Price Matching with Amex. Optima Platinum also

[pkpraj]

I received my monthly bill and there is written 'If you buy any item with your Optima Platinum Card and you see it advertised for less within 60 days of your purchase, we'll refund the difference - up to $250. See your card member agreement for more details or call CSR and ask about Best Value Guarantee" ----- Looks same as Amex Blue Card.

 

[Jdog]

As has been discussed before, many AmEx cards, not just Blue, have BVG. You can find the list on their website. Note that the Green Personal Card isn't on that list.

 

[ken2001]

is the Optima Platinum the AMEX student card?

 

[MarkM]

blue, who needs blue? the optima platinum is the sweetest card they have. they regualrly send you balance transfer checks with no transaction fee, I use them to "roll up" lots of smaller balances for one big transfer for a 0% deal, esp if it has a per-transaction fee ...

 

[GetReal]

<< blue, who needs blue? the optima platinum is the sweetest card they have. they regualrly send you balance transfer checks with no transaction fee, I use them to "roll up" lots of smaller balances for one big transfer for a 0% deal that has a per-transaction fee ... >>



Sweetest deal of all is not to carry a balance. Then you will not need to worry about such things as balance transfers.

 

[MarkM]

<< Sweetest deal of all is not to carry a balance. Then you will not need to worry about such things as balance transfers >>



Loans at 0% interest and no fees are thought of as attractive by many, and worth the "worry," even if the money isn't "needed." But may not be your cup of tea.

 

[GetReal]

<<

<< Sweetest deal of all is not to carry a balance. Then you will not need to worry about such things as balance transfers >>


probably shouldn't respond but the smug tone (the wink probably accounts for a lot of that) makes it hard to resist.

So, if someone wants to give you money with 0% interst for years on end, you lack the creativity to find some way to put that money to work? can't even manage to come up with the most uninspired idea -- putting it into a savings account???

guess what, I'm not paying a single dime of credit card interest right now, and in fact all my new purchases using a CC I get a straight 2% back cash. Even when I do use the optima as I describe, I transfer from the optima to the 0% card first, and then when I'm writing the amex checks I'm working with a CREDIT BALANCE, and avoid any interest whatsoever. Yeah, I really "worry about" what to do to make that interest free money work for me.

>>



HeHe... Well other than being thoroughly confused, I did not see any "revelation" in your statement above other than a subtext that you are either extremely disciplined or headed for one hell of a balloon payment sometime in the near future! Since you mention nothing about ever paying any of the debt, I have to assume you are simply delaying paying the charges that you are accruing. You are not "getting any deal" and unless you are purchasing items for resell and recouping at least 100% of your initial cost then there is no way that you are ahead at the end of the game. Even with your proclaimed 2% dividend from the purchasing card, that dividend is not even recouping the sales tax charged for your purchases in most states. All 0% offers are time limited so the day will come where you will either have to pay or quickly find another card offering a zero balance transfer and no interest on the transferred balance.

I would like some clarification on process since none of it make any sense. First, I do not know of any CC that allows 0% interest on transferred balances regardless of the amount. 0% offers generally refer to new charges accrued during a predetermined promotional period so how are you not paying any interest on the transferred balances?. Second, the Optima card may have a no fee balance transfer program to their card, but I highly doubt that they offer this ?benefit? from their card as you described above and the card receiving the balance is most likely going to charge you a transfer fee unless they also offer a similar no-fee transfer promo. We deal with people declaring bankruptcy on a daily basis who at one time or another thought that they had such deals figured out only to awake in the real world one day to find themselves in debt beyond their control. Details please!!!

 

[jimmyhaha]

so

1. Optima platinum = student blue ?
2. if so, student blue now eligible for BVG ?

I am confused...

 

[Justincase]

>>>blue, who needs blue? the optima platinum is the sweetest card they have<<<

Much better to have both...$2,000.00 per year in pricematches...and another $2,000.00 from Buyer Assurance :Q


>>>they regualrly send you balance transfer checks with no transaction fee, I use them to "roll up" lots of smaller balances for one big transfer for a 0% deal that has a per-transaction fee<<<

0%...how's that? Every time I have called them in the past 3 years, they have never given me anything below 9.9%...that goes for Blue, Optima Platinum and Corporate Optima Platinum; all the same high rate.

 

[GetReal]

<< so

1. Optima platinum = student blue ?
2. if so, student blue now eligible for BVG ?

I am confused... >>



Optima platinum <> student blue

Bue is a special version of the original Amex Optima card

Student Blue does not have the BVG features of regular Blue or Optima

 

[MarkM]

<< . Optima platinum = student blue ? >>



No. Optima is just their original card "brand" that you could carry a balance on, before blue. see more info here. I'm not sure, but it may be a bit harder to get approved for than a blue.



<< First, I do not know of any CC that allows 0% interest on transferred balances regardless of the amount. >>



Well, i'm even seeing a 0% balance transfers with no transaction fee advertised in the COUPON section of my sunday paper now!

Yes, it is a little bit complicated, though it's far from rocket science, and yes, it takes discipline (that's how they make their money I suppose -- nailing people who miss/post late a payment or "overstay their welcome" with their balance. But that's what quicken reminders & the ACH payment system are for).

 

[MarkM]

<< 0%...how's that? Every time I have called them in the past 3 years, they have never given me anything below 9.9%...that goes for Blue, Optima Platinum and Corporate Optima Platinum; all the same high rate. >>



actually I just got some optima 5.9% for-the-life-of-your-balance checks just last week ... they seem to send them to me every few months. who knws why. I've had the card 3-4 years and used it heavily when I first got it, but now I tend to only use it for balance transfer machinations.

 

[Justincase]

Thanks for the explanation Mark...not sure I understand it all, but thanks nonetheless :Q


>>>p.s. reading your post again, maybe the key is "every time I call." I *never* call. I jsut wait for the checks to come to me. Like any other hot deal -- if it's there, it's there, if it ain't, you wait.<<<

Well, they never send me anything, so I call them a couple times a year about balance transfer rates...and when I speak to them about other matters. My remaining balances are now at 3.7%, so Amex at 9.9% doesn't appeal to me. Now that I think of it, I believe they offered me 5.9% or 7.9% on one of the cards recently, but I consider that high in today's market where banks are borrowing at 1.75% or LESS.


>>>pps. justincase -- please PM me with what your original post on the Dell busted deal thread was, the curiousity is too much!<<<[/i]

LOL...there seems to be much interest in that...it wasn't a big deal; I just pulled my post after thinking about it for a minute...didn't wanna ruffle any feathers...but here goes. Someone said:

>>>Justincase, you wanna me send the cancelling info to ebates? I only ordered one.<<<

And I replied:

'English translation?'

That's all. No biggie. :Q

 

[StealthX32]

You sure about the Student card doesn't have it? Because I almost specifically remember pricematching, etc. in the brochure I got after I got the card.