Don't be Blue with AMEX... (American Express)

Member Name: Siggy

Product:	American Express
Date:	21/01/01 (267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to keep tabs on your account...

Disadvantages: Not a card for everyone..

I recently succumbed to the seductive charm of the Amex reps at Bluewater and signed up for an American Express Blue card. Three months on I'm glad I did!

I've had a credit card for several years(since my student days) and my main gripe has been the poor customer care provided by some of the big names in the industry. There is nothing more annoying than spending half an hour in a telephone que to find out your balance, only to realise when you finally get through that the information you recieve is out of date.

This is in my opinion where the Blue card really sets a high standard. In less than 5 minutes you can set up an online registration, allowing you to manage your account from the comfort of your desk, without sitting through endless "musak" and annoying messages telling you that you are a valued coustomer, now wait another 20 minutes to talk to someone... The online information is updated daily, so the details provided are accurate.

Traditionally one of the problems suffered by Amex customers is that the card is not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard. Recently however on a trip to Germany I was able to use my card in a variety of locations, ranging from a resteraunt - to a zoo!

You get a shorter than usual time to make a payment between recieving a statement, and the due date than with some competitors, and there are some penalties for late payments to be aware of. This problem can be avoided very easily by setting up a Direct Debit mandate to cover the minimum monthly payment (3% of balance).

I would definately recommend the Blue card, as on top of the advantages outlined it does look very stylish in your wallet....

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