This is exactly why I side eye Amex Travel sometimes. Same hotel, same dates, but the Platinum quote is way higher than Gold. It really does feel like they’re just inflating the rate to fund the $300 back and daily credit, then calling it a benefit.
I’m not saying the perks are useless, but when the base price is clearly different, it starts to feel like you’re prepaying for your own credits. Makes booking direct or comparing elsewhere feel mandatory instead of optional.
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