@fishbjc wrote:I've heard that there are some places you may want to avoid using amex. Porn shops come to mind. I don't know if that's a rumor though or fact.
There may be some truth to this, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. A year or so ago, I dropped close to $2k at a strip club in Louisville, KY - 700 miles from home - on my Amex Gold during a business trip. I never called to tell them I was traveling, much less where I was going to be spending money. Even worse, the club required me to close my tab every $200 and open a new one, so they were constantly running new authorizations all night long. Amex never flinched, and it's been well over a year now. Neither my Gold nor my Blue has suffered any AA from this. If that doesn't trigger some kind of red flag in Amex's system, I can't imagine what would. 
Citi, however, declined my card for a few beers at the same club the next night (after sobering up and realizing that using my Amex was probably a bad idea). I called them to clear it up and they asked if I was really at a strip club 700 miles from home. I thanked them for paying attention and asked them to please turn my card back on. 2 or 3 weeks later I made a return trip to see a stripper I had begun dating, and Citi zapped me AGAIN at the same club. I'm glad they were paying attention, but really....... no AA from them, either, though.
You can draw your own conclusions.
@Anonymous wrote:
@fishbjc wrote:I've heard that there are some places you may want to avoid using amex. Porn shops come to mind. I don't know if that's a rumor though or fact.
There may be some truth to this, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. A year or so ago, I dropped close to $2k at a strip club in Louisville, KY - 700 miles from home - on my Amex Gold during a business trip. I never called to tell them I was traveling, much less where I was going to be spending money. Even worse, the club required me to close my tab every $200 and open a new one, so they were constantly running new authorizations all night long. Amex never flinched, and it's been well over a year now. Neither my Gold nor my Blue has suffered any AA from this. If that doesn't trigger some kind of red flag in Amex's system, I can't imagine what would.
Citi, however, declined my card for a few beers at the same club the next night (after sobering up and realizing that using my Amex was probably a bad idea). I called them to clear it up and they asked if I was really at a strip club 700 miles from home. I thanked them for paying attention and asked them to please turn my card back on. 2 or 3 weeks later I made a return trip to see a stripper I had begun dating, and Citi zapped me AGAIN at the same club. I'm glad they were paying attention, but really....... no AA from them, either, though.
You can draw your own conclusions.
Is the AMEX card your main squeeze? Citi won't like that. LOL
I don't like using my cards for very small amounts - but rarely have cash. The last time I did it was at Starbucks on Thanksgiving. I grabbed a coffee for about $1.50 - told the guy I felt like an idiot for using my card. He said "oh, I always use my card to get the points" which made me feel much better! 
@Anonymous wrote:
I don't have an amex card (and never will. happy with penfed and discover), but it's embarassing for me to pay for any small transaction with a CC. The smaller the business, the more uncomfortable it makes me. I avoid using a CC for small transactions at a small business; I use it all the time at large national companies regardless of transaction size.
+1 i don't ever hesitate to use any card i wish at mcdonalds. i ONLY use my blue cash at dunkin donuts (but i perfer not to use amex at walmart). as a rule of thumb i wont use amex or discover in small transactions at small business, unless i receive the indication that they are amex or discover preferred. and yes i rarely carry cash (most of it ends up in the vending machine or tip jar, or use for cash tips. i use my ccs for 99.9 percent of all of my bills and purchases. only my landlord gets paid in straight cash from me. every month he knocks on the door and i hand him my rent payment in straight paper cash.
