I just read here that the Amex Explorer is part of the Gateway program that transfer points to airlines at the rate of 1 to 0.75.
But Amex cards from the Ascent program transfer points 1:1 to airlines.
What if I sign up for 1 Ascent card and 1 Gateway card?
Will they go to the same amex account login and the website will split them into 2 pools somehow, as they carry different transfer-rate values?
At the end this will be like having 2 currencies under the same bank account.
I wonder if I deplete the 1:1 points and need just a bit more points to transfer to an airline to get a flight, if I could use a remainder lesse 1:0.75 points to reach the amount of points I need in a given airline to book a flight.
Or does Amex force you to create separate logins and as if you were 2 different people?
And therefore not being able to combine the points, in spite of their discrepancy in value.
I have heard of reports that if you hold an Amex Ascent and Gateway (2 different programs), some times Amex link up your reward program (both cards earn into the same reward program). However, AFAIK there are nothing confirming this in their T&C’s.
If you want to know for sure, you could ring up Amex and ask.
The standard offering is that the two different currencies can be handled by one Amex online account - you just see two different points balances when selecting the card you are viewing when online / in the app. They each have different balances, transfer partners and ratios that can be selected - before transferring you select which account you are transferring from.
As mentioned, it may be possible to link balances but this is not an official or intended benefit and Amex will probably resolve that in the near future.