[i-VTEC]

Its good to have Visa and Mastercards

What about American Express?

Having another credit company helps future loan?

Any advantages having Amex?

[tiger_handheld]

low exchange rate fee compared to VISA/MC on US$ transaction.

ie. $5 charge from Fred Meyer in Bellingham
Visa - 6.03
Amex - 5.77 (or 5.48 - i can't remember)

this is what I have noticed and I buy a lot of stuff from states.

[IMASA]

Free Costco membership if you get the Costco one

[i-VTEC]

Free Costco membership if you get the Costco one

Free costco Membership for life? or just the first year that you signed up?

[IMASA]

For as long as you have your card.
American Express - Canada - The TrueEarnings Card (http://www.americanexpress.com/canada/en/trueearnings_sclp.shtml?&parent=A00000BM50&PID=124&BUID=CCG&PSKU=T3&AFFID=COSTCA&CRTV=costco_site)

The benefits are pretty weak. I never use my AMEX card unless at Costco as they only accept AMEX.

[604nguyen]

For as long as you have your card.
American Express - Canada - The TrueEarnings Card (http://www.americanexpress.com/canada/en/trueearnings_sclp.shtml?&parent=A00000BM50&PID=124&BUID=CCG&PSKU=T3&AFFID=COSTCA&CRTV=costco_site)

The benefits are pretty weak. I never use my AMEX card unless at Costco as they only accept AMEX.


No you dont, I have the Executive Costco Membership Along with the Costco Amex...you dont get free membership...its $110/ year for executive...membership expires each year
You just get the Amex card for signing up for Costco executive...membership is a separate deal

They catch you by telling you the membership is 'free' when infact what they really mean is.... "use our card....and if u use it enough...youll earn enough in cash rebates that it will pay itself off"
...over the year, ive only earned about $24 bucks in rebates while using this card to make purchases at costco and the other few retailers that accept amex.......nowhere near paying itself off....

Oh yeah..the rebates are only redeemable at Costco IIRC, so your shit out of luck if u decide not to continue your costco membership the following year

[IMASA]

Hmm, yeah you're right....that would explain why I only got back $40 rebate, ha ha. Sorry OP.

[4444]

low exchange rate fee compared to VISA/MC on US$ transaction.

ie. $5 charge from Fred Meyer in Bellingham
Visa - 6.03
Amex - 5.77 (or 5.48 - i can't remember)

this is what I have noticed and I buy a lot of stuff from states.

are you sure? they all just use bank rate + their fee rate, doesn't seem right to use a 20% exchange rate

i only have amex to go with my costco card (my amex is my costco card) - otherwise i'd have to pay cash or debit, and i don't want to do that

amex are great for corporate cards (gold ones) - but then again, any gold card will give you hte benefits (additional travel insurance etc)

[tiger_handheld]

That's what i've observed. Feel free to test it out :)

I've tested at Fred Meyer and Walmart in bellingham.

[m3thods]

Oh yeah..the rebates are only redeemable at Costco IIRC, so your shit out of luck if u decide not to continue your costco membership the following year

While this is true, you can redeem it for cash instead if you prefer. Just another option.

I use mine for restaurants, gas (~$200/ month), and Costco. Biggest rebate I've ever received was $22 :suspicious:

If you do your shopping there every week, you can easily rack up hundreds. But that's assuming you're buying for a business or for a family of 10 :fullofwin:

[jasonturbo]

Amex fees too high and rewards too low IMO.. and then there is a lot of places that do not take Amex since they command a very high vendor fee.

If you did a lot of travelling, the Amex Platinum or Centurion is nice because of the free access to airport lounges around the world... but at 500/2500 yearly fee's.. you need to make sure it's worth it.

Travel reward wise, there is IMO better cards out there, CapitalOne Aspire World MC, TDFirst Class Travel Visa Infinite Card (You can get some crazy deals with this one when you book with TD travel).. and they don't command outrageous fess and are accepted everywhere.

Amex is good for Costco, baller status (If you have a Centurion card), airport lounges, and being able to extend your credit "limit" with a simple phone call at any time. (Within reason).

[Vspeed]

Like others have said Amex is only accepted at Costco, that's if you're a member already
My wife has the Holt Renfrew Amex (it's pink btw), you get 1% back in Holt points also purchase protection, travel protection and doubles manufacturers warranty..all this and no fees. Not bad considering we got enough points for a new pair of jeans from holt

[TypeRNammer]

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/10/05/amex-black-1_48.jpg

This card is quite a beast in person, pretty heavy and solid.

[What_the?]

^it's made of metal

always wondered how well that thing would stay magnetized, and sure enough, talking to one of my customers he says the magnetic strip does get messed up from time to time and he had to get his replaced pretty soon

oh well... still badass though

[Manic!]

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/10/05/amex-black-1_48.jpg

This card is quite a beast in person, pretty heavy and solid.

Also a waste of money.

[shenmecar]

I have the costco one just because it comes free with the membership. ive gathered $24 of rebate since january. I dont think it will come to paying itself off. hahaha

[i-VTEC]

I have the costco one just because it comes free with the membership. ive gathered $24 of rebate since january. I dont think it will come to paying itself off. hahaha

My parents used to have one Amex with Costco Membership, but they had to pay annual fee of $50 toward renewing costco membership? are you saying there is a free membership amex card now?

[604nguyen]

its not "free"........

[wouwou]

I have the AmEx airmiles card, but frankly the only reason I got it is to pay for Costco. I have carrying cash around, and debit has a 0 rebate ratio.

[Hehe]

Also a waste of money.

It's actually quite a good card considering the benefits it offers. Miles ahead from our regular cards.

Things like premium membership at several airlines and hotel chains. And a free companion air ticket when you book it through the dedicate line. (I think benefits vary country to country, but this was the case from my parents, and it was good for them as they always travel together)

The magazine that comes with it is also pretty entertaining/informative to read.

But then again, there are other cards out there with similar benefits while cost much lower than the Centurion. My families actually switched to another card offered by their wealth management bank and it had similar benefits. I think they opted out of Centurion after that.

[!MiKrofT]

This is how mine is. I have the airmiles Amex. No fees. I use that in conjunction with my executive Costco card. My last rebate was $145 and in addition I earn airmiles on all purchases using the Amex. It's a winner for me.

[hillmar]

After thinking about what I would want in a credit card (Currently using the RBC Visa Infinite Avion and MBNA platinum plus.) I decided to go with the american express gold rewards card. Its classified as a Hybrid Card with annual Fee, and rated pretty high ( 15000 welcome points and 1st year annual fee waived promo going on.) I like Amex's Front of the Line perks. Word of caution though for anybody considering the card, There is No Pre-Set Spending Limit ( meaning they don't give you a credit limit) and this card needs to have the balance paid off completely every month. So other words... You got to be really responsible or this card will get you in trouble quick.
Here is a good link on top travel rewards credit cards
Pat Foran reveals the top travel rewards credit cards | CTV News (http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CanadaAMColumns/20110721/pat-foran-travel-rewards-credit-cards-110721/)

[i-VTEC]

After thinking about what I would want in a credit card (Currently using the RBC Visa Infinite Avion and MBNA platinum plus.) I decided to go with the american express gold rewards card. Its classified as a Hybrid Card with annual Fee, and rated pretty high ( 15000 welcome points and 1st year annual fee waived promo going on.) I like Amex's Front of the Line perks. Word of caution though for anybody considering the card, There is No Pre-Set Spending Limit ( meaning they don't give you a credit limit) and this card needs to have the balance paid off completely every month. So other words... You got to be really responsible or this card will get you in trouble quick.
Here is a good link on top travel rewards credit cards
Pat Foran reveals the top travel rewards credit cards | CTV News (http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CanadaAMColumns/20110721/pat-foran-travel-rewards-credit-cards-110721/)

While its true that there is not pre set limit however that doesn't mean that they will let you buy 1Million Dollars of a house with it.

They can decline your transaction if they think you dont have the ability to pay for it given by your income.

But if you are making 6 figure income, then of course, they will let high amount of transaction go through, otherwise they will just decline it.

Here is the read I found
American Express Cards DO Have Spending Limits (http://www.moneyunder30.com/american-express-cards-do-have-spending-limits)

[Harvey Specter]

I have the Amex business platinum charge card, comes in handy when I need to make high priced purchases. Other perk, like already mentioned, is the airport lounges.

[SkippyLang]

Any recos on what credit card to get for purchasing in the states?

[Vale46Rossi]

It's actually quite a good card considering the benefits it offers. Miles ahead from our regular cards.

Things like premium membership at several airlines and hotel chains. And a free companion air ticket when you book it through the dedicate line. (I think benefits vary country to country, but this was the case from my parents, and it was good for them as they always travel together)

The magazine that comes with it is also pretty entertaining/informative to read.

But then again, there are other cards out there with similar benefits while cost much lower than the Centurion. My families actually switched to another card offered by their wealth management bank and it had similar benefits. I think they opted out of Centurion after that.


Yup, the one in Asia gives buy one get one free flight tickets on dedicated airlines which is a really good thing if you fly often. Also the customer service is tailored to you and they will go out of the way to help you search for something even if you're not using their card for that single thing. It turns in to a personal assistant that is pretty good at what they do.

In Asia they have great reward and rebate programs for restaurants that are affiliated with them. If you use this card to pay at restaurants that are in the program you will get half priced meals off your bill.

There are many other perks but these are the commonly used ones.

[tool001]

i have been using amex over last year...good for points etc (aeroplan) and if u travel..
however half of the places in the city /canada (us and rest of the world not so) dont accept amex due to high rate they charge merchants.

i will be handing it in at the end of this year.

[parm104]

Skippy: If you get a Canadian American Express, you can migrate your account to the U.S. and get a separate US Account when charges your card in US currency. Hence, no ridiculous exchange rates.

Also, AMEX has more benefits and rewards in their cards than most other carriers. Visa is #1 because it is the most universally accepted credit card. Mastercard is shit in my opinion, weak benefits, low acceptance. However said only Costco accepts AMEX in Canada does not know what they're talking about. Yes, AMEX isn't as accepted as other cards, but it's still rather popular amongst merchants in Canada.

As for the "Black Card," it's more of a status symbol than anything else. The card itself costs $5,000 to activate and initiate and $2500/year to keep active. At the end of the day, you do get benefits that would usually cost a lot of money, but I don't think it equates to what you pay for the card. You can easily buy an extra airline ticket and have someone shop for you at your favourite clothing and electronic stores for a fraction of the price. Again, it's a symbol of status.

If you are looking for a no-annual fee American Express card, the BLUE is a great card. I'm not a fan of BLUE SKY but the BLUE CASH or the plain BLUE card is great. The card that I use is an American one but I receive:

Get 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and department stores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases Redeem the Reward Dollars you earn for cash back in the form of a statement credit. The usual perks like extended warranty and roadside assistance are included in this card.

Major Retailers that Accept AMEX (not exhaustive list, just a sample)

Costco
Wal-mart
Shoppers Drugmart (double points with Amex Gold Card) (also collect Shoppers Optimum points)
Sobeys (can convert Club Sobeys points to amex points)
Metro
Canadian Tire (also collect canadian tire money)
407 ETR
CinePlex
NCIX.com
The Keg
TTC (metro pass)
Go Transit (passes)
Amazon
Chapters & Chapters.ca (also take aeroplan on chapters.ca)
Starbucks
McDonalds (only certain locations)
Canadian Government/Passport Offices
eBay (also takes aeropan)
The Bay
Sears
Save-On
Home Depot
London Drugs