American Express CC

[EPCrew]

Is there a real immediate benefit of having a green+ card over one of the lesser no annual fee cards? In other words, if there justification for the fees that you'd be paying for the card?

Also, how does having this card affect your credit being that it's not an actual set credit line?

 

[EPCrew]

anyone?

 

[RossMAN]

https://www124.americanexpress.com/cards/selector/index.jsp?us_nu=subtab

Search for Amex

 

[James3shin]

Blue is the best looking card, hands down.

 

[Drakkon]

Originally posted by: James3shin
Blue is the best looking card, hands down.

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Drakkon

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I wonder what would happen if you used a sharpie to make it black.

 

[ondarkness]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Drakkon

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I wonder what would happen if you used a sharpie to make it black.

:thumbsup:

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Drakkon

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I wonder what would happen if you used a sharpie to make it black.

:laugh:

 

[shabby]

Its great having a pretty card that'll get you turned down because no one accepts it.
Not sure how much they charge in the states, but up here in canada eh amex charges the retailer 4% while visa/mc is like 1.5 to 2% so basically no one here uses it.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: shabby
Its great having a pretty card that'll get you turned down because no one accepts it.
Not sure how much they charge in the states, but up here in canada eh amex charges the retailer 4% while visa/mc is like 1.5 to 2% so basically no one here uses it.

I guess that is another reason not to be in Canada, eh?

 

[JS80]

AMEX gives insurance if you use it to rent a car.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: JS80
AMEX gives insurance if you use it to rent a car.

Also some cards have travelers insurance, so if you go overseas, or whatnot you are covered.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Originally posted by: shabby
Its great having a pretty card that'll get you turned down because no one accepts it.
Not sure how much they charge in the states, but up here in canada eh amex charges the retailer 4% while visa/mc is like 1.5 to 2% so basically no one here uses it.

It's the same reason that it's less widely accepted in the US.

I own an AmEx because Costco only accepts cash, debit, and AmEx. I planned to make a lot of large purchases at Costco and got the Starwood AmEx last year to cash in on airline miles. I probably won't renew this year because it's not been as much in spending as I had planned.

I think that AmEx protects the consumer very well if anything ever happens as far as identity or card theft. I imagine that's a big benefit if it ever happens to a card holder.

 

[Baked]

Virgins will flock to you when you pull out an AMEX card. True story.

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: JS80
AMEX gives insurance if you use it to rent a car.

most if not all cc do offer it. they only cover collision and damage to the car, you will still need the liability one.

here is an excellent thread about why amex

 

[Mill]

I have an American Express Platinum and it has a 395 dollar fee. If the card did not pay for itself I would not pay the fee.

Lounge Access. Lounge Access on all Domestic Skyteam partners. This is huge if you travel a lot and your company does not pay for lounge access and/or it is personal travel.

Card Replacement. Not always a big deal, but I lost my card in Orlando (not sure how). I needed it for other charges and was told I had two options. Go to the Amex office and get a card made in 30 minutes to an hour, or have one overnighted. I had one overnighted for no additional cost.

Complimentary Starwood Gold Membership. Quite handy if you stay at Starwood properties. It allows you a lot of extras such as room upgrades, late-checkout (sometimes), etc.

Fine Hotels and Resorts. You get a discounted rate on many luxury hotels and resorts. I used this quite a bit the past year, and typically saved about 10-15% compared to the lowest Internet Rate.

BVG - Best Value Guarantee - Essentially they will refund the price difference of an object you purchased using the card if it becomes cheaper within X number of days.

Theft and Damage insurance. Anything you purchase with the card is insured (up to an amount) against accidental damage or theft. Used this on a digital camera. Works easily and flawlessly.

Concierges. They use Circles Concierges for the most part. They have arranged tickets for me for several events, flower deliveries, package deliveries, hotel research and/or trip research, etc.

If you wouldn't use the benefits then it isn't worth it. If you do it is worth it.

 

[Noirish]

you can play wishlist!!!

 

[diapickle]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Drakkon

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I wonder what would happen if you used a sharpie to make it black.

If the girl doesn't even know what AMEX blue is I doubt she would recognize the black card.

 

[diapickle]

AMEX is very consumer friendly.

Noob story, true story: Three years ago I bought my desktop online using my AMEX blue for over $1300. Then about a year ago the PSU failed but I couldn't diagnose at the time and took it to Bestbuy to have the "Geek Squad" look at it. Of course the "squad" had no idea what's going on and asked me to pursue warranty. I called up the company but phone number was dead. I looked up online and the company was long out of business. So I thought I was out of luck until I realized AMEX offered extended warranty on such purchses. I called AMEX up, told them about the dead computer and faxed them the diagnosis sheet from Bestbuy and BBB reports on the bankrupt online shop. A week later AMEX called me back and offered me FULL refund, I was shocked but I told them I wanted to keep the monitor and case and didn't want to deal with shipping. The lady then told me that I could keep everything for $150.

So yep, I effectively rented a $1300 computer from AMEX for $75 a year for two years. Since then all my big ticket purchases have been on AMEX.

 

[EPCrew]

Originally posted by: DaWhim

Originally posted by: JS80
AMEX gives insurance if you use it to rent a car.

most if not all cc do offer it. they only cover collision and damage to the car, you will still need the liability one.

here is an excellent thread about why amex

awesome. thanks for your help. i currently have blue and am debating whether or not i should upgrade to the green card. if i do go this route, i would effectively cancel up to 3 other cards that i don't keep a balance on. i only hold on to them to maintain my credit score.

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Drakkon

Originally posted by: James3shin
Blue is the best looking card, hands down.

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I've had the same thing happen with my Blue card several times - it's funny.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: DougK62

Originally posted by: Drakkon

Originally posted by: James3shin
Blue is the best looking card, hands down.

its funny...i've used mine at a couple of places where the girl at the register is like 16-21 (who can tell nowadays) and hasnt seen taht many cards. They seem to think its like some special "members only" card like i must be some sorta VIP. Then it is always fun to have girls flirt with you cause they think you have money...

I've had the same thing happen with my Blue card several times - it's funny.

You should see how they react when you pay in 100's.

 

[UTmtnbiker]

I have Blue, SPG, and Corporate. Up until about 5 years ago, I never had an Amex card. Never felt the need to. When I changed jobs my new company gave me a Corp card and the amount of services there were so good I then got a Blue and then SPG. Any time I've had a problem with the statement or a charge, I can get a person in about 2 minutes on the phone without having to do the voicemail hell. That in itself is worth the $45/year I pay for SPG. Along with that, I've used BVG a couple of times and it was painless. Lastly, with the amount I charge, my 2 week European vacation next year is about 2/3 paid for with SPG points for airfare and hotel. Overall, I'm very pleased with these cards and should've gotten long before.

 

[Nerva]

i have been using amex since freshmen year in college and have never had a problem with them. they never call to peddle me cards or anything. i dont see myself using any other cards in the future, afterall, i have used my master card twice in the last 3 years

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: James3shin
Blue is the best looking card, hands down.

True. Especially if you're using it in another country... people shamelessly stare at the card, and you get better treatment. (OK, mebbe not that great...)

I don't use the Amex a lot while traveling... I get better dollar to other currency rates on another card.

Main thing is the emergency card replacement... i think they replace it for free within 48 hours, wherever you are. Plus, if you lose your card.. you can still check into a hotel, Amex will talk to the hotel and make sure you can check in without having the card on you.