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There is some sort of mystique around the American Express brand. You are supposed to think that AMEX card "Members" are well off, have a concierge at their beck and call and get recognition and privileges granted to them at posh restaurants. In reality, it means nothing.
Don't think ... Read review
Advantages: Snob Value Disadvantages: Not widely accepted, expensive annual fee, poor service
...sort of mystique around the American Express brand. You are supposed to think that AMEX card "Members" are well off, have a concierge at their beck and call and get recognition and privileges granted to them at posh restaurants. In reality, it means nothing.
Don't think that the "exclusive" Black Centurion card is only for millionaires, movie stars and Tiger Woods either. I know and work with people who have these ... ...the rest of us. They certainly aren't worth millions. They are definitely snobs though. :-)
Now the bad points:
1. AMEX is NOT widely accepted, even in America.
I live in the UK and travel a lot, although not often to the USA. Earlier this year I was in the USA and I was shocked to see how few places actually took AMEX. I had always assumed that it would be far more widely accepted in the USA, ... more
The good point first:
It is perceived to have some snob value.
There is some sort of mystique around the American Express brand. You are supposed to think that AMEX card "Members" are well off, have a concierge at their beck and call and get recognition and privileges granted to them at posh restaurants. In reality, it means nothing.
Don't think that the "exclusive" Black Centurion card is only for millionaires, movie stars and Tiger Woods either. I know and work with people who have these cards and they have modest houses and mortgages just like the rest of us. They certainly aren't worth millions. They are definitely snobs though. :-)
Now the bad points:
1. AMEX is NOT widely accepted, even in America.
I live in the UK and travel a lot, although not often to the USA. Earlier this year I was in the USA and I was shocked to see how few places actually took AMEX. I had always assumed that it would be far more widely accepted in the USA, but it was actually accepted in FEWER places than other parts of the world. This included major retail outlets and hotels. What? In America?
It goes without saying:
*** If you have an AMEX you must also have a VISA or MasterCard. ***
2. AMEX likes to trumpet the "No Pre-set Spending Limit".
This is complete nonsense. They credit score you just like any other credit/charge card provider does. What they really mean is that they set a limit, but THEY WON'T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS! Until you exceed it, of course. Worse still, they will change it from time to time, still without telling you what it is.
Stick with a credit card where you (and your card provider) agree how much you can (and want to) spend so you know exactly where you stand.
3. AMEX brings Recognition, Privileges, Rewards, access to airport lounges etc.
Piffle. All these are pretty much worthless in real life.
Recognition? After 3 years of using AMEX I don't think so. More often that not, it brings the wrong sort of recognition. eg:
There is nothing more embarrassing than having the waiter or shop assistant smirk and say:
"Oh. Amex. Yes we do take it, but we prefer not to. Do you have another card, Sir?".
OR "Sorry Sir, we don't take AMEX"
OR "Yes, we will take AMEX instead of VISA but it will cost you an extra 2% surcharge"
This is such a problem that there is even a place on AMEX's website for you to report when this happens.
Privileges? All these special offers are to stay in places like the Dubai Hilton, with 10% off the price of caviar and champagne for breakfast. Not very useful.
Rewards? No. I have thousands of these "reward points" but the things you can spend them on are very limited. Go for a cash-back card instead.
Airport Lounges? There are better, ways to get access to lounges, check out PriorityPass.
Concierge? This is what most of us would call a "Travel Agent". They are everywhere and always pleased to help. They don't charge the earth either.
Purchase Protection Insurance, online fraud protection? Almost all credit cards offer this now.
Travel Insurance? Worthwhile if you travel a lot, but remember that annual travel insurance policies can be purchased quite cheaply anyway and you can choose the policy that suits your lifestyle. Beware of the restrictions in the AMEX policy.
Travel Accident Insurance? This is almost worthless. It covers you *only while travelling on the transport booked using the card*. ie, you book a week's holiday, flying to Italy, you are only covered *while you are in the plane*.
4. The Annual Fee is extortionate.
There are plenty of VISA/MasterCard no annual fee, cash back cards out there which are far better value than AMEX.
Having read all that, you know you still want one. Go and get it you snob. :-)
Advantages: 1% cashback Disadvantages: Can't be used everywhere
I've been a customer of American Useless through work (we received Corporate Credit Cards). My experience of them is not at all positive. I'll describe the Blue card.
USABILITY
The Amex card can't be used everywhere as they seem to charge retailers high prices for the pleasure of receiving them. However, given that most people use their cards with the weekly shopping, Tesco (for instance) do accept this as a method of shopping.
CASHBACK
Without ... ...the moment (with the exception of Morethan which offers 0.8%, and double that for the next 6 months). CUSTOMER SERVICE
Their customer service department is, well I can't say 'on a family show'!! Firstly, you dial the number, and then you must put in your number. This takes you to a further list of things to do automatically before you can speak to an operator. The only way I know of to speak to one is not to put in your number in the first place ...
hthomas018 03.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of American Express
Advantages: Detailed statements, "prestige" Disadvantages: Not accepted as widely as Visa / Mastercard
Having a corporate Amex card, I obtained a "companion" gold card for personal use when the company stopped allowing us to use it privately. I signed up for the membership rewards programme as I do a fair amount of business travel and so a few thousand pounds passes through the card each year. The personal spend on the Gold Card contributes to the same account.
This is all right. The points can be used for flights on big airlines, or for meals in ... ...be a member. I am sure there are other schemes with other cards which are more worthwhile. If I wasn't tied to Amex through work I wouldn't look at it twice. It is not anything like as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard, it carries higher surcharges on occasion (EasyJet charge customers £5 to use it compared with £3 for Visa and the customer service is iffy. There have been a number of cases at work where fraudulent purchases have appeared on ...
fbowles 09.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of American Express
Advantages: You know you've made it when your offered one Disadvantages: Acceptability
...I have found The American Express Centurion card to be one of the most useful and most rewarding card to use. I have had the Centurion card for about ten years now. I was invited to Join the exclusive club after having a platinum charge card and regularly using it (at times spending more than £10,000 per month) I always ways make a point of paying off my balances on all my cards every month, (it's the only thing which allows me to sleep at night!!) ... ...per year for this card, which i feel far out weighs the benefits of this card. (besides the best things in life don't come cheap) Free upgrades at the Hilton and the Plaza are particularly useful. Upgrades on airlines and getting tables in a number of Michelin star restaurants is very easy, recently had no trouble booking at the Ivy or Le manoir aux saisons (my French isn't great! it's Raymond Blanc's restaurant in Oxfordshire) The concierge service ...
redpen 28.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of American Express
The American Express Platinum charge card is no longer "invitation only", but is it worth the £275 a year annual fee?
When i was first upgraded from a gold card, the platinum fee was just under £200 a year. If you travel a few times a year and take at least one family holiday, then this fee was worth the cards unique travel benefits.
Along with the usual consumer protection benefits the cardholder receives:
1. Free worldwide travel insurance for ... ...good will gesture. When american express raised the platinum fee to £245 a few years ago i threatened to cancel the card and they discounted the fee to the previous years level. Finally, when i was adamant that i was cancelling the card this year the offered me a complimentary gold card account again.
4. The Amex award points that you gain from spending on your card can get you some excellent gifts, but you are required to spend a considerable amount.
...
Dive_Master 28.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of American Express
Advantages: None that I am aware of. Disadvantages: Treat customers like dirt
The administration team of American Express do not seem to know what day it is! Twice my company have attempted to use their cards and both times we have had exactly the same problem. Even though when we tried the second time they assured us that the earlier problems had been resolved and could not happen a second time.
What is the problem? They do not send out statements. If they do they dont have complete addresses - so they dont arrive. The first ... ...powers if you carry an American Express card so that you know how much to pay.
I have now spoken to numerous staff who all apologise for the mistakes but unfortunately cant do anything about it because the computer wont let them.
Is the company run by people or computers. Either way - they could not run a proverbial in a brewery.
Give them a wide berth if you do not want to incur uneccesary costs and inconvenience. ...
patgilbert 17.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of American Express
Competitiveness of APR
Product package
Quality of Customer Ser...
Reward Scheme
Additional Charges
Security and Privacy
Ease of Application
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