Why do so many people like Amex?

[Anonymous]

At least for my family, they have industry leading service 

My dad has been using Amex for over 30 years and not once has Amex sided with the retailer over him. That kind of support is the reason I'm trying to build up with Amex now 

[Kenny]

I carry a discover card, as well. I don't look at lenders that one is necessarily better than any of them. They're all in the business to make money and provide a service doing that. They all have excellent moments and not so great ones. It's better to look at your reward structures for your spends and to maximize the amount that you can get back given your spend habits.

With that said -- Amex offers a huge perk that isn't offered by any of the other lenders: backdating. This solidifies that if you get an Amex when you're young in life, it's quite easy for you to have excellent credit not that long after simply due to all trade lines entered into with that lender are from the same year that you first opened a card with them. That's a pretty awesome thing and coupled with their excellent customer service I'm a happy customer.

[mongstradamus]

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@KennyRS wrote:
I carry a discover card, as well. I don't look at lenders that one is necessarily better than any of them. They're all in the business to make money and provide a service doing that. They all have excellent moments and not so great ones. It's better to look at your reward structures for your spends and to maximize the amount that you can get back given your spend habits.

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Yes i agree kenny, i don't favor any Credit card over another. For me it whomever gives me best value right now, because things can always change. If you can you should try and diversify they types of cards you have imo. 

[Swapmeet]

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@taxi818 wrote:

You anwsered your own question.

of course its about protection and the rewards.

The annual fee you mention. you can get that back in the sign up bonus. 3 time. depending on the card. and the offer.

your anwser here.

2. They are not accepted at many places, primarily due to siding with people more often on chargebacks, and charging a higher fee

That alone is a good reason to go with them.

The average Joe is not going to call credit card company and complain about a product unless there was a real problem.

Like that broken tv you received from an online purchase.

Bam . you got your money back without all the hassle.

proving you didnt break it.

its pretty simple. They provide excellent service.

and for excellent service. its a must have.

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Yeah....I agree fully. I forgot to ask in my post: why would a consumer fault a ccc for being known to side with the consumer? It does not make sense. You must acquit. 

[WNA888]

I love AMEX. They always side with me whenever I have a problem with a merchant.

A few months ago, I bought a few pallets of sod from 2 different companies, and I put one on my barclay and the other on my AMEX.

Both companies delivered me sod with at least  90% dead grass.  I didnt read the reviews but they both had terrible reviews. They have a no refund for any reason policy.  LOL.  

I took the pictures of the sod on my phone, and refused to sign for the delivery with the company's truck drivers so they drove off.

Barclay doesn't have an online dispute so I called them, and the CSR in the dispute dept asked me if I have any proof the grass was dead. I said I have a picture, and she said, "Well, pictures can be photoshopped" so she won't accept it. My jaw dropped, and I stopped using barclay ever since.

AMEX, on the other hand, sided with me right away and credited my account back right away.

Each order was about $1,000 each, and the merchants wanted to keep the money even though they didn't deliver anything.  Not going to install brown dead grass on my lawn when I paid for live green grass.

[bdhu2001]

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@FixMyCredit1992 wrote:

I don't show any particular negativity towards them. I just don't understand why some people carry it and not Discover.

Discover has:

1. More acceptance than Amex.

2. 100% US based support (I think amex does, not sure).

3. A ton of perks, just like amex, such as extended warranty, price match, etc.

4. Discover has no AF, either.

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I get no love from Discover.  I use my AMEX at Costco and have a $24500 limit. It has no annual fee, and thanks to the cash back, it's like getting my Costco membership per free. My Discover started with a $10K limit, but was reduced to $500 during the credit crunch/ bust. Nothing to with my usage.  I recently asked them to increase my CL so it can become one of my favorite cards, because I truly like their new free TU FICO score.  Since I wouldn't fib a say there was some huge purchase that I needed, they declined my CLI request.  

What's funny is I know if I just applied for a new Discover card, I'd get approved with a nice CL. I don't want a new Discover card, I want the one I have to have a decent CL. Perhaps the CL I got when I opened the account.  Anyway I'm currently using it to pay for the new myFICO 3 Bureau credit monitoring. 

[Anonymous]

What's so bad about all that? 

They're modestly conservative, which is good for the company in the long run, and probably saves them money to put back into their amazing customer service.

I don't have any complaints, they've always been great. Treat them great, and they'll treat you great.

[Burned2manybridgesB4]

Usage, income, and lifestyle determine what card fits the scenario. One size doesn't fit all. 

AF's are typically outweighed by the person that knows their card type needs, and associated rewards. I travel, and most every card for that purpose has fees. How you can manipulate the rewards determines the card provider to be used. Sign up bonuses catch new fish too.

[DawgZ]

Easy,

1) 3x CLI - I have not seen a company do this but AMEX.

2) Backdating - HUGE! Everytime I get a new car it will backdat to 2006. I got 2 cards this month an they added 16 years to my history for AAoA.

[FixMyCredit1992]

How does amex handle disputes? With discover, they give you a temporary credit after 2-3 days, then reverse it in 30 days if the dispute was not in your favor.

I wished Amex had a secured card, I wonder why they don't?