American Express Cashback Card

WineDarkSea

I'm looking to apply for the recommended American Express credit card to take advantage of the Cashback offer in the first few months - actually in husband's name but he's happy for me to do the leg work. My husband's annual travel card is due to be renewed later this month, he actually pays for it and gets an interest free loan from his employer, we don't need the loan but it's a nicer way to budget for it and keep earning interest on the cash.

I don't tend to use credit cards and my husband has never had one, he does have a credit history via mortgage and mobile phone etc and a good salary. Is it worth applying for the card to get the cash back and are there any criteria that may trip us up and void the deal? And how long does it take to be able to make the purchase? I recall reading we have to spend £3k in total over the three months, the travel card is £2k so we will need to use it a lot for other purchases. Is it worth the hassle or are we likely to miss out? We don't plan to use it after the qualifying period and have always avoided credit cards in the past.

Thanks,

planteria

it's a great card. it has been my first choice spending card for over 10 years.
i would just try, and see how it goes..
and if successful channel as much of your normal spending as you can via the card.

bigadaj

The everyday card has a spend requirement of £3k in the first year, with 5% cashback on up,to £2k in the first three months.

Main thing to check is whether your preferred retailers accept Amex as some don't.

planteria

agreed, i mentioned similar in the other thread started today re. Amex

System

Many places do accept Amex, but you'll likely need a Visa / Mastercard backup, (or use cash) for those gaps in coverage.

WineDarkSea

Thanks for the responses. I've checked TFL take Amex and we can use it for our online shopping with Sainsburys. IKEA take it too - potential big shop for kids' room storage. I'm sure we'll hit the £3k total for the year with just those (twice over). I haven't thought about using it longer term but probably should, I use my TSB card for the contactless cash back but could use the Amex for larger amounts or online payments where possible. I'm just a tad nervous about setting up the repayments on time and incurring fees for using a credit card with some retailers. I only have a credit card because I needed it for car hire years ago.

Does it take long to receive the card? Payment is due for the travel card in two weeks.

WineDarkSea

I just did an eligibility checker and my husband is getting a 40% chance of approval while I get 80%. He is a higher rate tax payer while I can only count child benefit (which husband pays back in tax) and interest from savings as income. There's no history of bad debt or missed payments but we've had a bank loan and mortgage in joint names before. Is the checker on this site likely to be accurate? If so maybe I should apply too, clearly my single rarely used credit card is serving me well.

WineDarkSea

Just to update, I put it to the test and got approved while my husband's application needs more consideration. So yes it's accurate.

Is it worth keeping mine if he gets approved? Both getting the introductory 5% and spending the annual minimum, but using one more to bump up the % cash back? The only issue may be having a low credit limit which won't cover the £1860 travel card. I have a £1,500 limit on my Barclays CC.

[Deleted User]

I'd be very suprised if Amex gave a limit of lower than 2k.

WineDarkSea

Just to update - we got both cards, both arriving on Thursday so very quick. Husband got quite a large limit and I have a supplementary card, my personal card has a £1k limit. Just used his for the first time. I presume setting up a DD to pay off the balance each month will mean we avoid any interest charges. I tended to pay it off immediately after using it so regular use and managing a credit card is all new.

Lord_e55ex

Would anyone know if the Amex card is easy to manage online and that apple pay can be used with it?