American Express or not

DAVE0125

HI 
Newbie to the site.
I am going on holiday to America this May and was wondering if anybody could give me any advice on American Express credit cards. As is there any benefits in getting a Amex credit card (if so which one) to use while on holiday or do I just get a Chase card or other credit card instead.

Thanks in advance.

MorningcoffeeIV

Your first priority should be to avoid Forex fees, whichever card you choose.

Brie

I think there's the same problem with Amex there as here that a lot of places won't take it.  So make sure you have a back up - well I'd say that for any card frankly.  I was in New Jersey and discovered that no one wanted to take my Mastercard (which was all I had) but that was a long time ago so I expect that will have changed by now.  

DullGreyGuy

You won't get any form of preferential treatment for having an AmEx card, maybe if you had the Centurion and the only in selected venues. Other cards will be more widely accepted and have lower FX charges. 

sausage_time

DullGreyGuy said:

Other cards will be more widely accepted and have lower FX charges. 

Some other cards will have lower FX charges than Amex.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

For what it is worth, I use Amex extensively while on business and can't recall any place in the US not accepting.

jbrassy

I wouldn't get an Amex to use in the US. Amex charge quite high fees for using abroad. You'd be better off sticking to Chase. 

If you want a credit card for using abroad, Barclaycard Rewards is the best one. 

Amex cards are good to use in the UK if you want cashback or points to use on flights.

lr1277

Agree with @sausage_time regarding Amex acceptance in the US.

My brother lives and works in the US. I think he uses Amex for most if not all purchases.

In fact the only time he needs a backup non-Amex card is when he visits the UK or other non-US locations.

With the Amex Gold card you get amonst other benefits 4 priority passes for lounge entry in airports. You can also buy priority pass for lounge entry if you wish. This card is free in the 1st year.

The Platinum card gives you unlimited lounge access for priority pass lounges as well as Amex's own Centurion lounges. But costs £650 per year.

Depends if you can make the other benefits of either card outweigh the cost. For more details look at the reviews tat on the Head for Points site:

https://www.headforpoints.com/category/credit-card-reviews-series/

FredTrump

You will have very few issues with Amex in the USA but acceptance of Visa/Mastercard is still higher.  

I would personally use a forex free Visa/Mastercard with Chase as a backup/ for ATM usage.
 You can always keep your Amex in reserve knowing that you'll incur circa 3% by using it.

cymruchris

Barclays Rewards/Halifax Clarity/Chase debit are amongst the best travel options currently.

The Barclays Rewards even allows overseas fee free interest free cash withdrawals (although if you go to an ATM that charges a withdrawal fee it won't over-ride that!).

Your credit reference agency reports usually go wild with warnings for a month after you come back saying 'hey you stop taking cash out on your credit card' - but they aren't smart enough to realise you're using the rewards card for the purpose it was intended, and isn't something that bothered me when I withdrew 100 euros in Germany as I'd run out of cash.

400ixl

Haven't had any issues with my work Amex card in the US, as for Mastercard as mentioned above, haven't had issues with that for 30 years in the US.

Personally use Halifax Clarity for most purchases and Chase for any ATM withdrawals when in the US. I also make sure I have a credit card and debit card on both Visa and Mastercard so that I have cover in case of any issues with one of the providers.

DAVE0125

Thanks very much for all the feed back.
much appreciated.