Hey folks,
My girlfriend and I are finally at a point where we'd like to take advantage of getting points on money we are spending anyway on things like groceries, restaurants, normal monthly bills etc. Obviously we will pay it off every month and not put large purchases on it that we would need to make payments on. Think we have it narrowed down to American Express gold, or the Capital One Venture card. We've got a pretty good grasp on the point accrual system for each card, but what I would like to hear first hand experiences about, is the quality of rewards you get when it comes time to use those rewards. Primarily we're interested in the airline miles as we like to travel and would like to lessen the financial burden of airfare. Are either of these better than the other in terms of ease of use for flying wherever you want on what airline you want? Peak use gouging? Venture 1 says no blackout dates, I have not seen that addressed on the Amex gold. Do either offer good inexpensive upgrades to business or 1st class? Any personal experiences with a rough idea how many points needed for flights would be appreciated as well. Any other experiences/suggestions on the use of the rewards is appreciated as well. Thanks so much everyone!