I've stayed away from AmEx cards specifically because of the level of micromanaging you need to get the expected value out of them. With something like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Venture/Venture X, for contrast, the only thing you really need to keep in mind to get the face value of it is to book flights through their travel portal.
Yes, and that is Amex's selling point to merchants who are concerned that its fees are too high -- that it delivers exclusive, high-margin, free-spending customers rather than the other cards' value-oriented masses.
