[SanFranManDan]

This article doesn't say anything about using your card abroad or how widely accepted Amex is. I have an Amex and use it for all my subscriptions, and spending when I'm in the US. In the rare chance that I can't use Amex, I have capital one venture.

When I use Amex, almost universally people comment that my card looks cool and take it and play with it. But whenever I recommend Amex to someone, it is always met with "but I won't be able to use it everywhere", generally they are talking about the US, but the same sentiment applies abroad also.

Its true, when I am outside the US, I can't use Amex, I have to use my Venture card. How much of the drop can be attributed to the fact that now say in a country like Brazil, even people selling packs of gum from mobile tables accept MC and Visa? How many more millennials travel abroad? How many want to use the same card in whatever country the find themselves in and not have to worry?

[gabemart]

Similarly, for Amex in the UK: you can use your card abroad, but they charge you 3% (!) on top of their own exchange rate - even for USD transactions.

What's worse - if your foreign transaction is in any other currency than USD, they convert twice: once from the original currency into USD, and then again from USD into GBP. They only charge you 3% once, but you do suffer from their internal, presumably self-serving exchange rates twice.

This is in an environment where there are many UK credit cards offering fee-free foreign transactions at the "true" (no spread) exchange rate, and many more offering true exchange rate + less than 1%.

The Amex offering is laughably poor in comparison.

[awfgylbcxhrey]

The best deal I've found for international use is Schwab. I forget the purchasing terms, but for ATM access they don't charge a currency conversion fee, and they even reimburse you the mandatory 1% fee.

[tim333]

That's terrible. Really enjoying using Monzo abroad which gives pretty much the interbank rate with no fees. YC alumni run startups for the win.

[gommm]

They are trying to improve this in France. I've met quite a few shops who started to accept amex because Amex has started offering very low transaction fees for shops with small volume.

I think it's actually smart, they're not likely to earn much money from those shops anyway and it's a good way to increase their footprint (before that they were only accepted in department stores and supermarkets basically).

[erichurkman]

In Brazil, I've only found a few places that don't take American Express. Even places that don't show the logo, or they don't know if they do/do not, have accepted it. I did find a few places that only took local cards or foreign debit cards, but not many.

[ubernostrum]

Barclays is quietly working that segment of the market. They are (or were last I checked) the only issuer providing cards to people in the US which actually support chip and PIN (instead of only doing chip and signature).

[throwaway91111]

When will they just ping my phone to confirm the purchase? Are they stuck in the sixties?

[Veratyr]

I don't want my CC company pinging my phone, a PIN is much more convenient:

PIN: Insert card, 1234, enter.

Phone: Insert card, wait for notification, unlock phone, select notification, confirm purchase, wait for confirmation to get back.

Plus, if you're somewhere without cell reception or your phone battery is dead, what do you do?

[MrRadar]

Why is the PIN so important? It only protects a very narrow scenario: your card has been physically stolen, you haven't noticed yet, and the thieves try to use it at a physical location which verifies the chip (some places still let you swipe...). The chip itself protects against cloning and if you've notified the issuer that the card is lost/stolen they'll cancel the card number so it will become worthless.

[graton]

First Tech Federal Credit Union also issues chip & PIN cards. I think all of their cards are chip & PIN

https://www.firsttechfed.com/credit_cards/choice_rewards

[seanp2k2]

Are those debit or credit though?

[graton]

Both

[hrez]

And then they charge %3 foreign transaction fee. At that point who cares if it has a PIN.

[throwaway91111]

Amex isn't even worth getting in the US; I only need one card, and I'd rather have one that i don't have to sweat it being accepted.

Like, why? Ill give up all my rewards to have an anxiety free payment experience.

[umanwizard]

I don't understand how having an Amex leads to anxiety.

In the maybe 5% of cases where Amex isn't accepted, this is the experience:

Me: hands over Amex Vendor: Oh sorry, we don't take Amex. Me: hands over Chase visa Vendor: Thanks!

[throwaway91111]

Sure. A decent card works 100% so you don't need two cards to purchase something. Otherwise what's the point?

Edit: this is really a question better answered with words than a downvote.

[phil21]

I have yet to find an issuer on Visa/MC that can even remotely touch Amex's customer service.

I've tried. Everyone else is simply anti-consumer, to the point of being nearly fraudulent. Amex on the other hand generally "just works" how you would expect when something comes up or when you need to do something.

I agree - if there were never any problems ever, who cares. Go with the cheapest zero fee Visa and be happy.

The experiences I've had recently with multiple Visa issuers have led me to cancel those cards, and now I keep exactly one Amex as my primary, and a backup Visa just in case it's not accepted somewhere. I tend to avoid those businesses if possible.

Amex is so far and away better on their customer protection/service it's not even really a competition. They are playing a different ballgame.

Ignoring chargebacks, anti-consumer practices to collect additional fees, etc. - just something as simple as losing a credit card and needing a replacement sent is eye opening. A typical Visa/MC (even a so called premium card) will take a week. If you're lucky. Good luck if you happen to be traveling, have fun dealing with a 90 minute phone call involving an escalation to a manager. Amex will overnight you a new card to a random third world country with a 5 minute phone call.

It's stuff like that which keeps me firmly in the Amex fold. If/when they start screwing that part of their offering up, I'll switch instantly. So far their competition has a long way to come. The last two credit cards I've signed up for (for promotions) I've canceled within 60 days due to horrific anti-consumer - and in my opinion - entirely fraudulent business practices. I refuse to do business with folks who actively are trying to rip me off.

For people who are willing to jump through hoops and make a credit card issuer's problem theirs - amex is not the choice for you. For folks who think their bank should work on their behalf and not be something I have to set a calendar reminder for in order to remember stuff? Amex is the choice.

I actually get angry thinking of my last Visa experience (Google Credit) - it was so anti-consumer I can't even believe it's legal.

[bspn]

> A typical Visa/MC (even a so called premium card) will take a week. If you're lucky. Good luck if you happen to be traveling, have fun dealing with a 90 minute phone call involving an escalation to a manager. Amex will overnight you a new card to a random third world country with a 5 minute phone call.

Counterpoint: I've had a Citi Premier Mastercard since 2008 and have lost it several times over that period. Every single time I call the conversation is sub-5 minutes and I ALWAYS have a new card in hand within 24 hours, including the time my wallet was stolen in London.

[hkmurakami]

I think I could say the same thing about the Chase Freedom CC with quarterly rolling 5% bonus categories.

"A decent card works 100% with all purchase categories for rewards. Otherwise what's the point?"

[AlexB138]

I keep two credit cards, the primary being an Amex. I do that because I like Amex's buyer protection, and their support has been between acceptable and impressive the few times I've had to deal with them. I keep a backup for when I can't use the Amex, similar to the above poster.

I do find it slightly annoying that I have to have a backup, but it's fairly rare that I need it, and the tradeoff is worth it for me.

I find it strange people are down voting what seems like an honest question about a pretty utilitarian matter.

[pinum]

I only use my amex for online purchases, for exactly this reason. Every in-person transaction goes on a visa.