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American Express is known worldwide for its premium range of credit cards. While Visa and MasterCard continue to dominate the credit card market globally, American Express credit cards are a class of their own- there is a reason why AmEx is considered the card issuer of the affluent. There are quite a few differentiating factors that make American Express credit cards stand apart. In this article, we shall discuss the reasons why American Express, despite having a relatively lower acceptance than its competitors like Visa and MasterCard, is preferred by many HNIs.
If you own an American Express credit card or are planning to apply for one, you should be aware of these underrated benefits that AmEx credit cards offer.
Reward Multiplier
As most American Express credit cards are Reward points-based cards, American Express has an aggregator portal called Reward Multiplier where you can purchase shopping vouchers from partner brands, plans of subscription services, book flights/hotels, etc. The benefit of making purchases from the Reward Multiplier portal is that AmEx card members get accelerated reward rates on shopping via Reward Multiplier.
Usually, American Express cardholders get 2x to 10x Membership Rewards Points (depending upon your card variant) when shopping via Reward Multiplier. However, AmEx keeps coming up with even more attractive offers on Reward Multiplier, under which cardholders can sometimes get as much as a 10x reward rate on shopping via Reward Multiplier.
Charge Cards
American Express is the only credit card issuer in India that issues charge cards. Charge cards do not come with a pre-determined credit limit. The limit of a charge card changes depending on the spending habits and financial behavior of the cardholder. Currently, there are two American Express Charge Cards in the market: the American Express Gold Card and the American Express Platinum Card.
Global Lounge Collection
This benefit is applicable only to AmEx Platnum cardholders. Platinum cardholders get unlimited access to American Express’s global lounge collection, which includes airport lounges across the world that come under American Express partner lounge access programs, including Priority Pass, Centurion Lounge, The International American Express Lounge, Escape Lounges, Delta Sky Club, Plaza Premium and Air Space.
Partner Airlines Frequent Flyer Programs
Like many other card issuers, the Reward Points earned on American Express credit cards (called Membership Rewards Points) can be transferred to the frequent flyer programs of partner airlines, such as Club Vistara, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic. The number of partner airlines that American Express has is probably the highest among all card issuers in the country. You can find more details on the transfer of Membership Rewards Points as AirMiles on this page on the official American Express website.
Top Notch Customer Support
While most reputed credit card issuers and payment networks like Visa and MasterCard offer good customer service, nothing can beat the quick and responsive customer support provided by American Express to its cardholders.
Bottom Line
Although American Express credit cards are less acceptable than Visa or MasterCard credit cards and, in most cases, have a higher membership fee, many cardholders, especially HNIs, prefer American Express credit cards. This is likely because of the top-class customer support of American Express, the Platinum Card, and the Global Lounge Collection. However, if you are new to the world of credit cards, it is a better idea to pay more attention to the features, benefits, and reward rates of the cards rather than the card issuer.
