Can I get by on just AMEX?

captaink

I am in the process of moving my finances to a credit union. The next step is a new, non-Wells Fargo, credit card. The American Express Blue card looks pretty good to me, I like cash back and it has 3%/2%/1% depending on what I'm buying. I know AMEX isn't as widely accepted as my current card (Visa) How well will I get by with just that? I will probably leave the WF Visa open, as apparently closing a good card is bad for your credit history. I'm just hoping to put nothing or minimal stuff on it, do most of my day-to-day on an AMEX. Feasible?

captaink

Oh, I just checked my credit union, they offer a Mastercard. I still like the idea of a cashback card though. I pay my balance in full each month so it's basically free money.

MushroomStick

I've got a Chase Amazon Visa and it gives 1% back on anything, 2% on food and gas, and 3% on anything bought from Amazon. They have no annual fee - some people get a shitty apr, but if you pay in full ever month that doesn't need to be a deal breaker. For most of my acquaintances, that's pretty good terms.

Gork

I have had nothing but an Amex for coming up on fifteen years now. The rare occasions it's not accepted, I use my ATM card as a debit card. Totally feasible.

Soggybiscuit

Gork wrote: »

I have had nothing but an Amex for coming up on fifteen years now. The rare occasions it's not accepted, I use my ATM card as a debit card. Totally feasible.

This². I haven't had mine as long as you, though.

I do have regular VISA for backup, but I've had that even long than my Amex card and I didn't want to cancel it because I've had it so long.

I use my Amex card for almost everything work related (hotels, car rentals, flights, food, etc.) because I don't get a company card. You might find a few places in Canada that won't take one. In all my travels in the US I've only come across two places wouldn't take one.

captaink

Thanks for the replies folks. I applied for the Blue card and got accepted, I'll keep my ATM/Debit card as backup.

EggyToast

My girlfriend uses a Discover card for almost all of her purchases, and falls back to the debit card when it's not accepted. AMEX Blue is fine since there's no annual fee (unlike other AMEX cards), but you do end up in the situation where companies that don't accept AMEX won't accept it.

There's nothing wrong with having two credit cards, with one essentially playing backup and that you only use when your primary card isn't accepted. The standard CapitalOne card offers 1.5% on everything with some nice perks, but the biggest advantage is that there are no foreign currency fees.

Some friends of mine are fans of Charles Schwab stuff, as well, since they allow you to use any ATM and will refund you all fees, the idea being that it's cheaper for them to reimburse you the $3 you get charged for using an ATM than for them to put ATMs everywhere or sign on to special networks.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with using the AMEX for everything and falling back to your debit card, as you've planned. I personally dislike using debit cards (lack of cashback and more closely tied to my actual bank account in case the number gets skimmed) but plenty of people use them.

captaink

EggyToast wrote: »

My girlfriend uses a Discover card for almost all of her purchases, and falls back to the debit card when it's not accepted. AMEX Blue is fine since there's no annual fee (unlike other AMEX cards), but you do end up in the situation where companies that don't accept AMEX won't accept it.

There's nothing wrong with having two credit cards, with one essentially playing backup and that you only use when your primary card isn't accepted. The standard CapitalOne card offers 1.5% on everything with some nice perks, but the biggest advantage is that there are no foreign currency fees.

Some friends of mine are fans of Charles Schwab stuff, as well, since they allow you to use any ATM and will refund you all fees, the idea being that it's cheaper for them to reimburse you the $3 you get charged for using an ATM than for them to put ATMs everywhere or sign on to special networks.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with using the AMEX for everything and falling back to your debit card, as you've planned. I personally dislike using debit cards (lack of cashback and more closely tied to my actual bank account in case the number gets skimmed) but plenty of people use them.

This is exactly why I prefer my credit card, yeah.

DivideByZero

I use a Blue Cash for 99.5% of my purchases. For the random mom & pop shop that doesn't take Amex, I have a backup Visa. That one gets paid off as soon as I get home that night so I can go back to forgetting about it entirely until it's needed again.

Dark_Side

I've had one for business travel for almost 10 years and can probably count on one hand the number of times a place didn't take it.

Jasconius

AMEX's are a lot more pervasive than they used to be.

The rap on AMEX is their transaction fee is significantly higher than the competition, so the most common places they are declined are mom & pop stores

and, for what it's worth, Nordstrom's, the last time I checked, does not accept AMEX


so if you need any $180 shirts, seek elsewhere