American Express Blue - A Whole Lot of Card
Written: Apr 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: no fee, can carry a balance, abundant services and features
Cons: AmEx is still getting their support staff up to speed on Blue, not as many merchants accept it as Visa & Mastercard, website is a little unwieldy
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| engwall's Full Review: American Express Blue |
Credit Cards are in a battle to get your business. Low rates and special offers abound. What makes AmEx Blue special? It has some of the best features of balance-carrying cards, as well as some of the best features of an American Express card.
No Annual Fee
Blue has no annual fee. While this is typical of many credit cards, it is exceptionally nice, considering the service and features of American Express Blue.
Maintain a Balance
Unlike traditional American Express cards, and more like other credit cards, Blue allows you to carry a balance from one month to another. This is not an attractive feature for those avoiding carrying a balance, but for more traditional credit card holders, it is a welcome feature.
Nice interest rate
Blue's interest rate is fixed at 9.99%, for both purchases and balance transfers. In addition, Blue has a 0% interest rate for 6 months for purchases only.
Online Account Access
You can manage your account online, using a user ID & password to access your account(s). You can view recent charges as well as those from previous billing periods. You can apply for additional cards, make balance transfers and can even pay your Blue bill online (assuming your bank is eligible for online payments). The interface isn't the sexiest I've seen, but it works, and that's the important thing.
American Express Coverage
Blue offers a number of nice American Express features that give you extra protection for both on- and off-line purchases.
Unauthorized Purchase Protection
You will not be held responsible for unauthorized on-line purchases. More on that later when I get back to technology.
Price Protection
If the store from which you buy an item does not already have a lowest price matching program, American Express will guarantee that you will pay the lowest price for an item, and will reemburse the difference, up to $250 per item / $1000 per year. The trick to this is that the lower price must be in print and dated up to 60 days from the purchase date. You must call to make your claim, and then you must provide the printed, dated advertisement, a copy of your receipt, and a record of your Blue purchase within 90 days of the purchase. This applies to both on- and off-line purchases (though finding dated print ads for online purchases is awfully difficult).
Item Return Protection
If the store where you make a purchase with Blue will not reemburse you for an item, Blue will, up to $300 per item / $1000 per year. You must call to make your claim within 90 days of the purchase, at which point they'll send a claim form. You then have 30 days to return the form, your receipt, and a record of your Blue purchase. If they accept your claim, you have an additional 30 days to return the item for your refund.
Damage/Theft Protection
Blue provides up to $1000 per item / $50,000 per Cardmember per year of protection against damage and theft (except from automobiles), per the terms of their insurance policy.
Warranty Protection
Blue provides up to a year of additional warranty coverage (except for Automobiles and rebuilt items).
And More
Blue also provides car rental damage/loss insurance, travel accident insurance, a Global Assist Hotline, and 24/7 customer support.
Technology
All this is great, but come on, you want to know more about the cool technology behind Blue, don't you? Well, it's all in the Smart Chip. The Blue Smart Chip stores a certificate of authenticity that uniquely identifies your card. You use it with a reader that you order from American Express (currently free until May 31, $25 after that), along with a PIN and the American Express Online Wallet. The Online Wallet assists in making purchases by filling in billing and shipping information and storing your online purchase history.
The reader is a cute, flat little rectangle that you slide the card into. I got mine within two days of signing up for it. You have to register your Blue card online, and then sign up for the reader and the Online Wallet.
Quick Tip For Registering Online
When registering your Blue card online, you will be mailed your permanent password, but you can change your password immediately by filling in information about yourself and your card. If that doesn't work, call the number on the back of your card, *not* the number shown on the website. They will give you your temporary password over the phone, which you can then use to get into your account and change your password to one of your choosing. This allows you to sign up for your reader on the same day that you get your Blue card.
The Online Wallet only works with merchants that support it, and the reader uses a serial connection which cannot be shared with any other device (such as a Palm cradle). Those caveats aside, it's a cool concept.
Good Service
I haven't had my Blue card for more than a month, and I already like the service I get. I called in to inquire about balance transfers (rates, etc.), and was given all the information I requested, without being prompted for offers or other junk. I'm accustomed to being accosted with offers of various sorts, but I got nothing but courtesy from the reps at American Express.
Perhaps A Little Ahead Of Itself
My biggest complaint so far is that this new card seems to have a number of disconnected access points. To take full advantage of Blue, you have to register it online. You can't get your card reader over the phone for instance. The website is large and a little unwieldy. It took me a little while to sort through it.
Also, Blue has its own support department, and the general American Express number that the web site has you call if you have trouble with passwords, etc., does not really know all that much about Blue. I got some misleading information about getting my card reader from the service rep at American Express, which was clarified when I called the number on the back of my Blue card. It can be a little confusing knowing the best path for service, but they do try hard to get you there.
Will They Take American Express?
As the Visa ads like to flaunt, not every merchant takes American Express. Only those merchants who take traditional American Express cards will honor Blue. This will probably not be your only credit card.
Bottom Line
If you've gotten this far, pat yourself on the back! There's just a lot to say about American Express Blue, because it's an awful lot of card. I really love it, mainly for its low interest rate. I've got a Palm cradle and only one port, so I can't use the reader yet. Still, I'm very glad I applied for my Blue, and got in while I can get the reader for free. Blue is an excellent card, and is pushing the envelope of technology. I hope other credit cards (and other types of money cards) will soon follow suit.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
engwall
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Member: Keith Engwall
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 67 members
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