What is the point of American Express cards?

vikingaero

zerog wrote: »

... why didn't you just use the Amex in the first place? Do Natwest cards have better rewards or something?

I have 0% interest on purchases for 6 months.

baby_frogmella

SpacemanSpiff wrote: »

Did you get any other advantages?

Some US websites will not accept Visa/Mastercard with non-US billing address...yet Amex with UK billing address works fine.

iAMaLONDONER

Lazyloki wrote: »

Nonsense. I rarely have to use my VISA card unless I want to.



Only very rarely do VISA/Mastercard products come anywhere near the earning potential of an Amex. Some do occasionally but these are the exception. The 2-4-1 voucher on the BA Premium Plus Amex blows most other credit card rewards out of the water.



Yes, as do many of the better VISA/Mastercard products. If you want a better product/service then you will have to pay for it - this is life.

If you use an appropriate card then more often than not you will get good value despite the fee. Not everyone will get value from a Platinum Amex with it's £450 per annum fee but many will do so with the Gold Amex as it has no fee for the first year.

It's all about doing the maths and working out if the fee will be offset by what you're getting back. The Platinum Cashback card is a perfect example. If you spend more than a certain amount, the higher cash back rate will cancel out the £25 annual fee.



Yes, good customer service, better rewards earning potential, regular and often generous promotions, pro-rata refunds on annual fees if you decide to cancel (unique as far as I am aware). Also, nobody is forcing anyone to apply for them.

£450 for the privilege of a CC! I guess you have to be a big spender to make the most of that lol!

zerog

iAMaLONDONER wrote: »

£450 for the privilege of a CC! I guess you have to be a big spender to make the most of that lol!

Free breakfast at every Hilton, entry to oneworld lounge on any oneworld flight may make it worthwhile

w211

The £450 annual fee for the Platinum Charge Card is worth the fee if you travel a lot. Benefits as in the post above, plus travel insurance for you and your immediate family, and the supplementary card holder's immediate family.

Priority Pass membership for yourself and the supplementary card holder for unlimited airline lounge access at 600 locations worlwide, these alone cost £259 each.

Not forgetting Membership Rewards, concierge service - they book restaurants, theatres etc., even if they say they're fully booked (yet to experience this though).

iAMaLONDONER

zerog wrote: »

Free breakfast at every Hilton, entry to oneworld lounge on any oneworld flight may make it worthwhile

At less than £2 for a posh breakfast (if you visit a Hilton hotel everyday) is very good value indeed!

[Deleted User]

iAMaLONDONER wrote: »

At less than £2 for a posh breakfast (if you visit a Hilton hotel everyday) is very good value indeed!

As said before, the card isn't designed for everyone but many people get good value out of it. In fact I know of people who have the card only for the benefits, preferring instead to use the Amex Gold for spending as it has a better points earning rate.

iAMaLONDONER

Lazyloki wrote: »

As said before, the card isn't designed for everyone but many people get good value out of it. In fact I know of people who have the card only for the benefits, preferring instead to use the Amex Gold for spending as it has a better points earning rate.

I wasn't been sarcastic! After all it's maybe only IKEA where you can buy breakfast within the M25 for less than £2.

Nevertheless I know Amex's target market doesn't include students

lisyloo

I use Amex for their 3 month cashback/reward promotions (and then cancel the card after). I've had about 4 so they don't seem to black-list card tarts.

They are also very useful for jet-setters. The upgrades you can get can be very worthwhile if you do a lot of travel. I'm not in that category myself but there is a poster on here who is and the upgrades can we worth thousands of pounds (which you wouldn't pay of course, but very nice nevertheless).

Personally I have found I couldn't use Amex in lots of places.
Some people seem suprised by this but it's true for me and my pattern of shopping.
One example is my motorbike Insurer Carole Nash. They are a major insurer and not an obscure company.
Lots of on-line places where I've bought my Xmas presents don't take Amex - these were diving, cookery, photography, motorbike shops. Not all of them tiny.
I think it depends on your pattern of shopping because it's more of an issues for some people than others.

Penelopa.Pitstop

I use BMI Amex Credit Card and it gives me 2 miles for every £1 spent. So every month I earn a few thousands airmiles which save me a lot later on.

I had Amex Gold Card which also earned me a lot of miles but I closed it after getting BMI one which is free.

I put whatever is possible through this Amex card. The only place where it wasn't accepted was VW dealer. But Mercedes dealer is happy with Amex so I will be happy to put my new car deposit on a card and get another few thousands airmiles. I don't shop in small shops, usually supermarkets or online.

Never had problem with any transaction being stopped or queried.