What credit cards do you use?

Michael, I'll put it this way. When I dealt with our favorite guy to buy my first Jadis, he told me there were no refunds - I know this will shock you. So, I called American Express, and they told me not to worry about it. By using the card, my purchase was protected by them.

Obviously, I didn't return the amp, but on another occasion where I dealt with a merchant who wouldn't reverse a charge on not a small purchase, American Express immediately issued a full refund.

I'll contrast that with an event of buying something else a couple of years ago. The salesman of the store only took Visa/MasterCard told us to take it home and try it, and they would ensure the purchase was to our liking. In the end, I was stuck with the charge, even though the item was returned the next morning. The service Citi provided in the dispute impressed me in the worst of ways.

Even before that, I tried to use American Express whenever I could over Visa. The only reason I keep Visa, now with a different bank, is as a last resort.

Albert and Joe, thanks for the information on the AmEx. It sounds as if AmEx certainly does offer purchase protection and other perks that might justify its higher up-front cost.

Have any of you compared AmEx to the more premium Visa or Mastercards, though, like the Chase Sapphire or Visa Black? I take it that your comparisons of AmEx are to more plain-jain Visa's, rather than the premium cards?

Michael

Michael,
I accepted a bank's offer of a Visa gold card due to the 0% interest for the first year. I transferred my balances from my other cards to it and that worked out well. But after the intro period they raised the rate to about 16% so I used the Amex card for larger purchases to avoid the usury charges.
After they charged me the $75 yearly fee one January, I reevaluated the benefits I was receiving for this fee and from the card. There were no reward points, extension of warranties or assistance with merchant disputes ike Amex provided. I no longer had any incentive for keeping it so I paid off the balance and cancelled it.
I think a lot of banks are issuing gold Visas and gold Mastercards in an attempt to emulate the Amex gold card's success and break into their market. They are wanting the additional revenues without adding any of the required costs that are needed to improve customer service, reward programs, etc. that actually increase the card's value to users. If you're attracted to the flexibility of making monthly installments, rather than your full balance each billing cycle, I beleive the Amex gold still allows you to do this with selected large purchases - you just need to call and arrange prior to purchase. I sound like a salesman but I have no affiliation with Amex. I;m just a satisfied customer and, yes, 'I never leave home without it', literally.

I've had good luck with Chase cash rewards credit cards...converting points into cash. But: I never keep any balances, don't pay any fees. So, now I received a letter stating that in order for me to continue to enjoy the rewards programme, I need to open a checking. Not interested because of their horrendous maintainance fees. Time to look for a new one then

"other perks that might justify its higher up-front cost."

What costs? My AmEx Blue Cash has no annual fee, brings me a lot of cash back every year and offers all the perks.