AMEX Online Credit Card features (2026 Update)

This is my first time using AMEX (I have considered the AMEX Platinum a few times but avoided it since I wasn't sure how widely accepted it would be). Anyway, I have to say I really like certain aspects of their service, compared with many of the others credit cards I have used and wanted feedback from others here to see what your thoughts were. Also recommendations of other cards offering similar features (so I'll know who to keep in mind in the future, should I be looking to switch for any reason latter on).

Here are the things I liked about the AMEX service so far.

1. It was very easy to setup access to my account online. After receiving the card I had everything I needed to access the account online and setup a username/password. Some cards I have had in the past have been a bit of a pain to setup, requiring you to specifically request online access, then receive the username and password at a latter date in the post (and the username is not always of your choosing, hence making it easy to forget). This has often resulted in me simply not bothering and only using regular paper statements for certain issuers.

1. Easy to switch between paper and online (PDF) statements via the website. I prefer electronic statements and being able to download is an added bonus for me, particularly as this is a format I typically store information in anyway. (Would have been nice to have the option of CSV or Excel as well though).

2. Alerts. I really like this one! You can setup email or text alerts for a number of things, reminder of payment, notification of payment received, weekly alert of current balance (you can pick the day of the week this is sent) and notification that you are approaching your credit limit. That last one is also customisable, allowing you to set how close it needs to be to the limit before it is triggered. For example, say you have a 5K credit limit but only typically spend 1.5K per month on the card, you could set notification at within 3.5K of the credit limit. Then if you spent over 1.5K in a month you would know that you might be overdoing it that month (or perhaps someone has your card details). Finally you can also configure the text alerts to only be sent at certain times of the day, to avoid waking you up in the middle of the night! ;-)

1. Separate card numbers for supplementary card holders. This is very useful to see who spent what. The website will let you filter purchases by card number/holder. Also if one card holder losses his or her card and has to cancel it, the other card holder is not affected.

Anyway, some nice features. How do other providers compare?

Yes - same problem. Hardly ever taken in restaurants, except "the better ones". Also, a strange occurrence once - paid for something in Euro's (one and only time - now use a Nationwide card for foreign purchases), and Amex converted the Euro to US$ and then to UKs. Was never sure if it cost more a lot more or not.

I've had my Nectar Amex since it first opened for business and I've amassed a huge number of points over the relatively short period. I was already collecting points using my Sainsbury's VISA (which is a good alternative if a retailer doesn't do AMEX), so I'm what you could call a bit of a points tart.

Since Nectar has been going I've had:

Portable DVD player;

I never use the points to take off my shopping bill - whets the point and it means I don't really see the benefit of the points. If I'd bought the stuff above, then it would have cost me something in excess of 560.

As someone who was in retail until recently, we dropped the AMEX card several years ago as their charges were significantly higher than Visa and Mastercard.

We find many places don't accept AMEX too.

One annoying feature is you can only make 1 debit card payment every 4 days. If two of you have cards, paying your bills seperately is a pain. I asked CS why that was and they couldnt give an answer.

I have had amex since 1995, and have very few problems re acceptance. Resteraunts, supermarkets, garages, highstreet shops all take amex.

I think your overstaing things here, significantly

Not if you have separate cards surely?

Sorry, a card each on the account.

Its a charge card I have, my wife has a supplementary card, but its the one bill. Lets say I have spent a thousand, and the wife has spent a thousand, I pay my thousand with my debit card, the wife has to wait four days. I know its not the end of the world, but we dont have joint accounts so its a pain, and I cant fathom why amex wont let you pay more frequently.

Yes, that one confused me too, there is a;so something about not being allowed to pay off the full balance within thirty days of using internet access as well.

Mrcheerful