American Express - What's the deal?

[flumperino]

So I have received my shiny new American Express credit card. Got accepted for it recently, having first been rejected.

Went out today to spend some cash, and nobody fooking takes it!!!! I thought a credit card was a credit card; end of story - but two stores I went into said they can't accept payment with it.

So with two searches on my credit history, I now have myself a defective credit card to show for it.

Absolutely useless.

[Over Carl]

I believe they charge a higher merchant rate than the other cards. Also I believe they are worse on clawing back money due to fraud.

[Sanj[UK]]

I believe they charge a higher merchant rate than the other cards. Also I believe they are worse on clawing back money due to fraud.

This. Stick with visa lol

[evilsatan]

Why didn't you get a Mastercard like most people? American Express is a weird one, only a few places I shop online accept it.

[flumperino]

Why didn't you get a Mastercard like most people? American Express is a weird one, only a few places I shop online accept it.

Wish I had. As I said, I just figured that a credit card was a credit card - didn't realise that one could obtain a credit card that is completely useless. Very strange.

[russbeer]

Over Carl is spot on. They charge the stores a bloody fortune to take payments on it. Most cards charge about 30p a time, amex can be 10x that. I took one once at my work for just over £10 and it was the only amex payment that month and they charged my company £3.40 to process it and send the statement. It was the last one we accepted!

Most small businesses won't take it but I would imagine a lot of big national stores would.

[flumperino]

lol, just tried to use it on a website and it told me to fuck off

American Express: about as useful as a 12 inch cock in a lesbian house.

[Northernbloke]

We get issued them to use for business expenses - purely because my employer gets around 2% cashback - allegedy - company policy states they are mandatory for all business expenditure - and we're forever having arguments with the expenses team about the number of places that won't take them - for example I sometimes need to travel to Whitehaven and stay overnight for work - there isn't a hotel in the place that accepts Amex - so I have to stay in Carlisle, paying over the odds for a place that does accept them and spend over and hour driving each way to work - fecking pathetic.

But as others have said - no one takes them due to the rates they charge retailers

[Tammer]

Yeah, I've found the same problem with mine.

I use my amex for travel (flights & hotels), and large purchases. nothing else really, as i found too many places wouldn't accept it.

[philo]

The funny part is they will not accept them in most places in America

[Brydo666]

My company credit cards are Amex too.

[Swifty]

I have been with Amex in the last decade and I must say Customer service is very good. Even if you are late, they always waived the charge.

True many places do not accept, but I noticed in Europe, many places do.

[evilsatan]

I got a letter from them last week offering me the platinum card and a free return flight to NYC if I spend £1500 in the first 3 months. Was tempted but from what I have read access to too much credit can damage future applications, I already have 2 mastercards and a small overdraft facility. I would only have used the amex rarely anyway, one mastercard is a cashback card, the other pays a fiver each month if you spend £300.

[Over Carl]

Was tempted but from what I have read access to too much credit can damage future applications,

Not meaning to argue, more wandering if you know something I dont - I thought you could more than make up for this by spending some on each card then ensuring each is paid off in full on time?

[Mule]

Not meaning to argue, more wandering if you know something I dont - I thought you could more than make up for this by spending some on each card then ensuring each is paid off in full on time?

If you pay off in full every time it'll actually do more harm than good. CC companies want to make money and paying off in full deprives them of that.

[evilsatan]

I currently pay mine all off in full. My first 12 months were interest free so I paid the minimum each month. If I was to want a loan then AFAIK having access to a lot of credit will only harm me as I might take all my credit and leave the country. Things may have changed though.

[gunner]

I use my Amex daily, most major stores/supermarkets/garages accept it?

[Over Carl]

If you pay off in full every time it'll actually do more harm than good. CC companies want to make money and paying off in full deprives them of that.

That s what I've previously thought. If we look at the situation, if you are one of the daft cunts who immediately max your card then make minimum payments for the rest of your life, the cc company will make an extortionate profit from you.

In most walks of life, business owners will pay more respect and offer better deals to the people who keep putting the money in their pockets. However these cunts will treat desperate people who keep lining their pockets as scum. If we look at things proportionate to money spent, people struggling are the ones who make the cc companies most money yet they are the ones who get shafted hardest.

Hence myself not holding any form of bank/credit card account since around 2001.

I'm quite wankered and can alreadys see problems in what I've said but I think it's still a valid point so I'm still gonna click submit this post.

[Kushty]

I've got a mastercard and amex 'duo' with Lloyds. They are both linked to the same account but I just carry them both and use mastercard where they won't take amex.

[cronus71]

I also have a Amex Platinum card from work, but it's shit, before that we had Diners which was as useless as Richard Simmons's testicles.

Viva la Visa.

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