VS Amex Black card fee increase/benefit decrease

From 3 May 2011 the fee goes from £115 to £140, applied on your next anniversary date.

No extra benefits added.

Yeah, I have just had the letter advising me as such. Seems a fairly hefty increase when, as you rightly say there is no extra benefit!

Boo hiss boo

Maybe it's time to downgrade to the white card. I'm starting to shift over to the dark side anyway.

[Neil]

n(

Not good, but providing you still have a half decent annual spend, still intend on VS being your main long haul carrier, it still makes more sense to have the black card over the white.

I've just had mine too, not happy either at the minute as I was in Spain last week and it would only let me use it intermitently. Not happy as missed out on roughly 1000 airmiles!!

How does this now weigh up against the fee of a 'proper' AMEX such as the Gold/Platinum card? (Though yes, they are charge not credit cards).

[Neil]

How does this now weigh up against the fee of a 'proper' AMEX such as the Gold/Platinum card? (Though yes, they are charge not credit cards).

AmEx Plat charge card is £300. Of course, you only earn 1 MR point per £, but they can be moved in to various schemes, like HH etc.

Got the letter this morning. Have a feeling that I will shift over to white or Amex platinum sadly- I'm not sure the fee is justified anymore.

There are also a lot more benefits for the Amex Plat charge card, that make it worth the money, if you travel a bit. I've also had some nice upgrades booking through Amex FHR, and as they will beat any advertised price, it's worth checking them out.

That said, maybe people do use all the Black card benefits, but I know I don't.

[Neil]

There are also a lot more benefits for the Amex Plat charge card, that make it worth the money, if you travel a bit. I've also had some nice upgrades booking through Amex FHR, and as they will beat any advertised price, it's worth checking them out.

That said, maybe people do use all the Black card benefits, but I know I don't.

Totally agree about the Plat card, the benefits easily outweigh the fee.

Still use the VS Black AmEx for all our spends.

Black card benefits are: 2 miles per £1, Econ - PE upgrades, companion ticket.

I've yet to find a use for the companion ticket.

The Econ-PE upgrade is very good value when used in conjunction with the economy redemption sale (25k to NY I believe).

HAve dropped my Amex gold - for the £90 fee I wasn't going to get anything out of it as the double miles was only for a year. Really only did it for the 20k sign up miles. Was that bad of me?

Was thinking of getting the VS Black card but will have to compare my annual spend with what it would cost to just buy the miles.

No Tontybear, not bad at all. I just cancelled mine too. Was good for points, but as that was about to end, I'll go back to my free BA Amex PP card for most spend.

For me the main benefits of the black card are the double miles and the PE upgrade vouchers, having had the card since it came out i have only used the companion voucher once and didn't really make much of a saving, but i have used every PE upgrade voucher i have ever been awarded, with some good bargains in the reward seat sales ie PE to JFK for 20K miles last october.

However having looked over last years spend, if i had used the white card i would still have been awarded the 2 PE vouchers and the companion, so all i would loose would be the extra miles, which roughly would have equated to a loss of approx 35-40k miles, which in my view is worth the annual fee. bearing in mind what it would have cost to buy these miles.

So i think i have just talked myself into keeping the black card for another year

HAve dropped my Amex gold - for the £90 fee I wasn't going to get anything out of it as the double miles was only for a year. Really only did it for the 20k sign up miles. Was that bad of me?

No I don't think so, I've just done the same. They offered me double points for 6 months which I thought was a bit of a rubbish incentive to stay. Shame there isn't a Platinum offer on, they seem to be just offering offers on the Gold Card at the moment.

For me the main benefits of the black card are the double miles and the PE upgrade vouchers, having had the card since it came out i have only used the companion voucher once and didn't really make much of a saving, but i have used every PE upgrade voucher i have ever been awarded, with some good bargains in the reward seat sales ie PE to JFK for 20K miles last october.

However having looked over last years spend, if i had used the white card i would still have been awarded the 2 PE vouchers and the companion, so all i would loose would be the extra miles, which roughly would have equated to a loss of approx 35-40k miles, which in my view is worth the annual fee. bearing in mind what it would have cost to buy these miles.

So i think i have just talked myself into keeping the black card for another year

My thoughts are the same regarding the 2v1 mileage accrual rates. What I don't like is the 21% hike in the fee. 10% is fair enough but 21% is extortionate. I may well cancel just to stop them taking the piss.

Not only the fee increase mentioned yesterday but TODAY I receive a letter telling me the Travel Accident, Travel Inconvenience and Lost Luggage Insurance has been withdrawn as of 30/04/2011

That's rubbish (being polite) - I will certainly now look in to ditching this card and getting something else.

Fee increase in one letter then dropping benefits the next day in another - appalling but not sure who best to complain to, Virgin I guess as the brand holder.

To be fair the travel insurance etc was certainly never to be relied upon.

A bit late onto this debate; also received a letter this week. Little frustrating as I only upgraded to Black November last year. But given that the fee is paid initially anyone thinking of ditching the Black AMEX should probably wait until just before the renewal/anniversary date; we all pay in advance.

Also looked at the AMEX Gold Reward Card;

http://www.americanexpress.com/uk/gold-rewards-card/?lmc=yes

Looks really good;

Earn FC miles
Double points on Travel (presume VA?)
Double Fuel for a year
20,000 bonus points for £1000 spend in three months.

Certainly worth having for the first year.

I think I'll keep my black AMEX until Oct this year, (already paid for), but will try to convince Mrs Monster (she's got a white VA card) to get the Gold AMEX - all options covered!

Craig.

Oops- apologies if this comes out twice in my beer-fuddled state. Applied for Amex Gold for Mrs JB today via quidco- if you scroll down it is there even though it is so platinum-centric- £60 back with a £70 discounted first year fee. Also double points on supermarket spend in first year. I'll believe the cashback when I see it but who knows.....

Also looked at the AMEX Gold Reward Card;

http://www.americanexpress.com/uk/gold-rewards-card/?lmc=yes

Looks really good;

Earn FC miles
Double points on Travel (presume VA?)
Double Fuel for a year
20,000 bonus points for £1000 spend in three months.

Certainly worth having for the first year.

And so it has proved - nearly 60000 mile so far. Two small points;

- you could get double points for VA travel with the (free) VA white card

- there are exceptions to the double points for travel; some Hilton hotels do not particpate, for example.

@jbis - it took a few months, but I got my quidco cashback from last year's offer....

Paul

If you fly a lot on VS then there is no better card that the VS black - gives you 4 miles per pounds spent. If you buy a couple of tickets a month then you can easily rack up 10k+ miles a month plus the miles flown. No other card comes close.

God you peeps in the UK sure do get dreadful value for your Credit Cards. You should move over here and get a US one!

Craig - some comments on your list

Earn FC miles

You can put AMEX MR miles into any of its linked programmes not just VS.

Double points on Travel (presume VA?)

It it a lot of travel including rail etc and not just VS. I get (got) double miles with e.g. Southern and Grand Central Railways. There are some idiosyncracies. In London when I topped up my Oyster on at a tube station there were no double miles but if I did at a 'proper' station I did. No rational ezplanation when I queried this.

20,000 bonus points for £1000 spend in three months.

THe 20k bonus miles used to be offered for £500 spend in 3 months

Certainly worth having for the first year

Indeed which is why I have just stopped my card as without the bonus / double miles it is of a lot less value for my circumstances.

I also found their customer services less than efficient - they initially set my card up incorrectly and tried to blame me! They were slow to deal with queries about missing miles and when they sorted out THEIR problems there was never any offer of some bonus miles just a begrudged apololy that makes VS CS seam a model of penitence.