Credit Cards

American Express Platinum Mercedes Benz is being discontinued

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The partnership ends January 2019

I’ve long had my eye on the American Express Platinum Mercedes Benz card. It comes with great perks, and if you’ve already had a normal Amex Plat, it provided a way to get bonus points a second time. I almost pulled the trigger last year when it was offering a 75k point sign up bonus, but ultimately didn’t pull the trigger because I wanted to lower my 5/24. As luck would have it, my opportunity may be ending sooner than I’d thought. The application page now says that the releationship is ending January 2019, and that the card will be replaced with something else.

Here’s the current offer. I’m going to hold off for now…

Why? There doesn’t seem to be any indication that the card offer is going away any time soon. If that changes, I’ll probably hop on it. But, in the past, with Amex and other issuers, the final weeks of any card iteration often equates to incredible offers…Since this card isn’t really being cancelled, just converted, Amex has the opportunity to attract even more signups by applying the same technique. So, I’ll wait and see what’s up.

a card with a picture of a man on it

If you click on through to the application page, you will see this:

The language is used on both the basic MB Amex and the Platinum version. So…the relationship is being wound down, not just the Platinum version.

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It should also be noted that the welcome bonus isn’t available to those you currently have a Platinum card.

Clearly, the relationship is ending. Is it going somewhere else? Will MB cobrand with another credit card company? What do you think…

H/T Travelsort

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


4.8
4.8/5
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott.

Welcome Offer

60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
    • Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
  • 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
    • The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
  • 2x on all other travel
  • 10% Anniversary Bonus
    • Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
  • Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
  • $95 Annual Fee

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

5 Comments

  • […] American Express Platinum Mercedes Benz is being discontinued […]

  • Jane March 2, 2018

    If it blends it into another AMX card, I don’t want to lose the opportunity to get bonus points on a different card. Would you cancel before the change? Thoughts? Was thinking of cancelling this card anyway and getting a different AMX or CSR (when go under 5/24). Thoughts knowing this??

    • Miles March 2, 2018

      Jane – ah, I meant to mention this. Yes, it will negate your abaility to earn a bonus on that card and potentially restart your “lifetime clock” – if I go this route I will probably downgrade to a green Amex. Additionally you’d have to be aware of Amex crackdowns on chribers who open and close within 12 months.

      • Jane March 2, 2018

        Thanks – i will be over 2 years with this, perhaps downgrade is the way to go with this in mind. Appreciate the help.

        • Miles March 3, 2018

          Jane – Also, I’m updating the post, but it precludes those who currently have a platinum as well…

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