Not a fan of elitism, however one good effect AMEX has on people who use their charge cards is to make them be more responsible with their spending habits. Cred

Not a fan of elitism, however one good effect AMEX has on people who use their charge cards is to make them be more responsible with their spending habits. Credit cards make their money by charging interest on revolving credit, which steers people toward being less responsible with their spending. Ironically, I think the people who would stand to benefit the most from a charge card, those just getting started i.e. in college, probably don't qualify for a charge-only AMEX, whereas the credit card companies aggressively pray on them.