I’ve been meaning to write about this year’s edition of $100 in free Mercedes-Benz stuff (last year’s haul is here). I still have my glasses and water bottle, but lost the coffee cup to the TSA gods at LaGuardia. :/ (I now use a HydroFlask to transport coffee to the airport.)

I dusted off my certificate and headed to my local Mercedes-Benz dealership.

I ended up getting a nice fleece-lined windbreaker worth $89, a water bottle, and a keychain. Total cost: $0!

You get one of these $100 certificates every year with the Amex Platinum Mercedes-Benz card. But, as I just found out from Nick at Frequent Miler, it’s going away in January 2019. If you’ve never had it, get it while you can!

This year’s $100 Amex Mercedes Benz Certificate

• Link: PSA: Use Your $100 Mercedes-Benz Certificate (and What I Got With Mine)
• Link: Find a Mercedes-Benz Location

Right away, I noticed a few different items than last year. Here’s what they were packin’.

There wasn’t as large of a selection as last time. Still the same staples, just less of it. And different designs.

I thought of getting some umbrellas to place in my Airbnbs, a reusable bag to shop with, or maybe a few shirts to wear under button-ups. I already had plenty of that stuff, so it would’ve been purely to get more for free.

But, a windbreaker caught my eye. Not too thick, and seemed pretty waterproof and comfy. I didn’t have anything like it. So I tried it on and really liked it.

I’d never pay $89 for something like this. But I was happy to take it off the hanger and get it for free. 🙂

I still had a few more bucks to spend, so I got a plastic water bottle that holds fruit in the middle, and a keychain to round it out. I went a touch over the $100 limit, but the cashier told me not to worry about it. He didn’t give me a receipt or anything. Just packaged the items and had me sign the certificate.

After that, I went on my merry little way with a few new happies.

I renewed the card last year for $475 because of when I got it – it’s now $550 a year with new perks like $200 in Uber credits and 5X Amex Membership Rewards points on airfare. So it’s still worth getting in some situations. But now, the card is going away.

Should you get the Amex Platinum Mercedes-Benz card?

• Link: Amex Platinum Mercedes-Benz card

The gist is, if you’ve never had it you can get it because Amex considers this a different card product. You can even get it if you currently have another Platinum card, although I wouldn’t pay 2 of those huge annual fees. But it is possible (I’ve done it).

It’s a charge card, meaning it doesn’t count against Amex’s limit of 5ish credit cards (I have 6 at the moment). But it does mean you have to pay it off in full every month.

Also consider it will likely product change to a regular ol’ Amex Platinum Card, which would prohibit you from earning the bonus on that card if you’ve never had it. In that case, you might wanna cancel the M-B card before that happens (although nothing is confirmed about what it will turn into yet).

If you’ve never had the card, you can pick up 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. That could be an easy way to rack up some extra points.

The annual fee is nothing to sniff at, but you get:

• $200 toward airline incidentals (I bought $200 in Southwest gift cards this year)
• $200 in Uber credits ($15 per month except for December, when you get $35)
• $100 toward Global Entry fees every 4 years
• Priority Pass Select lounge membership with unlimited visits
• 5X points on airfare and travel booked through Amex
• Gold elite status with Hilton and Starwood (you can match the latter to Marriott)
• Free Boingo wifi at hotspots
• Access to the incredible Centurion Lounges (I LOVE the one at DFW)

And obviously, you get $100 to spend at a Mercedes-Benz dealership like what I got above.

Lots to consider, but definitely worth it if you’ll use the perks. It’s easy to see you can nearly recoup the entire annual fee if you make use of the credits. The other perks would be gravy in that case.

Bottom line

Basically:

• You can get the Mercedes-Benz card if you’ve never had it, even if you’ve had other versions of the Platinum Card
• It’s going away in January 2019
• Consider canceling it if Amex converts it to a card you’ve never had, so you can earn the bonus on whatever the card ends up being
• Consider the annual fee and minimum spending
• This is an easy way to get 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points
• Use your $100 certificate for free Mercedes-Benz stuff

And if you already have the card, remember to use your certificate! You can always donate the items or give them to someone else.

Either way, it’s a nice treat and costs nothing but the time you spend looking through the store. And it’s good for a year after issuance. Dust it off and make a point to use it!

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