American Express Blue Sky review – Does it really have worthwhile rewards or is the American Express Blue Sky just another credit card that doesn’t deliver?

I am not what you would call a fan of travel reward cards. Why? Well simply put, the vast majority of them are completely worthless. Whether it’s a credit card affiliated with a specific airline, or a generic travel rewards card, they all seem to give the same rebate: 1% or less on your spending. To make matters worse, almost all of them charge you an annual fee.

Another reason I’m disappointed with these types of cards is because they hide all kinds of restrictions in their fine print; blackout dates, penalties for booking less than 21 days from departure, etc. So when the American Express Blue Sky came out, I was extremely suspicious to say the least.

American Express Blue Sky Review
I held off on doing this review until very recently. Why? Because I’ve been so disappointed with travel credit cards, I had a bit of a bias right off the bat. I have reviewed dozens and dozens of credit cards in this category and almost all of them are a scam. Was the Blue Sky card going to be any better?

Surprisingly, I found out the Blue Sky credit card is completely different than all the others. Here’s why…

Higher Rewards
Let’s be completely honest… rewards are the main reason most of us are interested in credit cards anyway. Without rewards, we would probably just stick to our debit cards. As you and I both know, most airline cards only give rebates which equal out to be a rebate of 1% or less.

However, the American Express Blue Sky gives you rewards worth 1.33% on all your spending! Like most cards, it gives you 1 point per dollar spent, but each point is worth more than 1%. For every 7,500 points, you get a $100 statement credit good towards virtually any travel purchase (which I’ll explain in a moment). That means you are earning 33% more than the other guys on your spending!

Hassle-Free Rewards Redemption
With the Blue Sky card, you don’t have to worry about things like peak and off-peak, blackout dates, and other tricks. In fact, you don’t even have to worry about which airline has the better deal on the ticket you want.

Instead, American Express allows you to book your own trip however you wish. You can go to a travel agent, buy from a site like Expedia, or even buy from an airline directly! After you do that, just redeem your points and American Express will credit your account $100 for every 7,500 points! This is a huge benefit; you can choose the best deal out there, and in doing so, you are making your reward points go even further!

The rewards on Blue Sky are so flexible, they even let you use them for other travel related purchases. You can choose to apply points towards any hotel or rental car purchase too!

Free Hotel Breakfasts
Whenever you have a weekend stay at a JW Marriott or Renaissance Hotel, get free breakfast! On top of that, you also receive a free $100.00 good towards your next stay. This benefit alone makes the Amex Blue Sky card worthwhile!

Guaranteed Room
Have you ever made a hotel reservation, only to arrive at the hotel and have them tell you it’s overbooked and they can’t fulfill your reservation? I know that’s happened to me before! Or have you ever arrived late, and because you did, they gave your room to someone else? With the American Express Blue Sky, they guarantee every hotel reservation you make using the card! This applies to all hotels!

Travel Discounts
With the Blue Sky Travel Savings Program, you can get additional discounts on JW Marriot Hotels, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Hertz rental cars. In fact, the discount at Hertz is up to 20 percent!

Free Rental Car Insurance
Why pay extra for insurance on your rental car? With the Blue Sky credit card, you get free car rental accident damage insurance!

Free Travel Accident Insurance
I sincerely hope this is a feature you will never have to use, but in the event of death or dismemberment during travel, you and your family are protected with up to $100,000 in travel accident insurance (as long as you paid for your plane/train/ship/bus ticket with your American Express Blue Sky card). Again, I hope this is something that will never apply to you, but the truth is that accidents happen all the time, especially overseas. It’s nice to know you are covered up to $100,000 while traveling in the U.S. as well as abroad.

Purchase Protection
Have you ever bought a new pair of sunglasses, only to drop them on the pavement a week or two later? Accidentally damaging something after we buy it is extremely frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. With the Blue Sky credit card, you have “Purchase Protection.” If an eligible purchase is accidentally damaged, stolen, or even lost within the first 90 days, they will pay for it… up to $1,000 per incident! So if that pair of shades is ruined, American Express has you covered!

Free Extended Warranty
How often have you bought something, only to have it break down right after the warranty expires? With how cheaply things are made nowadays, this predicament seems to be happening more and more frequently.

For example, let’s say your new iBook has a one year warranty. After you have it a year and a half, the screen goes bad. Replacing that part would normally cost you several hundred dollars. But with Amex Blue Sky, the manufacturer’s warranty is doubled on eligible purchases, up to one extra year! Yes, you heard right - American Express will replace or repair items up to a year after their warranty has expired… for free!

Return Protection
Returning merchandise isn’t always easy. Maybe you lost the receipt or the store just doesn’t accept returns. Or the store may wrongfully claim the item isn’t in the same condition as it was sold. Whatever the reason may be, you can be left with something you don’t want.

When you pay with American Express Blue Sky, you don’t have to worry about these things! If a store won’t let you return something, American Express will take it back for you and refund the money! This applies up to ninety days after purchase and up to $300 for each item. Try doing that with your Visa or MasterCard!

No Annual Fee
After reading all these benefits, you were probably guessing this card carried a hefty annual fee. Guess what? There is absolutely no annual fee on the Amex Blue Sky! Yes, you read correctly… this credit card is 100% free!

Verdict
The American Express Blue Sky offers airfare rewards that beat the other guys, plus it offers an array of immensely valuable benefits that cannot be found on any other card! Even if there was an annual fee this card would be worth it, but considering that there is no annual fee… choosing it is a no-brainer!



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