In case you didn’t know on October 4th, 2018 changes are rumored to be coming to the Premier Rewards Gold card. Readers have been asking me if they should sign up for the card now, or if they should wait until the new card launched. Here are my thoughts:
Sign Up Bonus
- The current public sign up bonus is 25,000 points after $2,000 in spend. It’s fairly easy for most people to get a bonus of 50,000 points after $1,000 in spend.
- The public sign up bonus when is rumored to be 25,000 points after $2,000 in spend plus 20% back as a statement credit on purchases at U.S. Restaurants up to $100 back
Now the real question is will the incognito mode offer of 50,000 points still be available? And if so will it also come with the 20% back at U.S. restaurants up to $100 back? I honestly don’t know the answer to either of those questions. I think most people would prefer to settle for 25,000 guaranteed points but if you don’t want the card immediately then waiting for a better incognito mode offer might make sense.
Annual Fee
The annual fee is supposed to be staying the same at $195. I’ve heard one unreliable rumor that suggests it’s going to be increased to $250, I have two other sources that I trust more:
- One states that the annual fee will definitely be staying at $195
- The other is stating that they aren’t 100% sure and it’s possible American Express themselves haven’t finalized that decision
The final source is the one I trust the most and I’d be highly surprised if they are wrong. In any case the annual fee is currently being waived for the first year and I’d be highly surprised if that wasn’t the case on the new card. What the annual fee is will only affect new customers from year two onward and shouldn’t affect your decision now.
Benefits
As benefits are being added rather than removed even if you sign up now you should be eligible to utilize the new benefits when they launch, so signing up now or later should have no affect.
Our Verdict
It’s really a matter of what you think will happen to the sign up bonus in the short term. If you can’t get the 50,000 offer to show then I’d recommend waiting as the public offer is being improved. If you can get it to show you’ll need to ask yourself if you want to risk it for a potential extra $100 (20% back at restaurants). The other question to ask yourself is if you even want the card in the short term or if you’re happy enough focusing on other cards for now and will get around to the Gold card at some stage in the future. I’d say the best option for most people would be to lock in the 50,000 points, but again it’s up to you to make that decision for yourself based on the available facts/rumors.
