Amex is so popular because it offers high-end credit cards with great rewards and luxury perks, which have become status symbols in popular culture over time.
Green, Gold, and Platinum Amex cards don't have any predetermined spending limits. Amex is known for the high quality of its customer service, ranking number one in J.D. Power's 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Amex cards offer a host of rewards, perks, and cash back on purchases.
Why It's One of the Most Exclusive Credit Cards: The most exclusive, prestigious credit card is without a doubt the American Express Centurion Card, otherwise known as the Amex Black Card. That's because it's the most famous.
According to Weiss, one of the most recommended cards for high-net-worth individuals is The Platinum Card® from American Express . While this card comes with a wide range of perks that make it seem too good to be true, it also comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates), which is higher than most other credit cards.
Some of the oldest players in the Credit Card space have long understood the use of branding Credit Cards as status symbols. The best among them Amex which built a multibillion dollar empire by telling its user they were special. And that their card symbolised this special status.
What makes American Express different is that it is both a card issuer and a card network. Unlike card issuers such as Chase or Bank of America and card networks such as Visa or Mastercard, American Express serves both the role of servicing accounts and processing transactions.
The Centurion® Card from American Express, sometimes referred to as the Black Card, may be the hardest credit card to get because you need a special invitation from Amex to apply and there's a high financial bar to getting the card. It's been reported the card requires a $7,500 "initiation fee" and a $2,500 annual fee.
Why Isn't American Express Accepted Everywhere? If you have an American Express card, then you may have visited merchants who accept other credit cards, but not your Amex. The reason has to do with the interchange fees charged by the credit card payment networks such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.
Winner: Visa
In fact, Visa is one of the most accepted payment networks in the world. American Express is accepted by 99% of the merchants that accept credit cards, but it's still not as widely accepted as Visa. American Express has long charged higher credit card processing fees than other payment networks.
The card is so hard to get, you have to be invited to even apply. While Amex doesn't really have published requirements to procure such an invite, it's reported that you'll need to spend at least $350,000 a year on your credit cards to be considered.
Amazon Pay accepts the following payment methods: Credit card currently accepted include Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Debit card currently accepted include Visa Electron, Delta, and Maestro.
According to the score ranges from FICO, that means American Express applicants typically have at least a 670 score: Exceptional. 800 and above.
Stars Love Amex, But Not The “Black Card”: 19 of the 27 celebrity wallets we examined contain an American Express credit card. The Amex Green Card and the Gold Rewards Business Card are the most popular, by far.
American Express is often better than Visa and Mastercard for use in the U.S. by people with good or excellent credit who pay their bill in full monthly and redeem rewards for domestic travel or cash, depending on the Amex.
But we have it on good authority that celebrities including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Jerry Seinfeld, who reportedly received the first-ever Black Card, all carry it. Collectively there are thought to be fewer than 20,000 AmEx Centurion cardholders around the world.
Still, a credit score isn't necessarily one of those issues, and many incredibly rich people have average credit; for example, billionaire investor Warren Buffett's FICO score is just 718, according to Fortune Magazine.
'Black credit card' is the catch-all term usually used to describe the most exclusive credit cards available to the wealthiest individuals. They are given out by banks to high-earning, big-spending customers and offer impressive perks and very high or unlimited credit.
Typically, your AmEx spending limit is three times your highest paid-in-full balance over the last six months. They are also pretty good about allowing you some flexibility if you call them ahead of time to inform them of pending charges (I've done this with $8,000 business expenses without any issues).
The American Express credit score requirement is 700 or above, depending on the card. That means people with good to excellent credit are eligible to be approved for an American Express credit card.
Although this card carries no annual fee, folks report needing a credit score of at least 680 to get approved. But some others were approved with scores of as low as 650, so you might have a good shot even with less of a credit history.
In addition to connecting your bank account to PayPal, you can also use credit cards with the online payment service. You can use most major credit cards on PayPal, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and more.
Yes, Walmart does accept American Express credit cards, debit cards and gift cards. In addition to American Express cards, Walmart accepts cards from the 3 other major card networks. And they accept their own store credit card that can only be used at Walmart.
You can pay for most items on eBay with a credit card or debit card, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express.
What does your credit score need to be for the Amex Platinum card? While there is no set score needed, we recommend you have a credit score of at least 720, 2 years of clean credit history, and an income of at least $50,000 per year to apply for the Amex Platinum card.