American Express Blue Card – Changing the Way Credit Cards Work

In today’s day and age, credit cards are considered to be one of the most important tools of society. Besides, with a credit card, you will be able to purchase the things you need even if you still don’t have the money for it. Because of the popularity of credit cards, many credit card issuers are now providing different kinds of cards for different kinds of people.

One such credit card issuer is American Express. Although American Express or AMEX is known for high end credit cards that only the wealthy can afford, they have designed another kind of credit card that many people can take advantage of and afford. This one-of-a-kind credit card is called the American Express Blue Card.

The American Express Blue Card works very much like your regular credit card. However, it offers more perks and benefits for its user for every dollar spent. The great thing about the Blue Card from American Express is that they offer different kinds of Blue Card for different kinds of people. Here are the different kinds of American Express Blue Cards available:

o American Express Blue Card

o American Express Sky Blue

o American Express Blue For Students

o American Express Blue Cash

The American Express Blue Card has existed since 1999. Ever since its release, it has been very popular among students and young adults. This is because of the benefits it offers and also the affordable rates. If you are tired of high annual fees with your regular credit card, the American Express Blue Card offers zero annual fees. Also, it has zero percent APR on the first fifteen months of issuance plus a grace period of twenty days to pay your bills. However, after the APR introductory period expires, you will find that the APR will be at 11.99 percent.

American Express Blue Card also offers a credit limit of one hundred thousand dollars. Also, the benefits and incentives it offers can be shared with other people, such as your family and friends. The great thing about sharing your benefits is that it’s completely free. They also feature a balance transfer fixed at 3.99 percent up until the balance is paid in full.

As you can see, American Express Blue Card has it all. In fact, you can even sign up for the Free Credit Rewards Program offered by American Express to their Blue Card clients. With this benefit, every dollar you spend turns to a point. After accumulating enough points, you will have a chance to redeem travel awards, retail awards, and even big discounts on your next purchases.

If you think that that all the mentioned benefits are enough to make a great credit card, then you have to think again. Aside from all the mentioned benefits, perhaps the most important benefit that American Express Blue Card provides to their clients is fraud protection. With this feature, you will be protected from fraudulent transaction using your credit card or your credit card information. This means you have a protection against identity theft. You will also be protected from damaged goods. The American Express Blue Card allows you to return purchased items within 90 days. If this is not possible, then you will be refunded with the full amount of the purchase.

These are the benefits that you can get with the American Express Blue Card. So, even if you are just a regular person with a limited amount of income, you will still be able to enjoy the benefits that credit cards can usually only give to people who can afford high end credit cards. However, you should always remember that like other kinds of credit cards, you need to be responsible with the usage of the card. Remember that credit cards are not tools for unlimited wealth. It is merely a tool that you can use to purchase things you need even if you still don’t have the money for it. You will still need to pay off the full amount every month, if not, there are interest rates you have to deal with.

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American Express Credit Cards: Getting the Most Out of International Travel

Have you ever eaten at an expensive restaurant in a foreign country and watched as the waiter sneered at your Visa or MasterCard? Believe it or not, this is a common experience for international travelers, especially those who finance the trip with their business credit card. In the United States, currency is currency, but in other countries, how you pay can have a direct effect on the service you receive. Founded in 1850, American Express has grown into the preferred financial center overseas, and provides a variety of options for international travelers.

Hotels, Retailers & Restaurants

When traveling internationally, it is always preferable to have your American Express card handy for purchases at hotels, retailers and restaurants. Business owners and their employees have come to trust the American Express name, and while some accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover, many establishments frown on the use of these credit cards. Since there are thousands of financial centers in nearly every country, business owners feel comfortable accepting American Express, which gives you an advantage when shopping, eating and sleeping in foreign countries.

If you have a card like the Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express, you can also earn reward points for free hotel stays, free airline tickets and discounts on travel vacation packages. The JetBlue and Blue Sky cards have similar advantages.

Cashing Checks

If you have an American Express Credit Card, your overseas banking will be made much easier. Most American Express financial centers will cash personal checks of up to $1,000 for regular card holders, and up to $5,000 for gold card members. They can also provide simple, fast currency exchanges and money transfers.

While it is always a good idea to have your bank information with you wherever you travel, having an American Express credit card acts like an extension of your personal bank. Running out of cash in a foreign country is terrifying, and something to avoid wherever possible. If you have your American Express credit card, you can receive cash advances and money transfers at financial centers.

Flights & Rental Cars

Business travel is one of the most stressful aspects of a professional’s career, and if travel is a large part of your career, then an American Express credit card can cut anxiety to a minimum. If you use the same card for your flights and rental cars as with other purchases in foreign countries, you have much less paperwork to sort through when it comes time to file expense reports. Using American Express can also make delayed and canceled flights less of a problem. When your flight is canceled, the airline can simply refund your money directly to the card, rather than forcing you to wait weeks or even months for a check to come in the mail.

American Express also offers airline reward cards, such as the Gold Delta SkyMiles credit card. International travel earns the maximum number of bonus miles for future flights, and unlike other airline reward cards, your SkyMiles never expire. When you book a flight using the SkyMiles card, you never have to worry about blackout dates, which can be a wonderful bonus for frequent international travelers.

Business Credit Cards

American Express offers a variety of business credit cards, ranging from those fit for small businesses to cards that benefit large corporations. Foreign countries are just as respectful of business cards as with personal cards, and in many cases, the benefits are even better.

If your business or the company that employs you requires consistent travel, there may be more rewards available than when each employee uses his or her own credit card. For example, the Platinum Business FreedomPass Credit Card from American Express, each card earns points toward rewards, including free travel and accommodations. So if twelve employees have copies of the FreedomPass Credit Card, the business is rewarded twelve times over.

Having a business credit card from American Express can also make employees much more comfortable with International travel. Rather than charging expenses to their own account and filing an expense report later, the company is billed directly, allowing employees to feel safe.

American Express is not the only credit card company to offer travel and cash rewards, but it is the only one that is accepted by almost every overseas vendor. While international travelers will find that some businesses require cash, there is always a place to retrieve money when funds run low, and travelers can feel comfortable knowing that their finances are secure.

Copyright 2006 Ed Vegliante. Free online reprints of this article are allowed provided the resource box remains intact with a live link back to http://www.credit-card-surplus.com

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The American Express Gold Credit Card- Rich in Options!

The American Express Gold Credit Card is one of the most versatile cards on the market today. It combines a variety of features that make it nearly as rich as its gold colored complexion. What can you expect from this American Express card? You get no annual fee for the entire first year; the ability to purchase for 55 days without a percent of interest and the ability to cash in with one of Australia’s best rewards based programs. Let’s take a closer look:

Without an annual fee, the American Express Gold Credit Card gives users a chance to try the card out in a no- risk way. Annual fees are often set by banks to off- set the great rewards programs they give (more about that below) but when you apply for the Gold Credit Card you will avoid this fee for your entire first year with the card; that’s a savings of $70. If you like the card after that you can keep it and pay the annual fee, if you don’t just cancel without a cost.

American Express is giving you the ability to purchase as much as you want (or your credit line will allow you to!) without paying a drop of interest for 55 days. Many credit cards try and hammer you with high interest rates and tough fees- not the Gold Card. Buy as much or as little as you would like and you won’t have to pay but the minimum for 55 days.

Rewards programs are the newest wave in credit card trends nowadays and the American Express Gold Card is certainly keeping up with it. In fact, the Gold Card is leading one of Australia’s most luxurious rewards programs! Every dollar you spend on purchases worldwide translates into 1 membership rewards point. You can use these points as they add up to purchase goods, travel or even ask for cash back! There is no expiration on your points and there is no limit to how many you can earn. Each dollar you spend will help you accumulate more points.

The American Express Gold credit card is flexible, useful and absolutely the best choice for many consumers. Whether you try it to avoid an annual fee, to purchase interest free or to capture some of the amazing rewards, the Gold credit card will be there for you.

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Losing Your Credit Card

Student credit card offers you many advantages other than providing fast access to credit and cash. The card makes possible for students to earn rewards or cash back on their expenses. It allows them to build their own credit history and prepares them to take on their responsibilities individually. Whether you are a regular student or a school dropout, student credit card offers you immediate financial help.

With this type of credit card, you may look forward to applying for loans with any credit lending institution. You may buy a car or rent a house as and when needed. As an introductory offer, this credit card comes at 0 percent interest.

You need not pay towards the card usage initially for six months. The interest rate is applicable only when you make any purchases through your card. With so many benefits, all at the cost of one credit card, you need to take proper care of it, so it is neither lost nor stolen or misplaced.

What If The Card Is Lost?

First, do not get scared, if you lose your student credit card. To prevent someone from using it in an unauthorized manner, follow the steps given below:

Bring it to the notice of the credit card company immediately. Inform the firm in writing about the loss, clearly mentioning the day and time when you lost the card. According to the federal law, if you report about the loss immediately before someone else uses it, the loss risk is of $50 only on the credit card. If you delay informing the concerned authority about the loss, you may have to pay much more. Hence, act quickly, when you lose the student credit card.

When you inform the card issuer on time, you are not held responsible, if any unauthorized transactions are done through that card. After a period, say 60 days, the thief may empty your balance account. You may someday receive an overdraft statement from the credit card issuer asking to clear the entire amount other than penalties.

Stay in touch with the credit company, until they rule out some other option in your favor. Make constant phone calls since you inform the credit card loss and send reminder mails to show them your concern over the loss.

Keep an eye on the account you hold with the credit-lending firm. Ever since you inform the loss of card, check the statement of account regularly. If you have an online access to account, go through it and save a copy of the latest updates. Preserve the purchase receipts, if you have made purchases through the credit card before it got stolen or lost.

Have Patience:

Look around in your place of residence. Chances do exist of you finding the card lying in any corner of the house. If you do not find it, let the authorities know the loss at once so they take the necessary steps to deactivate the card.

Related to : www.firstcitizens.com

Advantages Of Having Credit Cards

Credit cards have many advantages if used judiciously. It fulfills all your needs. You can buy anything with the cards. Because of various benefits the card provides to the users, everyone from teenagers to retirees in the United States has credit cards.

Convenient to shop: Credit card is very much convenient to buy anything anywhere. If you are on a shopping spree and want to buy so many things at different shops in a market, credit card will be convenient enough for shopping. If it is on-line shopping then, credit is the best. Some online stores only accept credit cards for payments. If you are in foreign countries, you can make purchases with the credit card without having to worry about local currency.

Meet emergent needs: In case of emergency, credit cards can be an extremely helpful. If you are short of funds and need money, the credit card will provide you the required amount. If you are away from your place or on a trip to some city and you have inadvertently emptied your pocket, there the credit card will act like a friend.

Keep record of your expenditure: Your spending on the credit card will give a statement at the end of a month, stating the detail on your expenditures. You need not keep record daily to know about the spending. Credit cards can also keep you under limit in expenses as you cannot spend or borrow beyond the credit limit. It will remind you on spending.

It is secured to carry credit card: It is not secured to carry a large amount of cash. If you lose your cash, you cannot retrieve that. If you lose a credit card, you can immediately inform the card company to cancel the card. You can have another card in few days. If you are traveling, whether in the town or country or outside the US, it will be convenient to carry the card instead of cash.

Benefits: Credit card providers offer various lucrative offers like cash back on purchases, rebates on products you buy on the card, additional warranty coverage for the items you purchase, travel concessions, various insurance covers, etc. Some credit card offers free air tickets, free hotel accommodations to the card users.

Balance transfer: With the credit card, you can transfer your balance from a card with high interest rate to a card where the APR is 0%. There are many card companies who offer 0% APR for the starting six to 12 months. You can take the benefits of the promotional periods. You can save hundreds of dollars by balance transfer.

Can build good credit history: You can build a good credit rating if use credit card judiciously. If you have good credit rating that will help you later in your life. You can take loan easily. Financiers will believe you if your credit rating is good.

Improve the standard of life: Credit card can improve your daily life. Your life will be easy enough if you are using the card judiciously. What you have to give is the payment at the end of the month and not every day for every purchase.

However, if you misuse your credit card you may fall under the debt trap. Credit cards should be used properly and seriously.

There are hundreds of financial organizations in the United States providing credit cards. Some of the most famous among them are American Express Co., Chase Bank, Discover Financial Services, HSBC, and Citibank of America. They offer different types of credit cards for different categories of people. If you are a business person and want credit cards which can facilitate your various business transactions, go for a business credit card. Likewise, there are student credit card, entertainment card, store card, gas card, airlines card, etc.

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