<p>So I finally gained the courage to apply for the Amex Platinum. I went with Plat because I’m stationed in Crete and got annoyed of racking up intl trans fees. Also the 200 airline credit and priority pass seems sweet. Any other Amex bro/sis out here? Still wondering if it was a good idea haha.</p>
<p>I have a Costco AmEx that has no annual fee. The thing I like best about it is the free extended warranty, which we have used, especially on electronics. No experience with platinum, but they may also have the benefit. Also, no experience with the foreign transaction fees, as we haven’t done much foreign travel.</p>
<p>My favorite perk is the free global re-entry. It include pre-check for TSA for flights within the US.</p>
<p>S got that freebie by being a platinum member of United Mileage Plus. He has an AmEx Gold, I believe. He got 2 years free membership–not sure if he renewed, once they started charing him.</p>
<p>It used to be that Amex was known for taking the consumer’s side in disputes over purchase satisfaction, etc. I’m not sure its the case these days. But they used to be different than Mastercard and Visa in that way.</p>
<p>Why does having an AmEx card require courage?</p>
<p>AmEx and all CCards have been pretty good in taking my side to date. All have been pretty good, with AmEx probably a bit better than the others.</p>
<p>I meant courage in the sense of If I had good enough credit. My experian score floats around 710.</p>
<p>American Express still takes the consumer’s side in disputes. We’ve had to use that a few times. They also treat you as a valued customer. One time I had to call customer service for “something” (I don’t remember what it was anymore), but the rep was not of the same caliber as other reps I had spoken to over the years. When a customer survey came in about that call, I was very honest about my experience. Someone called me about it and told me I should not have had that experience, and credited my account with $50. I never asked for that! That spoke volumes to me.</p>
<p>AMEX has taken my side when PayPal and Ebay did nothing. Long story–but I got scammed buying a high-end purse on Ebay. Never even got the purse–only a certified mailer saying purse was coming and allowing the scammer to say I signed for the purchase. AMEX was the only one who took my side. Explained the story to AMEX and sent photos of the mailer–which would not have held the purse I bought. AMEX rep was horrified and money was refunded immediately. The scammer was removed from Ebay two weeks later.</p>
<p>Dh puts all business travel on AMEX and we use the points for airline travel. Transfer them to our airline frequent flyer accounts (more airlines used to participate in this transfer program, but now many of those airlines have their own credit card/miles programs). Also, used the points for hotels when on vacation.</p>
<p>I have two American Express cards, but I wouldn’t say I think of other card holders as family. And I certainly don’t think of the company itself as family.</p>
<p>It’s about money, plain and simple.</p>
<p>I have an American Express card because the no-fee, cash-back card I have was the card most likely to maximize my rebate at the end of the year. And American Express gave me the card because when I use it, they get a cut of every purchase.</p>
<p>I don’t think the company treats me like family at all. They usually provide pretty good customer service, but not better than other companies. IMO, both my brick-and-mortar bank and my online bank are “nicer” to me. Some years ago, I overlooked my AmEx bill one month–just lost track of it and didn’t pay it, after many years of paying on time. I called AmEx the very day the next month’s bill arrived, and I paid the two months’ balance in full immediately. It was still my error, of course. And AmEx raised the interest rate on that card to the stratosphere, exactly as the card agreement allowed them to do. A lot of companies will forgive a single lapse from a long-time customer in order to keep a good customer happy. I have never forgotten that AmEx didn’t do that for me. </p>
<p>I am not complaining that a business did exactly what I had agreed it could do. But I do remember that the company was not forgiving or generous when I think another card issuer might have been.</p>
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<p>That is good to hear. </p>
<p>Discover, on the other hand, sides with the business/vendor but not with the consumer card holder. Discover is worthless in a dispute if a business charges your account and gives even the slightest justification for the charge. You have to pay the charge even if it is not owed. Use Discover card at your own risk.</p>
<p>Oh, yes, I did think Discover was worse than American Express. I don’t think I’ve had Discover since the 1980s.</p>
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The same thing happened to me with a Barnes and Noble MasterCard. I will probably cancel it as soon as my kids are no longer using B&N college bookstores. And, of course, I carefully pay that one on time so they will never get a dime of that higher interest rate.</p>
<p>Even after the usurious rate returned to normal a couple of years later, I make certain to pay that bill in full. I would choose to carry a balance on any other card I have over the AmEx card–not only because plenty of cards offer attractive interest rates, but also because they annoyed me!</p>
<p>I have had a very good experience with Discover. My account has been hacked a couple of times and they call and e-mail me when there is suspicious activity and remove disputed charges. The cash back is worth more to me than airline points as we don’t travel that much.</p>
<p>When we were in Germany and England this summer, almost no place took Amex. We signed up to get the 100k miles, but will probably ditch it once we use them. It was nice to get free drinks in the airport with the lounge access.</p>
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<p>Just three months ago I visited another state that I visit about 3 or 4 times per year. Discover blocked my account from making charges even though I bought things at the same stores I had been visiting and making purchases for the past eight years. They didn’t call me first or send me an email. They just blocked the card so I looked like a crook when I tried to buy something. Discover stinks.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>The blocking of the cards has become … standard practice. Regardless of how much notice you give the companies, they will routinely block your cards when outside your usual spending region or patterns. </p>
<p>On a European trip with my parents, this become the daily joke as we tallied the blocked cards and the needed late evening phone calls to the US to make sure that … yes, it was one of us buying that sandwich on the road. Fwiw, Amex was not better than BofA of Chase. Quite to the contrary. The card that always functioned was an obscure debit card. Of course, the possible liabilities are much larger on a debit card. </p>
<p>The silliest part is that the companies STILL pretend it is to protect YOU. As it is fun to have your cards declined in a restaurant! The good news is that the waiters do know about it, and might ask you if you want them to try a few cards when settling the bill! ;)</p>