Is Amex Platinum Worth It If I'm Not Near Centurion Lounges?

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TPG reader Mel tweeted me to ask:

@thepointsguy – "Is it worth replacing my Citi Prestige card with an American Express Platinum Card if I typically fly out of Newark, which does not have a Centurion lounge? Are there any other benefits I should consider?"

Unfortunately, there is no Centurion Lounge at Newark (EWR), and the closest one is at LaGuardia (LGA). If you fly American and often route through Dallas or Miami, you could use the lounges there, making the The Platinum Card from American Express more worthwhile.

However, I think that the Citi Prestige card is one of the most underrated credit cards out there. This past October, Citi made some changes that I think improve the card's value a lot, and additional cardholders only have to pay an annual fee of $50 each to get Admirals Club Lounge Access plus Priority Pass Select, which are incredible benefits.

Citi has also been adding more transfer partners like Singapore and Flying Blue, and even more recently Virgin Atlantic and Qantas. The transfer partners aren't as valuable as American, but the card still has many other great benefits, like the $250 airline fee rebate.

We actually did a match up of premium cards including the Citi Prestige, the Amex Platinum and the Visa Black card, and the Prestige card surprisingly came out ahead. Mel, I wouldn't neccesarily switch cards, just make sure you're getting the full value from your Citi Prestige card and utilizing all its benefits.

If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook, or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
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