Am I the only person that is NOT impressed with their Amex?!

[UncleB]

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@Girlzilla88 wrote:

That's what I thought I was getting with the CM was something that would fit my lifestyle but the Chase is doing it much better so I'm just a bit sad because I've heard and read great things about Amex....but again who knows maybe in a couple years it will grow and grow on me too

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Part of getting a new card/issuer is seeing what works and what doesn't.  While it's obviously best to do as much research up-front as possible about a product, sometimes you don't know until you use it "in real life" how it will work out for you.

The Cash Magnet is a good product, and Amex is a good company.  The things that so many people around here rave about you might not experience for a while (I'm now in that camp myself since these days I don't fly often) but eventually you might realize you like having it.  Since it has no annual fee there's no harm in giving it a whirl, and if you change your mind you can always cancel it later, no harm, no foul.

Slightly off-topic, but don't forget to check for Amex Offers from time-to-time.  That's one of the things that sets the Cash Magnet apart from other 1.5% cards that even non-travelers can often take advantage of. 

[AverageJoesCredit]

I know one poster wont like it but i like my Cash Magnet @UncleB, careful there, those fightin words and there might be @RicHowe to pay

[Anonymous]

I'm feeling deja vu... Could have sworn there was a Chase hate thread yesterday that I was reading...

I'm a true believer that every bank has a place with different profiles and different types of spending habits. 

I think this is definitely an subjective thread that can't be truly backed up by any certain fact that AMEX is impressive or not. Whats impressive to me not be to you and so on.. 

My two cents. Cheers.

[longtimelurker]

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@UncleB wrote:

The things that so many people around here rave about you might not experience for a while (I'm now in that camp myself since these days I don't fly often) but eventually you might realize you like having it.  

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Right.  I think it's fair to say the people here tend to get a little more excited about credit card related stuff than others!  Those that have (real) friends probably have experienced disbelief that we spend time on a forum discussing such things, when we could be [your choice, or rather friends choice here].

In reality, no card, and certainly no issuer, is really going to make a huge impact by itself.   And travel is probably the area where the impact CAN be big, suddenly you can go places (or go/stay in styles) that were previously unavailable to you.   So don't expect too much from a card, no matter what the reviews.

Last year or so the CSR was THE card, and while for many it may still be, changes in Amex (and on a different tier WF Propel+VS) have caused some to switch.

[Anonymous]

I think the moral of the thread is simply there is no one creditor to rule them all.

Some don't like Amex.

For others, it's Chase.

For me personally, it would be Discover

I can break it down even further, even though I am a fan of AMEX, - love my Gold and Plat. -, I would have no use for a Delta or Hilton card. Doesn't mean they're bad cards, it just means that as of this moment in time, they don't fit my profile.

[Anonymous]

OP, you've been told countless times by people how nice the travel perks are,but as you said,that's not really a big benefit to you the way you travel. Some might make the argument that since it's a 0AF card, any travel benefits you get for once a year COULD be valuable...but I'll leave it at that.

As for "points"...I personally dont travel a lot. I do travel once or twice a year or so by plane,when I do its economy... after getting the gold card and the BBP card (you can REALLY stretch the definition of business with amex and use your ssn) I've amassed about 300k MR this year...at <30k/rt for a lot of domestic flights on delta...this is already a lifetime of flights. In addition to using them the "normal" way, I plan to get a Charles Schwab platinum card which will let me transfer the excess into an IRA.

Separate from points and travel perks...I STILL love amex. On paper,most of the other higher tier credit cards offer the same as amex does. Purchase protection,return protection,disputes,extended warranties...mind you,I said...on paper. In actual use, amex gets my dollar ...every time.

Not so much an issue for where you spend on restaurants or groceries...if those are your main categories...but if you buy electronics, or things that wear down and break..these cards are a godsend!

[Revelate]

I still love my Zync... so pretty!

Wait, we were talking about functional stuff re: Amex?

Carry on.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Up next,, Capitol One

[Anonymous]

+1 AJC. Took the words right out of my mouth!

[UpperNwGuy]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:

I had the Green Card and the Blue Cash Everyday.  I was not impressed with either card, so I closed them both.  I'm happier with a mix of cards from Chase, PenFed, and Navy.

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I think you said you're United 1K, and I know you do a lot of international travel, so I can totally understand the Chase preference.

That said, Green and BCE are about as disconnected from Platinum as Slate and CFU are from CSR.

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For the record, I was a United 1K in 2011 and 2012 before I retired in 2013.  Since then I have not had elite status with any airline or any hotel chain.  All my travel these days is personal and paid by me, either with cash or with airline miles.  That amounts to 1-2 European vacation trips a year and 3-5 domestic trips to visit family each year.

I am keenly aware of the difference between a Green Card and a Platinum.  I got the Green Card because it was the only MR charge card that didn't have the airline incidentals credit.  I would have a hard time using the gift cards that trigger the credit, so I have never wanted either the Gold or the Platinum.  The Uber credit, restaurant credit, and Saks credit would be equally useless to me.  As it turns out, I had a hard time using the MR points that I earned with the Green Card.  I finally transferred my entire balance of MR points over to Jet Blue at an unfavorable transfer rate just to get them off the Amex books so I could close my card.  (And l agree with an earlier poster that the lounge benefits are overrated.)

I had the Blue Cash Everyday for the 3% on groceries.  Between the two month delay in the cash rewards becoming eligible for redemption and the $25 minimum redemption, I found the card to be too frustrating to keep around.  This could have been a good card for groceries, but Amex structured it to encourage as much breakage as possible.  I now buy groceries with a 2% card.  The annual difference in rewards is only $30.