Thread: All Hail the American Express Concierge Service

I've done quite a bit of traveling over the last 5 years. I'm sure you've all heard the commercials - American Express.... don't leave home without it! Well seriously - don't leave home without it. In fact, it's best to start using it before you even leave home.

#1 - Concierge service
This is available for platinum and higher cards. It took me quiet a while to pay attention to this service. The concierge can help you coordinate anything on your vacation - even if you aren't buying from American Express. My latest use for this was when I was taking a trip to Cancun Mexico. I wanted to stay at the Le Meridien, but I read on tripadvisor.com that a hotel next door had lost all of its sand to a hurricane.Of course, the prospect of going to a 5 star hotel and finding no sand on the beach was not too appealing. I was almost ready to book online, and then I thought - why not call the AMEX concierge. Well I called them and told them my predicament. This is what got me. The rep put me on hold, called the hotel in Mexico, got a confirmation that the beaches were in good condition, and even helped me figure out which room I should book by breaking down the room dimensions, club level amenities, and room features - like balconies and tubs + showers. Now keep in mind they did all of this for free. Well not entirely free- there is the $450 a year I pay for the card! But I can use the concierge to book anything I want at no additional charge. They are definitely a time saver and make for efficient vacation planning.

#2 - AMEX discounts
So this sort of falls under affordable vacationing moreso than efficient vacationing, although I would think that spending less on your vacation is somehow efficient. A lot of people don't know that American Express has a lot of deals with different hotels. They range from discounts from food and beverage at hotels, to credit vouchers, to buy one get one free offers. You should check with the concierge to see what's available for where you are going - but you can also just ask when you arrive. For example - at the Le Meridien in Cancun, you get breakfast buffet upgrades for any room you book, buy one get one free for Spa services, and 20 % discount off of all food and beverage in the hotel. American Express has deals everywhere - be it hotel, restaurant, or other. So take the moment to see what's available, you could end up saving a pretty penny.