There is only one thing that I wanted to add to the multitude of positive reasons as to why we use Amex as our primary card... and cpelcott summed it up nicely with her post.

Quality Service.

None of the bank or credit union issuers can match this type of sevice.

Agree on the service.

Several years ago someone got hold of my AMEX number - not the card - and was making all sort of charges running into many thousands of dollars. AMEX called me - since a charge for 9 tickets to the Domican Republic didn;t sound right basd on my pattern. They cancelled my card - removed all charges I said weren't mine - no questions asked - gave me a new card # the same day and FedExed me the card overnight - so I had a physical card for my upcoming trip. Every time I have had a dispute or miscahrge they have settled in my favor with no questions.

I once had a dispute with a charge on a Visa bill - and even though it was obvious it was bogus it took forever to get it resolved. I had to threaten to cancel the card before they would look into it seriously. (It was a huge restaurant charge in a city I wasn;t in - although I had been there several months earlier. I even sent them airline tickets showing I was in the air when the dinner was being eaten - it didn;t help.)

I have no idea what we would have done if AMEX hadn't stepped in and helped.
We really had no way to get home!
It was still a pretty traumatic experience, but it was not nearly as bad as it would have been if they hadn't helped us.
And the Master Card and Visa people just said, "sorry, we'll send you a new card soon."

AmEx is also our primary card. I love the fact that is a charge card, not a credit card...no debt. I love that there is no limit, as we too have charged our card $75,000 in one month and no questions asked. We have accumulated close to 1 million points and have not paid for airline tickets in 2 years. I love the service of a personal travel agent, concierge service - which we have used several times and they have gotten us a table in an otherwise booked restaurant. I don't mind paying the membership fee because there is value to it...Real service. We have other cards, but AmEx is in the top of my wallet. I have also used AmEx all over without a problem.

I used a Visa card to buy furniture a few months ago. What a hassle. The charge did not go tnhru until I spoke to a person at Citibank for 15 minutes. I thought the people on line were going to kill me. Everytime I use that card card in particular it is everything but a simple transaction...it's like they don;t want you to use it.

After reading about all the great service people have received from AE, I have a question: Does this service also extend to holders of the AE COSTCO card? The reason I ask is because I've found out over time that some select benefits offered by AE are NOT available to holders of the AE COSTCO card.

Also, to Happytrailstoyou: You might want to do some research into other Visa & MCs. I have one card that gives back 3% on gas and 1% on everything else, and another card that gives back 5% on gas, groceries and drugstore purchases and 1% on everything else. One card is from Chase & the other is from Citibank (but I forget which is which!).

Have never heard of an AMEX Costco card. Are you sure this is really an AMEX credit card - or is it one of those blue cards they're pushing now (which work like Visa or MC - and charge interest and don;t have all the services of real AMEX cards - even the green ones.)

Oh - by the way - the Visa card I had all the trouble with was a Titainium Visa - supposedly top of the line with all sorts of extra services. No more useful than all the regular ones.

I'm a big AmEx fan also because of the service. Getting a phone call when strange charges showed up on my card made me a life long fan. Having disputes resolved in my favor without any hassel is another reason. Dealing with AmEx customer service is actually very pleasant, not something I can say much these days. However, because smaller merchants say they don't want to pay AmEx higher cost, I also use my ATM/Visa card in places that don't accept Amex.

Does anyone have a Platinum AmEx card? And if so, is it worth the high annual fee?

I use a personal Amex charge card as my primary card and have also been very pleased with their service in terms of dispute resolution, insurance claims, etc.

I also have a small business Amex credit card product and have been pleased with their service thus far as well. Shortly after I applied, I received a call from one of their OPEN network reps. She gave me her direct number and I can contact her if I have any issues that need to be resolved.

I believe the Costco card is a personal credit card, and I don't know how customer service on that card compares. There seem to be different groups of CSRs for different card products.

butter924,
The Platinum charge card is only worth the fee if you can take advantage of the extra inclusions (mostly travel related) such as airline lounge access, etc. It also comes with higher insurance coverage. I currently have the Gold Rewards Plus card as I didn't feel that for me personally, the additional cost for the Plat card was a good value. I believe the Amex website has a comparison tool and you can see the difference in features between their card products.

Don;t know if you can get a Platinum card just by applying. I believe there are different standards as to who they offer green, gold, platinum and black cards. It's not just if you're willing to pay the fee - it's also income level, credit rating etc.

But they do have a comparison on the site (except for Black I believe - I think that's by invitation only) of what each card offers.

You can apply directly for the Plat card. It goes without saying that they have certain credit criteria that needs to be met, but I don't think the criteria is that high.

The Centurion (black) card requires a minimum amount of annual spending on your current Amex charge card to upgrade, unless you're a celebrity, then you get one as your starter card

"Why have an American Express card at all?"

As a former merchant, I can tell you that AE is a pain to deal with. They take a higher percentage than Visa and MC and, in the 1980s, you had to send the receipts in to them and wait for them to send you a check. So, for many small business people, AE isn't worth the extra costs and hassle.

From a consumer standpoint, I've had a card for many years and use it rarely but keep it as a backup to my one other card (MasterCard from USAA). At one time, however, AE travelers checks were what everyone used for foreign and domestic travel. Now ATMs have decreased their importance. AE was in the credit card business early and, as I recall, when my husband was in Germany in the Army in the early 1960s, he had an AE checking account.

Today, changes in the financial industry have negated a lot of the reasons for having an AE card. That is why they have moved into becoming a "financial services" company, selling a variety of other items.

I had a merchant account from the late 90's until a few years ago and didn't find Amex to be a pain. By then all settlements were processed electronically and it took about the same amount of time to receive funds as Visa or MC. Yes, the merchant discount is higher with Amex but when processing credits, Amex also refunded their discount whereas Visa and MC charged for both sales and credits. I don't know if it still works this way.

when i lived in taiwan and traveled extensively around asia, amex was indispensable. in taiwan, i did not have a bank account. i would go to the amex office and cash a check from my new york city checking account and receive a great exchange rate. you needed to have an amex card to do this though.

when traveling, you can pick up mail at any amex office. my vietnam visa had not been processed yet when i left for that leg of the trip. my secretary mailed the visa to the amex office in a city i was going to prior to vietnam and i was able to easily pick it up.

it is services like these that make it a wonderful card to have.