u/Designer_Pressure609

'I live in New Zealand and have the US Amex Platinum, but the NZ Platinum is tempting because it's about half the annual fee and still comes with solid benefits, like Accor Plus Explorer, two free nights, Accor Gold status, a 300-dollar dining credit, and lounge access that allows two guests. The big drawback is the NZ card's foreign transaction fee, and I travel internationally a lot. For US Platinum folks, would you keep paying the higher fee for no FX fees and the bigger benefit ecosystem, or would you go with the much cheaper NZ card with two free Accor nights, dining credit, and two lounge guests, and just use another no FX card when traveling?'

Yes — those are important because they show what you’re actually getting for the lower NZ annual fee. I’d make the comparison much more concrete:

I currently have the US Amex Platinum, but I live in New Zealand and I’m debating whether it still makes sense to keep it or switch to the NZ Amex Platinum.

What makes the NZ version interesting is that the annual fee is roughly half the US Platinum, but the benefits are actually pretty strong for the price.

The NZ Platinum includes Accor Plus Explorer, which gives you 2 complimentary hotel nights and Accor Live Limitless Gold status. There’s also the $300 annual dining credit, plus airport lounge access.

Another thing I like is the lounge guest policy. With the NZ Platinum, you can bring up to 2 guests into participating lounges, rather than being limited to just one guest, which is useful when travelling as a family.

Obviously, the US Platinum has a much larger ecosystem of credits and benefits, but many of those are US-focused and harder for me to maximize while living in New Zealand.

The one thing really holding me back from switching is the foreign transaction fee on the NZ Platinum. I travel overseas quite a lot, while the US Platinum has no foreign transaction fees.

So for the US Platinum crowd: if you lived in New Zealand, which would you choose?

Would you keep paying the higher US annual fee for the bigger benefits package and no FX fees, or take the much cheaper NZ Platinum with 2 Accor nights, Accor Gold, $300 dining credit and lounge access with up to 2 guests, and simply use another no-FX card for overseas spending?

I’m looking at booking 4 consecutive nights at the Regent Shanghai Pudong, but alternating between Amex FHR and Capital One Premier Collection.

Plan would be:

Sep 28: Capital One Premier Collection — booked under my wife

Sep 29: Amex FHR — booked under me

Sep 30: Capital One Premier Collection — booked under my wife

Oct 1: Amex FHR — booked under me

We’ll both be staying together for all 4 nights.

Each booking shows a $100 property/experience credit, so theoretically that would be $400 total in credits.

I know both Amex and Capital One have rules about back-to-back reservations at the same property being treated as one stay. However, in this case each booking is separated by a reservation through the other program and the primary guest alternates.

Has anyone actually tried something like this? Did the hotel honor the $100 credit on each reservation, or did they combine the stays and only give the credit once per program?

Not looking to hide anything from the hotel — just trying to understand how they actually handle this before I book.

I’m currently staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay as a Hilton Diamond member, and honestly, Diamond status doesn’t feel particularly special at this property.

It seems like there are so many Hilton Gold and Diamond members staying here—possibly because Hilton credit cards are relatively easy to obtain in Japan—that elite status almost feels like the norm rather than something that gets much recognition.

We didn’t receive a room upgrade. What made it more disappointing was that I could actually see upgraded rooms available for booking in the Hilton app, but when I asked at check-in, the agent told me there were no upgrades available.

I understand upgrades are subject to availability and aren’t guaranteed, but seeing those rooms still being sold in the app while being told nothing was available was frustrating.

Breakfast is okay and probably the best Diamond benefit here, but nothing amazing. Personally, I’ve had much better food experiences at Marriott properties, especially when it comes to breakfast and overall variety.

The Executive Lounge was the biggest disappointment. Very basic food selection and nothing that made Diamond status feel particularly valuable. For the lounge experience alone, I’d honestly give it 2/10.

The hotel is definitely convenient for Tokyo Disney Resort, but if you’re booking Hilton Tokyo Bay because you’re Diamond and expecting strong elite recognition, I’d keep your expectations low.

Maybe Hilton status is just so common at this property that Diamond doesn’t carry the same weight. It felt as though almost every table had a Gold or Diamond member, yet we didn’t feel that our status made much difference.

I’m currently staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay as a Hilton Diamond member, and honestly, Diamond status doesn’t feel particularly special at this property.

It seems like there are so many Hilton Gold and Diamond members staying here—possibly because Hilton credit cards are relatively easy to obtain in Japan—that elite status almost feels like the norm rather than something that gets much recognition.

We didn’t receive a room upgrade. What made it more disappointing was that I could actually see upgraded rooms available for booking in the Hilton app, but when I asked at check-in, the agent told me there were no upgrades available.

I understand upgrades are subject to availability and aren’t guaranteed, but seeing those rooms still being sold in the app while being told nothing was available was frustrating.

Breakfast is okay and probably the best Diamond benefit here, but nothing amazing. Personally, I’ve had much better food experiences at Marriott properties, especially when it comes to breakfast and overall variety.

The Executive Lounge was the biggest disappointment. Very basic food selection and nothing that made Diamond status feel particularly valuable. For the lounge experience alone, I’d honestly give it 2/10.

The hotel is definitely convenient for Tokyo Disney Resort, but if you’re booking Hilton Tokyo Bay because you’re Diamond and expecting strong elite recognition, I’d keep your expectations low.

Maybe Hilton status is just so common at this property that Diamond doesn’t carry the same weight. It felt as though almost every table had a Gold or Diamond member, yet we didn’t feel that our status made much difference.

Do the complimentary free-night vouchers count as ALL status nights?

Has anyone used them recently and had the nights count toward Platinum?

I booked a VietJet flight for my friend through their website.

Before the trip, my friend had an accident and required surgery, so he was medically unable to travel. I contacted VietJet and they asked me to provide medical documentation. I sent them his hospital discharge documents and medical certificate.

Initially, VietJet indicated that the documents were acceptable. However, later they told me their system shows that my friend actually took the flight.

He definitely did not fly. He was recovering from surgery and never boarded the aircraft.

I have asked VietJet several times to recheck the passenger/boarding records, but I haven't been able to get this resolved.

Has anyone dealt with something similar with VietJet? Is there a particular department, email address, or escalation process I should use to get them to verify whether the passenger actually boarded?

I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully had VietJet correct an incorrect "flown" status or obtained written confirmation that a passenger was a no-show.

Thanks for any advice.

I purchased a VietJet ticket for my friend through the Capital One Travel portal with my Capital One credit card. Before traveling, he had an accident and required surgery, so he was unable to take the trip. I contacted Capital One Travel first about canceling or changing the booking, and they told me to deal directly with VietJet. Capital One Travel also directed me to contact the airline. I contacted VietJet, and they specifically asked me for medical documents, which I provided, including his hospital discharge and medical certificate. At first, they said it was fine. Then, later, they suddenly claimed their records showed my friend flew the flight. He never took. I've asked VietJet to verify their records, but I'm getting nowhere. Can I dispute this charge with Capital One, since I'm the primary cardholder who made the purchase? Has anyone dealt with something similar? What did Capital One ask for?

The more I travel, the more I realise how special New Zealand really is.

There’s something about coming home . the fresh air, the green landscapes, the beaches, the mountains, and even the quietness. It just feels different.

NZ isn’t perfect, nowhere is, but I genuinely feel lucky to call this beautiful little country home.

Sometimes you have to leave New Zealand to realise just how much you love it. 🇳🇿❤️

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I currently have 50 status nights from my ALL China membership subscriptions. I signed up for Ibis Plus because I was hoping the additional 10 status nights would bring me to 60 nights.

The 10 nights from Ibis Plus still haven’t posted to my account.

Has anyone actually received the 10 status nights from Ibis Plus? If so, how long did they take to show up? And did they count toward reaching the next ALL status level?

Would appreciate any real-world experience. 😊

"Hi everyone, we'll be traveling from New Zealand to Hong Kong, then on to Tokyo. My wife and I both have US Amex Platinum cards, and we're traveling with our child, under 3. I know the official Amex guest policy and fee, but I'm curious about recent real-world experiences at the Hong Kong and Tokyo Haneda Centurion Lounges. Were you actually charged for a child aged2 to 3, or let in for free? Any recent data points from either location would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

"Hi everyone, we'll be traveling from New Zealand to Hong Kong, then on to Tokyo. My wife and I both have US Amex Platinum cards, and we're traveling with our child, under 3. I know the official Amex guest policy and fee, but I'm curious about recent real-world experiences at the Hong Kong and Tokyo Haneda Centurion Lounges. Were you actually charged for a child aged2 to 3, or let in for free? Any recent data points from either location would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

"Hi everyone, we'll be traveling from New Zealand to Hong Kong, then on to Tokyo. My wife and I both have US Amex Platinum cards, and we're traveling with our child, under 3. I know the official Amex guest policy and fee, but I'm curious about recent real-world experiences at the Hong Kong and Tokyo Haneda Centurion Lounges. Were you actually charged for a child aged2 to 3, or let in for free? Any recent data points from either location would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm trying to add my friend as an authorised user; he doesn't have an SSN or ITIN. When I chatted with an Amex agent to add him, I got an email asking for proof of address matching mine. I uploaded an insurance document. First rep said 24 hours. Next day,another said72 hours. Following day, up to 7 days. Has anyone done this recently? How long did it actually take, and what document did they accept

Here's the corrected version: "Hi everyone, I tried adding an authorised user to my Amex account via the in-app chat. Everything seemed fine, but the next day I was asked for more verification." "Then, over the following days, different agents gave me different timelines: 24 hours, then 72 hours, then 7 days." "One rep even mentioned that as of November 17, 2025, authorised users without SSN or tax number need phone verification. I'm getting conflicting info and I'm pretty confused. Has anyone gone through this recently.