What's the point of an American Express card?

it's not a debit card- you just have to pay it off each month. It's a relic to be sure.

that said, AE also has plenty of traditional credit cards with all the features of other companies. I have one that gives 6% back on all grocery purchases - that gets me around $1,000 cash back over a year - makes me happy.

agip wrote:

it's not a debit card- you just have to pay it off each month. It's a relic to be sure.

that said, AE also has plenty of traditional credit cards with all the features of other companies. I have one that gives 6% back on all grocery purchases - that gets me around $1,000 cash back over a year - makes me happy.

You spend $320 per week on groceries? Are you feeding a football team?

pretty close, including wine, yeah - we're all hungry distance runners, incl a teenage boy, a foodie wife, and we live in NYC where everything is more expensive.

We probably could cut back though.

I also have the AE card that rewards 6% cash back on groceries for a small annual fee of $75. I spend about $550 per month on groceries so I make about $300-$350 per year on rewards after you deduct the $75 fee. I pay it off each month so I am not familiar with the interst rates and penalties.

Also, if you can find a grocery store that sells gift cards to other stores you are essentially getting 6% off at stores like Best Buy, Lowes, Home Improvement, etc.

I carry a platinum card which comes with incredible benefits and customer service. Travel planning, rental car insurance, premium seating at all kinds of events and an intelligent US based service center make it perfect for me.

agip wrote:

pretty close, including wine, yeah - we're all hungry distance runners, incl a teenage boy, a foodie wife, and we live in NYC where everything is more expensive.

We probably could cut back though.

"including wine" Nice. Beer/wine certainly count as food in my book!

That number makes a lot more sense in that context. I usually buy my beer at the grocery store (good selection these days), but my wife tends to stock up on the wine at specialty stores.

They are nice for expense accounts. When I worked for a private company all my AMEX purchase were automatically added to my expense account. That sounds like not a big deal, but it really was a nice feature to me anyway...I hated doing expense reports for trips. Of course now I work for the government, and we will probably never be allowed to go on a trip anywhere after this year...LOL.

Yep, I still don't see what the big deal is with AE

clueless111 wrote:

Yep, I still don't see what the big deal is with AE

That's because you are a virgin.

not a womens track follower wrote:

You spend $320 per week on groceries? Are you feeding a football team?

and in exchange, they get to do his wife....

LR D-bag wrote:

not a womens track follower wrote:

You spend $320 per week on groceries? Are you feeding a football team?

and in exchange, they get to do his wife....

When does this happen?

clueless111 wrote:

Yep, I still don't see what the big deal is with AE

Their customer services is superior to other credit card issuers. Some of their cards have much better benefits/rewards, as another poster mentioned. Their expense tracking function is much better, especially for tax purposes.

Most of their products are revolving. Their non-revolving cards (formerly called travel cards) are still great if you always pay off the balance every month. A lot of businesses still issue them to employees.

agip wrote:

it's not a debit card- you just have to pay it off each month. It's a relic to be sure.

.

Clearly agip doesn't have an American Express card.

It's been decades since you had to pay the card off each month. AE works just like any other card. Pay it off in 30 days = no interest. Longer than 30 days = interest.

They still issue their classic card where the entire balance is due every month, but these cards are mostly used by business customers.

I believe AMX issued their first mass-market revolving card, "Optima", around 1987.

Eons ago, there were many places in Europe (particularly in France) where American Express was the only credit card accepted. And travelers could actually have their mail sent to American express offices in various cities, and they'd hold it for your arrival.

But that was, umm ...35 years ago. I don't know that there's anything particularly distinctive about American Express anymore.

If Amex divests from Nazi Israel then I would apply for a card,

Weary wrote:

Eons ago, there were many places in Europe (particularly in France) where American Express was the only credit card accepted. And travelers could actually have their mail sent to American express offices in various cities, and they'd hold it for your arrival.

But that was, umm ...35 years ago. I don't know that there's anything particularly distinctive about American Express anymore.

It was also used to IMPRESS anyone you were with who instantly knew you were very important to have an American Express because they didn't just give those bad boys out to anyone. Of course nobody knew when you had to take a cash advance on a regular credit card to pay the balance of the American Express off each month.

"From what I've heard, you have to put your own money into the card."

I don't know what you're referring to. I have an AmEx card and it works like any other credit card I've ever had.