Can you carry a balance on any of the AMEX cards?

[skigirl916]

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

[SunriseEarth]

Many members have reported carrying a balance on AMEX cards without issue.   My recommendations would be to only carry during a promotional period (to avoid paying interest), make sure payments exceed the minumum amounts due, and be mindful of UTIL.   

[chalupaman]

Well if they're Amex revolvers, you should be able to do that. Just pay more than minimum obviously. Are you planning to carry a balance short term?

[Anonymous]

---

@skigirl916 wrote:

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

---

All of the American Express cards except for the Green, Gold, Premier Rewards Gold, Platinum, and Centurion are credit cards, not charge cards. Their credit cards are their co-branded cards like the Costco TrueEarnings and Delta as well as the Blue Cash and Everyday cards. These cards are rewards cards, though, so I'd try to avoid carrying a balance unless you have a 0% APR period, because the interest rates are fairly high.

[onstar]

---

@skigirl916 wrote:

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

---

If you're a Costco member already, then the True Earnings Costco Amex card might work for you.

There is no separate AF as long as you pay your Costco AF.

Currently, they have an introductory 6 month 0% interest, then it jumps to 15%-16%. If you cannot pay it off before the intro period runs out, then this is probably a bad idea.

[Juss11]

If it's not a charge card then yes you can carry a ballance. Get the Costco card as other poster said. You can pay that of over time if you need too. It's just a regular CC.

[SunriseEarth]

---

@onstar wrote:

---

@skigirl916 wrote:

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

---

If you're a Costco member already, then the True Earnings Costco Amex card might work for you.

There is no separate AF as long as you pay your Costco AF.

Currently, they have an introductory 6 month 0% interest, then it jumps to 15%-16%. If you cannot pay it off before the intro period runs out, then this is probably a bad idea.

---

If you need longer than 6 months to pay off the balance, I wouldn't recommend the Costco TE.   You could get the BCE and get the same rewards in-store (1% cashback) and with a longer intro period (IIRC, 15 months).   If you'll pay it off within 6 months, TE would definitely be a better choice for gas benefits (3%) than BCE (2%).  

[chwebb1]

---

@skigirl916 wrote:

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

---

The short answer is yes, you can carry a balance on the Blue series of cards, the Everyday series of cards, and several other cards.

The slightly longer answer is have you considered getting a card like the Barclaycard Ring or a credit union card to carry the balance on? I know that DCU has cards starting at 8.5% and the Barclaycard Ring is 8% APR. You'd financially be better off going with one of these (or a local credit union) if you plan to carry a balance. My AMEX BCE has an APR of 14.99% currently, and the lowest they go to on the BCE is 12.99%, which is obviously a lot higher than 8%. Because of that, I have no plans to carry a balance on that card (and if I need to carry a balance, I BT to the Ring since there's no BT fee).

[SunriseEarth]

---

@chwebb1 wrote:

---

@skigirl916 wrote:

If so, which one? I'm considering getting one for use at CostCo in a few months, but it would be for a large purchase that I couldn't pay off by statement cut.

---

The short answer is yes, you can carry a balance on the Blue series of cards, the Everyday series of cards, and several other cards.

The slightly longer answer is have you considered getting a card like the Barclaycard Ring or a credit union card to carry the balance on? I know that DCU has cards starting at 8.5% and the Barclaycard Ring is 8% APR. You'd financially be better off going with one of these (or a local credit union) if you plan to carry a balance. My AMEX BCE has an APR of 14.99% currently, and the lowest they go to on the BCE is 12.99%, which is obviously a lot higher than 8%. Because of that, I have no plans to carry a balance on that card (and if I need to carry a balance, I BT to the Ring since there's no BT fee).

---

I believe the OP is planning a one-time large purchase at Costco.   Currently, Costco only accepts AMEX for credit transactions.   However, the Ring may be a good idea if the OP needs to carry a balance longer than the promo period on an AMEX card and needs to BT.

[chalupaman]

Amex ED has a great 15 month 0 APR offer. Look into that one.