AMEX just plain sucks

By: mmg000

AMEX BLUE:
I had had a AMEX Blue account for about 4 years. Got it with a "3.99% balance transfer" offer, which I used to pay off a high interest Home Depot card. Repaid like clockwork every month, 3 times the minimum required. Guess what? On Dec 1st 2009, they raised the interest rate to 15.24%, never mind the 3.99% "lifetime" agreement.

Needless to say, the account is now paid off and closed. BTW: my credit score is 792 and I make a good living so I could afford getting off that bind. I hate to think what would have happened had I been in in financial difficulty.
CONCLUSION: AMEX is greedy and does not honor its own agreements (perhaps fraudulently).

AMEX TRAVELER CHECKS:

Trust me, do leave home WITHOUT them! They are all but useless. Last year, I went to Europe and bought some so as not to carry too much cash. Well, let me tell you: most of the banks do no exchange them (in downtown Paris, no less) and when they do, the exchange rate is lusy and the fees sky-high. On another hand, if you used your regular ATM card (yep, the one you use at your local bank), it will works EVERYWHERE, with low fees and the regular exchange rate.
CONCLUSION: False advertising, AMEX TC are useless.

The only thing that is EXPRESS about them is how quickly they make a buck!