To date, I’ve been a guinea pig for more than a few experiments. I’ve tested the effectiveness of waterskiing with a skipping rope (note: very ineffective), swam with sharks, eaten the hottest chilli pepper on earth, navigated the Mojave desert, solo, without adequate water. The list goes on. So why would American Express – a pillar of the American Dream that gleams with the polish of financial freedom, success and stability – want a guy like me to test out their new Gold Rewards Card? I’ve got a few thoughts why:
First, I’m a rewards card virgin. The closest I’ve gotten to having a rewards card has been a “buy 10 get the 11th free” sandwich card that I always seem to forget come lunch time. While I may have to wait a little while until I get my free sandwich, my new American Express Gold Rewards Card should get here in the next couple days and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Who better to test their new card and document the experience for others than somebody who knows next to nothing about the entire process?
Second, I’m just a regular guy – like you probably, unless you’re a woman in which case I’m just like the Old Spice Guy, minus the horse, diamonds, charm, physique and moustache. Since the American Express Gold Rewards Card can be used for pretty much everything from gas to groceries, it makes sense to have an everyman put it through its paces. Over the course of the next month I will use my new Amex card and share with you, my people, what it’s like.
Third, I get around. While I don’t exactly live out of a suitcase, I do like to travel and won’t pass up many opportunities that make travelling easier or cheaper. Most reward cards, as is my understanding, aim to address both of those factors. The new American Express Gold Rewards Card seems to take it a few steps further. Instead of earning points on everyday purchases, you earn double the points on everyday AND travel purchases. You can also transfer your points to your frequent flyer program and use your points to book ANY travel (online, through a travel agent, etc.). I’ve always wondered what it meant when colleagues would tell me they booked their flight or trip on points. How’d they accumulate all those points? What was the process to book with points? How many points does it take? These are all questions I’m looking forward to answering for myself and you with this new card.
Where would you go with 50,000 reward points?
As I await in suspense for the arrival of my brand new American Express card and the free 15,000 introductory points it comes with (enough for a round trip short-haul flight), I’m left with just one question: where do I want to go? Amex has graciously offered to increase my introductory points from the standard (what everybody gets) 15,000 to a cool 50,000 points for this experiment and now I’ve got to figure out where I can go and what I can do with all those points.
Stay tuned as my next update should be an exciting one!
For more information about and to apply for the new American Express Gold Rewards Card, click here.