before the year ends, can't you?

No you cannot. That is the one thing about AMEX, you can't freely convert their cards like other companies, they must be within the same family. As there are no no-fee business charge cards, it cannot be done. For personal cards, the same story if you have Air Miles card it can only be converted to another AM card, Aeroplan must be converted to another Aeroplan, etc.

[greenmoon]

No you cannot. That is the one thing about AMEX, you can't freely convert their cards like other companies, they must be within the same family. As there are no no-fee business charge cards, it cannot be done. For personal cards, the same story if you have Air Miles card it can only be converted to another AM card, Aeroplan must be converted to another Aeroplan, etc.

Good to know, thank you.