Some cards have annual fees, «but they pay for themselves with benefits,» says Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, which helps travelers get the most
out of travel loyalty programs.
This is a great card for maximizing the points you earn on your grocery shopping and, as the Amex Membership Rewards points you earn will transfer over to a good
number of travel loyalty programs (more info here), you'll have a variety of way in which to use your points.
They are, I believe, trying to weed out folks who are «gaming the system», so to speak, with mileage runs etc. the whole
purpose of a travel loyalty program is to enhance the loyalty and exoerience for the high value, high loyalty customer.
Scott Mackenzie created the blog Travel Codex to explain the complicated
world of travel loyalty programs and elite status, as well as other strategies for better travel.