John S Kiernan, Managing Editor
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American Express is special because it is a luxury credit card brand, known for offering elite rewards and having exclusive approval requirements. American Express also is among the country’s largest credit card issuers by purchase volume, and it is one of the four major payment networks.
American Express does have its fair share of faults, however. For starters, nearly all American Express credit cards are for people with good or excellent credit. So you’ll have to choose another issuer if you have a lower score. What’s more, Amex cards aren’t nearly as widely accepted – both in the U.S. and abroad – as cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks.
With all of that being said, we recommend basing your credit card decision primarily on approval requirements and the terms you will receive, rather than the issuer or network. In other words, instead of looking for the best American Express card, try to find the best overall credit card for your needs.
2023's Best American Express Credit Cards
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What makes American Express different?
What makes American Express different is that it is both a card issuer and a card network. Unlike card issuers such as Chase or Bank of America and card networks such as Visa or Mastercard, American Express serves both the role of servicing accounts and processing transactions. Amex also charges higher interchange fees, better known as swipe fees, than the other major card networks.
On another note, American Express credit cards are unusual in...
read full answerIs it good to have an American Express credit card?
It is good to have an American Express credit card because Amex cards offer people with good or excellent credit attractive bonus rewards on a variety of purchases. American Express cards also come with an array of welcome offers and introductory 0% APR promotions, in addition to a certain air of prestige.
However, American Express cards aren't for everybody. For example, American Express does not offer credit cards for students, or cards for applicants with less than good credit, such...
read full answerAre Amex cards worth it?
Yes, an American Express card is worth it for people with good or excellent credit scores who want to earn rewards on U.S. purchases that they’ll pay for in full by the due date every month. An Amex card may also be worth it for people who want an introductory low-interest period in addition to rewards.
The bottom line is that as long as the money saved by using the American Express card cancels...
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