re: Not real sure there is much everyday benefit to these Amex cards.

I might be moving on from Amex gold. Planning a trip, and Amex point redemptions are more expensive than Chase for flight/hotels by a long shot. This always seems to be the case when I compare too.

I also tried booking a rental car on Amex. That process is a joke. Their website wouldn’t let me use the points, so I asked their online agent for help. She explained the process is that they charge you the rental in full up front, then 48 hours after you turn in your car you call Amex to get a credit. My trip would be a couple months from now, so essentially you float the cost, then they hope you forget to call for credit. Anyone else dealt with that?