Is having an American Express card considered prestigious?

[Taittinger]

Like many above have said AmEx is pretty useless in Europe. I used to have a AmEx Platinum card before but most stores didn't accept it so it happen too often that I had to pick another store (usually with higher prices) to buy the same item just so I could use to use my AmEx. This is why I later got a Platinum VISA card from my Swedish Bank instead.

An american friend of mine that frequently is in Sweden that owns both VISA and AmEx black card usually encounters problems with his card when paying with them.
1. Because they are made out of metal, when using the chip in the machine that 98% of the stores in Sweden use. It usually doesn't work and show ERROR because it's probably the metal interfering with the chip reader, this leads to awkward situations and 2-3 times until it works.
2. When partying at nightclubs and he uses the card at the bar, the staff wants him (and me when I had the platinum) to open a tab (unusual in Sweden) so that he doesn't have to use the card every single time he visits the bar. This leads to him getting stalked by the security so he doesn't run away with an unpaid tab, which is very uncomfortable for him and his friends (me). They want him to open a tab because they probably don't want to pay the fee to AmEx every time he uses the card.
But the girls dig his card tho. So he has that going for him which is nice.

[Nysty]

Amex was always a much more expensive option than visa/mastercard/discover for stores in the UK (in terms of both charges to accept and per use) so until fairly recently it was only the higher end stores you could regularly depend on being able to use it in whereas the others could be used pretty much anywhere. I found the same in most places I've traveled to besides the US, visa/mastercard/discover seem to rule internationally.

[Deleted]

It is not true. AmEx is just very good overseas- thus the idea that people who are wealthy and take vacations overseas pay with AmEx. Which they do, but so do like middle class couples from San Diego because they would give an AmEx card to like anyone.

AmEx just tends to be used abroad and coupled with the perception of "vacations = $$$" when many can not afford such trips creates this false myth of a CC with 25% APR is prestigious.

My mother used to have the black card. We live "overseas" (europe) to you and she got rid of it because there wasn't any point to having it since VISA and Mastercard worked for everything anyway. As far as being usable overseas VISA and Mastercard both cover much wider bases than AmEx does.

[Priya-tan]

I remember while I worked at Best Buy I rang up a woman with a black AMex card that was quite hefty. It felt like it was actually made of some sort of metal, not plastic. Someone told me that the black card had a monthly income requirement of 250k, but I'm not sure how truthful that is.

[Eliandal]

I will NEVER tip in cash because then there is no record of it, and the server never claims cash tips for tax purposes and as such is defrauding the government of income which in turn causes tax increases that the rest of us have to pay to make up for all the underpayments of taxes.

Completely off-topic - but if you paid servers a fair wage instead of the pittance they currently make - tips wouldn't be such a big deal ;P! For every person making big on their tips - there are hundreds of others who may, on a good day, make it up to 10-12$/hour WITH tips. You figure for us just how much tax they're evading !

[Vermicious]

I've never been in debt, pay only with CC (as does my husband)- we pay the CC bill in full weekly. Its easy.

Curious as to why you pay it weekly, rather just pay in full each month? (That's what I do, never carry a balance).

[Schmeebs]

Curious as to why you pay it weekly, rather just pay in full each month? (That's what I do, never carry a balance).

I assume its to make it easier to balance the checkbook and keep a budget going, if you pay it once a month, sometimes, you have a very large bill that comes up out of nowhere :P

[Reg]

I find that hard to believe. I cant see it costing any more than $5 at most to stamp a rectangle out of a sheet of aluminum and print numbers on it

Well you would be wrong. The more "high class" ones are made from titanium, palladium, gold, carbon and/or steel.

[dd614]

Some places are not accepting American Express cards altogether like Costco.
Costco Cards Account for One Out of Every 10 AmEx Cards in Circulation.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/american...ity-1423746408

Amex is the scammer's card of choice because of their scummy, anti-seller chargeback rules.

[Deleted]

You still need to be within a certain income bracket to get Gold or Platinum cards.

[Deleted]

I've heard these cards are mainly used by wealthy upper class individuals and people who make good money. is this true?

Or is it all hype?

err, maybe 15 years ago.....

nowadays if you act like it gives you any prestige, you just look a pretentious dick.

[Sickjen]

I've seen one teenage girl pay with a black card when i worked retail, I responded to her with there's no way that's your card.. she goes yeah it's my moms i was like DAYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM

[Taittinger]

I remember while I worked at Best Buy I rang up a woman with a black AMex card that was quite hefty. It felt like it was actually made of some sort of metal, not plastic. Someone told me that the black card had a monthly income requirement of 250k, but I'm not sure how truthful that is.

I'm not sure how it works in the US. But in Sweden the black card does not have an income requirement, instead you have to spend X amount of money with the card every 6 months. After you qualified for the black card you need to keep your spending habits or else you will lose the card and the benefits that come with it.

[vindicatorx]

Whats up necro. No an AMEX card is not prestigious.