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What's the point of an Amex or Sapphire compared to a regular VISA or mastercard? Disclaimer: I am european, Amex doesn't exist here and you can't pay anything

What's the point of an Amex or Sapphire compared to a regular VISA or mastercard? Disclaimer: I am european, Amex doesn't exist here and you can't pay anything anywhere with that. Never heard about Sapphire before today. Maybe you guys don't have VISA and mastercard on your side of the Atlantic?

brianwawok 10y ago
Visa and MC are probably 75% of all cards in the US. Anyone takes them. Discover and Amex are less giant.
stock_toaster 10y ago
Amex vs Visa/MC - Amex had historically good flight/miles tie-ins (not as good these days), purchase coverage (returns, car insurance, etc), and concierge service for higher level cards. Odd as it sounds, good reporting on billing, and a requirement to pay off at the end of each month, made it appealing to some businesses for corporate credit cards. Yes, we have both Visa and MC over here.
saryant 10y ago
The Sapphire Reserve is a Visa credit card issued by Chase. It's not a new card network.
- user5994461 10y ago
  What's the difference then?
  - saryant 10y ago
    Perks. More points, lounge access, concierge programs, insurance.
  - function_seven 10y ago
    Think of Amex like the iPhone/iOS. Only Apple makes it, they deliver the hardware and the software. Visa/MC are Android. Samsung (Chase), LG (Citi), HTC (BofA) are the hardware makers (card issuers) but they're all delivering the same Android (Visa/MC) I don't have an analogy for Discover...
    - stock_toaster 10y ago
      > I don't have an analogy for Discover... Maybe Blackberry or Windows Phone? chuckle
      - function_seven 10y ago
        Ha. I'd thought of those, but Discover is actually successful, even if they're niche. :)
      - amorphid 10y ago
        Each whack at launching another Windows phone feels like trying to resurrect Diner's Club.
    - jameskegel 10y ago
      Discover is the flip phone in this analogy - people give you a certain look when you use it in public.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
DannyBee 10y ago
The sapphire cards are visa cards
chrisper 10y ago
Amex exists in Europe. Maybe not in your country (which you probably mean by "here."). Which country is it? Either way, I get very good customer support from American Express. Also way higher credit limit and points. My other card is a Citibank card. I never use it because I despise citibank.
daxelrod 10y ago
Visa and Mastercard are the two biggest card associations in the US (American Express is another card association). Credit cards are usually issued by a card issuer (bank) and are co-branded with one of the card associations. For example, the Sapphire card is a particular credit card issued by Chase Bank, but is a Visa card. American Express (Amex) is a little bit weird in that they act as both the issuer and the association for many of their cards. (They are less widely accepted than Visa or Mastercard). See this American guide to choosing a credit card[1]. Factors that people consider include interest rate, amount of signing bonus, rewards (such as a percentage cash back on each purchase or a percentage of frequent flyer miles on each purchase), yearly fee to use the card, and other services that come with membership such as warranty protection, concierge, discounts, and reserved tickets for events. What cards are available to a person depends highly on their credit history and income. [1]https://www.creditkarma.com/article/choose_a_credit_card https://www.creditkarma.com/article/choose_a_credit_card
- user5994461 10y ago
  Does this have something to do with the credit card vs debit card thing? Because credit cards barely exist on that side of the Atlantic.
  - daxelrod 10y ago
    In the US, debit cards are ATM cards tied to a bank account that can also be used at a merchant; when the merchant charges the card, money is deducted directly from the bank account. Debit cards usually have no rewards or bonuses associated with them. Credit cards, on the other hand, are connected to a revolving line of credit. When a merchant charges the card, the issuer is essentially loaning the amount of the charge to the cardholder. (With most credit cards, interest only starts accruing a month after the charge; so people who pay their credit card bills in full are not paying interest.) In the US, credit cards were introduced as a convenient alternative to checks or cash before debit cards existed. Because of cultural momentum, rewards, and fraud protection, they are as widely used as debit cards, if not more so.
    - 10y ago
seanmcdirmid 10y ago
Never had any problem using AmEx in Europe, at least at hotels.
cthalupa 10y ago
I've used my American Express card extensively in Europe and Asia. It's not 100%, but it's not 100% here in America either.
kkirsche 10y ago
Most of the chase cards are branded visa and MasterCard credit cards
wsc981 10y ago
Amex certainly exists in Europe, but I am not sure if they are active in all European countries. I use the Amex card from KLM myself: https://www.klm.com/travel/nl_en/flying_blue/flying_blue_american_express_card/flying_blue_american_express_cards/index.htm https://www.klm.com/travel/nl_en/flying_blue/flying_blue_ame...

brianwawok 10y ago

Visa and MC are probably 75% of all cards in the US. Anyone takes them. Discover and Amex are less giant.

stock_toaster 10y ago

Amex vs Visa/MC - Amex had historically good flight/miles tie-ins (not as good these days), purchase coverage (returns, car insurance, etc), and concierge service for higher level cards. Odd as it sounds, good reporting on billing, and a requirement to pay off at the end of each month, made it appealing to some businesses for corporate credit cards. Yes, we have both Visa and MC over here.

saryant 10y ago

The Sapphire Reserve is a Visa credit card issued by Chase. It's not a new card network.

user5994461 10y ago
What's the difference then?
- saryant 10y ago
  Perks. More points, lounge access, concierge programs, insurance.
- function_seven 10y ago
  Think of Amex like the iPhone/iOS. Only Apple makes it, they deliver the hardware and the software. Visa/MC are Android. Samsung (Chase), LG (Citi), HTC (BofA) are the hardware makers (card issuers) but they're all delivering the same Android (Visa/MC) I don't have an analogy for Discover...
  - stock_toaster 10y ago
    > I don't have an analogy for Discover... Maybe Blackberry or Windows Phone? chuckle
    - function_seven 10y ago
      Ha. I'd thought of those, but Discover is actually successful, even if they're niche. :)
    - amorphid 10y ago
      Each whack at launching another Windows phone feels like trying to resurrect Diner's Club.
  - jameskegel 10y ago
    Discover is the flip phone in this analogy - people give you a certain look when you use it in public.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]

DannyBee 10y ago

The sapphire cards are visa cards

chrisper 10y ago

Amex exists in Europe. Maybe not in your country (which you probably mean by "here."). Which country is it? Either way, I get very good customer support from American Express. Also way higher credit limit and points. My other card is a Citibank card. I never use it because I despise citibank.

daxelrod 10y ago

Visa and Mastercard are the two biggest card associations in the US (American Express is another card association). Credit cards are usually issued by a card issuer (bank) and are co-branded with one of the card associations. For example, the Sapphire card is a particular credit card issued by Chase Bank, but is a Visa card. American Express (Amex) is a little bit weird in that they act as both the issuer and the association for many of their cards. (They are less widely accepted than Visa or Mastercard). See this American guide to choosing a credit card[1]. Factors that people consider include interest rate, amount of signing bonus, rewards (such as a percentage cash back on each purchase or a percentage of frequent flyer miles on each purchase), yearly fee to use the card, and other services that come with membership such as warranty protection, concierge, discounts, and reserved tickets for events. What cards are available to a person depends highly on their credit history and income. [1]https://www.creditkarma.com/article/choose_a_credit_card https://www.creditkarma.com/article/choose_a_credit_card

user5994461 10y ago
Does this have something to do with the credit card vs debit card thing? Because credit cards barely exist on that side of the Atlantic.
- daxelrod 10y ago
  In the US, debit cards are ATM cards tied to a bank account that can also be used at a merchant; when the merchant charges the card, money is deducted directly from the bank account. Debit cards usually have no rewards or bonuses associated with them. Credit cards, on the other hand, are connected to a revolving line of credit. When a merchant charges the card, the issuer is essentially loaning the amount of the charge to the cardholder. (With most credit cards, interest only starts accruing a month after the charge; so people who pay their credit card bills in full are not paying interest.) In the US, credit cards were introduced as a convenient alternative to checks or cash before debit cards existed. Because of cultural momentum, rewards, and fraud protection, they are as widely used as debit cards, if not more so.
  - 10y ago

seanmcdirmid 10y ago

Never had any problem using AmEx in Europe, at least at hotels.

cthalupa 10y ago

I've used my American Express card extensively in Europe and Asia. It's not 100%, but it's not 100% here in America either.

kkirsche 10y ago

Most of the chase cards are branded visa and MasterCard credit cards

wsc981 10y ago

Amex certainly exists in Europe, but I am not sure if they are active in all European countries. I use the Amex card from KLM myself: https://www.klm.com/travel/nl_en/flying_blue/flying_blue_american_express_card/flying_blue_american_express_cards/index.htm https://www.klm.com/travel/nl_en/flying_blue/flying_blue_ame...