Time to replace Amex?

honestworker

Anyone else struggling with their Amex? More and more places seem to be boycotting the Amex and it's driving me a bit bonkers so I'm looking to replace with another reward credit card - but most recommended are Amex, or require a new bank account which I'm not keen to do.
Any suggestions for best non-Amex rewards cards?

DullGreyGuy

honestworker said:

Anyone else struggling with their Amex? More and more places seem to be boycotting the Amex and it's driving me a bit bonkers so I'm looking to replace with another reward credit card - but most recommended are Amex, or require a new bank account which I'm not keen to do.
Any suggestions for best non-Amex rewards cards?

No, eBay is the only place that has stopped but you can still pay with AmEx via PayPal. Around here more places accept AmEx than they do cash. Even small businesses increasingly use tools like Zettle which accept AmEx by default. 

What the best alternative is depends what type of rewards you want. Personally use the AmEx to collect Avios mainly so something like the Barclay's Avios card would make a logical alternative. 

MattMattMattUK

I have not had any issues and as DGG says with the rise of different handlers Amex seems more accepted than ever. 

honestworker

I seem to have more retailers declining the AMEX - including those that previously accepted them. Referring more to smaller retailers that continue to cite the chargers passed on to them being too high for it to be worth their while accepting it

DullGreyGuy

honestworker said:

I seem to have more retailers declining the AMEX - including those that previously accepted them. Referring more to smaller retailers that continue to cite the chargers passed on to them being too high for it to be worth their while accepting it

It probably varies by area and typical customers. AmEx co-branded personal cards have the same cap on them as Visa and Mastercard (eg BA, Nectar, Harrods etc) and its only their own branded and corporate cards that escape the cap on interchange fees.

Scheme fees are unregulated but have traditionally been much smaller than the interchange fees. Obviously AmEx generally has best of both worlds as they are both the scheme and issuer so get both fees. 

Long gone are the days of normal cards costing 2-3% and Amex costing 4%-5%, anyone can sign up to the likes of Zettle and pay 1.5% no matter which consumer card it is and if you are much larger you can negotiate a better rate. 

Our local Indian restaurant and the next-door shop didnt used to accept AmEx claiming high fees but recently both have switched to a Dojo card machine and both now accept it. The restaurant states that for them the fees are 0.2% higher than Visa/Mastercard but such a small difference they are happy to absorb and that they find AmEx customers tend to leave larger tips. 

Desmond_Hume

No issues here either. 

WillPS

honestworker said:

Anyone else struggling with their Amex? More and more places seem to be boycotting the Amex and it's driving me a bit bonkers so I'm looking to replace with another reward credit card - but most recommended are Amex, or require a new bank account which I'm not keen to do.
Any suggestions for best non-Amex rewards cards?

I'd never advise anyone have Amex as their only payment card, but unless you only want one credit card in your wallet then it'd be silly not to include an Amex in there.

The best non-Amex reward cards, with easy to spend flat value rewards (i.e. not airmiles), assuming UK spend, are:

• Barclaycard Avios (free version), which works out as 0.5% if you convert the Avios to Nectar points (can be set up to go automatically). 7000 Avios (£35 worth of Nectar) bonus annually if you spend £20k.
  
• Santander Edge Credit Card, £3/month, requires Santander current account (fee free 'Everyday' is sufficient). 1% back in cash, boosted to 2% for the first year. Max £15/month. Works out at 1.6% if you spend exactly £750/month in Y1 and 0.8% if you spend exactly £1500/month thereafter.
• Natwest/RBS Reward Credit Card, £24 annual fee which is waived if you hold a matching Natwest/RBS Reward Current Account. 1% back at supermarkets, 0.25% elsewhere

Everything else will pay less 0.5% on an 'everywhere else' basis. 

Honourable mention for Chase which give 1% back at most retailers via their debit card, capped at £15/month.

Gerry1

The Barclaycard Rewards credit card is a great all rounder, 0.25% cashback and no foreign loading.  Unusually, no charges for foreign cash advances if everything is paid by the due date (although the local ATM may charge).  Mine's a Visa which is handy if the MasterCard network wobbles.

Keep Amex as a fallback: it can have good offers such as 10% cashback Holiday Inn Express on rail tickets (any train company) if booked via LNER.

Visa themselves have some good offers.  Same Holiday Inn Express cashback but avoids the Amex foreign loading if you're abroad.

jbrassy

I haven't found any issues with Amex acceptance. I manage 90%+ spending on Amex. I use Chase as a back up where Amex is not accepted or a legacy Capital One card which pays 0.5% cashback if I want to use a credit card. 

Barclaycard Rewards deserves an honourable mention given my Capital One card is no longer available to new customers and I personally use it on holiday.

sausage_time

Most of my domestic spend is on Amex, with Chase as a fall-back for places that don't take it.  I never feel awkward about asking.  I have a few credit and debit cards for use abroad with better FX rates.

My active cards are on my phone anyway, so carrying multiple cards is not an issue for me personally.  I don't typically carry any.

Gerry1

sausage_time said:

My active cards are on my phone anyway, so carrying multiple cards is not an issue for me personally.  I don't typically carry any.

Which is fine and dandy until you watch some lowlife snatch your unlocked phone from your hands and whizz away on his e-bike. 😱