<p>I’ve had an American Express Card for about 25 years. Initially it was the only card I had. Then it was the one without a limit so I could use it in a big emergency if I had to get a hugely expensive plane ticket. Then it was the one that covered all those stupid add-on car rental insurances for me.</p>
<p>But now, I’ve got two Visa cards and Discover that I don’t have to pay any annual fees for. The total of the credit limits is so huge I can’t easily imagine needing more money than that in an emergency situation. I’ve got a car and auto insurance that covers all those stupid add-on car rental insurances for the occasional car rental.</p>
<p>Should I not pay the annual fee for AMEX this time, and just wave bye-bye? Is there any a good argument for keeping it?</p>
<p>Amex membership rewards are flexible - unlike frequent flyer programs, you’re not subject to blackouts or anything like that. They’re virtually one-to-one for dollars spent; they never expire; there’s no ceiling. We’ve always spent ours on travel, but you can spend them on just about anything. I’d vote for keeping your AmEx.</p>
<p>Are you employed? Does your employer prefer one card over another for business expenses? Mine has no hard and fast rule but, for some reason, Accounts Payable always reimburses AMEX expenses with less hassle.</p>
<p>ETA: That’s the only reason I keep my AMEX. Otherwise, I’d have no use for it.</p>
<p>Call them up and ask them to wave the annual fee. We dont pay an annual fee for our AMEX. We have it because it gives us the most cash back for the things we use it for.</p>
<p>I prefer AmEx over any other card. Whenever I have a dispute with a merchant, the amount is deducted from balance while they are investigating. More often than not it is always in my favor. They always give me the best guarantee - if anything should happen to my purchase within 90 days they would reimburse me. It happened to D1’s iPhone. She lost at a party, and it was 89th day from the day of purchase, AmEx was going to reimburse me, but she found it later. My H has lost my brand new dresses I’ve just bought (he left them on top of the car while he was packing) and they have reimbursed me. I have a platinum card, so I could get into a lot of airline VIP lounges with AmEx for free. Even with the fee, it is worth my while. I have also used AmEx’s concierge service - they have been able to get me into restaurants/clubs that I couldn’t abroad.</p>
<p>I’ve also had Amex reimburse me for an item which was stolen under the 90 days from purchase. I was originally dealing with my homeowner’s insurance and gave up because they were making it so difficult to actually place the claim.
The Amex process was easy by comparison. I have the Costco card so the cash back is the best part. I would ditch one of my other cards before the Amex but you should have one MC or Visa since some places won’t take Amex as the fees to the merchant are higher.</p>
<p>While I use a no-fee Mastercard for everyday purchases, when it comes to anything big, or a hotel reservation, I always use AmEx. As the above posters say, their customer service is outstanding, and if there’s a problem their attitude seems to be that the customer is always right. </p>
<p>When my mother died and I had to cancel her cards, the difference in how AmEx and VISA handled it was amazing. On the AmEx end, the CSR was very kind and sympathetic and took care of it with a minimal amount of paperwork on my part. The VISA rep was the opposite. Of course that could simply have been the luck of the draw, but I found it telling.</p>
<p>Costco only takes American Express. That is what got us started. I don’t think it has an annual fee. We do have the membership rewards and I think that does carry a fee. My MC has a fee but when the annual fee shows up on my statement I call and ask for it to be reversed. I have never had a problem getting the fee reversed. If I did I would switch to another card. Like others I use the AmEx for almost everything. Costco and now Trader Joe’s take AmEx. I rarely use my MC. I think at this point it is down to only my hairdresser and chiropractor who don’t take AmEx.</p>
<p>During the current credit crunch, credit card companies have been slashing credit limits (taking 20K down to 2K, for example) for little or no reason and with no notice—consumer websites have stories of people on vacation who suddenly found themselves with no resources. Justifications are everything from a single late payment (which can happen to anybody) to an expenditure in a “bad” neighborhood, any excuse to take the potential exposure off their books. Hang onto that Amex!</p>
<p>I always use my Amex solely because of customer service. They always work in the way i see fit, and I like that. I also love the extended warranties on purchases. Bought a iPod once and after a year it simply broke. Apple quoted me to fix it, I then called Amex and they just have me the money back, it took 5 minutes of my time.</p>
<p>Count me as one of the Costco/AmEx satisfied customers. I used to have 2 cards but gave up the Platinum when I learned about airport lounge access through Priority Pass which is cheaper than the Platinum fees. I no longer travel on business. I usually get around $350-$400 back from Costco. I have another card for those merchants who don’t take AmEx.</p>
<p>A few years ago my wallet “went missing” for several hours, and then turned up. I decided to cancel both my AmEx and my Visa. AmEx got me a new card with a new number within 24 hours. Visa took 10 days, during which time I had no ability to charge things.</p>
<p>silverstersmom…what is Priority Pass? I have a Costco Amex and even though it’s platinum in color it doesn’t get you access to airport lounges. I have had an American Airlines citibank card forever and they sent me an upgrade last year with this big deal about how it would get me into AA lounges. First time I flew after that I drag DH across the airport after a redeye only to be told by the AA lounge staff that citibank had told people that but it wasn’t true and that I couldn’t use the lounge.</p>
<p>I’m one of those who used to have an AmEx card, but no longer do and don’t miss it. I get good rewards on my no-fee Visa and Mastercards. But I’ve had very few problems with any credit cards, and it looks like that might make the difference for some people.</p>
<p>No one’s mentioned the free warranty? They are very good with that.
Amex has everything and more. The other cards can’t compete when it comes to customer service.<br>
Some has better cash back, but Amex has everything under the kitchen sink. </p>
<p>I believe you can call them and move it to a different free card. You can keep the same card # and keep your long standing credit.</p>
<p>Amex has been a love hate relationship over twenty odd years. I had a joint one when first married. When divorced, Amex would not separate me from my husband. He applied for a separate card and got one, I applied and was told that I had no history. DANG look at whose bank account has been paying the joint one for over five years and it’s MINE. After a decade of trying I finally got my own card, on a probationary term, from Amex. I made twice what my ex made but not to AMEX.
But I put up with them because I have that buyers insurance. I was loading my station wagon in a snow storm and when turned around to get more stuff some one stole the car. Amex covered all the packages in the car and to stretch my luck I asked them to cover the gas I just filled up and they did. Any on line purchases with lack of delivery are credited immediately. My Visa or MC credit challenges are a nightmare. I used the guarantee when I had a ticket problem at the popular “Nutcracker” got front row seats right away. Visa would have made the kiddies wait till July to see the Nutcracker.</p>
<p>But for business expense accounts Amex is the most respected. That’s the main reason I keep it.</p>