Converting My Amex SPG to… Delta Card?

I know, it does sound crazy, doesn’t it? Last September I signed up for Amex SPG in my husband’s name. So, the annual fee was coming due and I had a decision to make. I’ve mentioned before how much I detest paying annual fees, and at this time, my only “keeper” is Chase IHG card.

But Amex cards give access to various promotions, so usually it’s not too hard to make up for it. In case, you haven’t heard, Small Business Saturday promotion is returning this year, and you can get up to $10 credit per transaction/per card, $30 maximum. Add those authorized users! Bluebird and Serve are also eligible.

SPG points are incredibly valuable, but $65 upfront is a lot to swallow. So, I decided to do a chat with the Amex representative on my husband’s behalf. You can do it by clicking “Contact us” on the left side of your Amex profile screen and selecting option “Online.” Apparently, you can no longer do it via email.

And so the dance begins. I told the rep that I was thinking about canceling the Amex SPG and wanted to know if there was any retention offer. His response was nada. Alright, then I would like to convert to Amex Everyday with no annual fee. He said the option wasn’t available and the only card I could convert to was Delta Sky Miles Employee card, with no annual fee.

I was puzzled by the fact that it was a business card, but he said that’s what showed up in the account. OK, I told him to go ahead and convert. To that he said: “Actually, there is an offer for 2,000 SPG points, in case you decide to keep the card.” Funny how that happens.

I had to think about it for a second. To me 2,000 SPG points is worth about $30. So I was still $35 short. I told him to go ahead and convert to Delta Skymiles card. And so he did, and even put a  smiley face at the end of the chat.

My plan is to try to convert Delta card to Amex Everyday card, since I would love to have an option to top off my British Airways Avios account. That offer actually does pay me commission, but 10,000 Membership Rewards points just isn’t enough to entice me to use  up a credit pull.

Of course, after all was said and done, I remembered that Amex actually prorates annual fees. I’ve never had an experience with it myself, but have read that others had success with it. So the smart thing to do would have been to take the retention offer, and then cancel Amex SPG after a couple of months. Oh well,  you can’t win everything.

In my blog I try to record my adventures in this hobby, triumphs, as well as  mistakes. The biggest takeaway  is to try not to sweat the small stuff. It’s very easy to get obsessed with getting everything absolutely perfect. I know I’m guilty of that.

However, the truth is, I’m NOT perfect and sometimes forget about deals, discounts, special offers, etc. I try to look at the big picture, though, and encourage you to do the same. The point of this game is to make special memories with your loved ones, not sweat every missed opportunity.

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses