January 31, 2008
American Express Merchant Services
If you are a business owner, whether it be a traditional brick and mortar or an online shopping store then you must consider using American Express Merchant Services for payment processing.
You might think that because American Express typically charges more for payment processing that you haven't bothered using American Express Merchant Services.
I think this is a huge mistake!
Here is why, according to studies buyers that use the American Express card have a tendancy to spend more on purchase.
In fact, research shows that the average American Express transaction is nearly 31% higher than the average non-American Express credit transaction.
What if you could increase each transaction by 31%? What would that do for your business?
As a business owner you know how important it is to maximize your sales and the higher the price is going through the checkout the more money that ends up in your bank account.
There are millions of consumers and business owners alike that only hold American Express cards and since American Express only issues cards to people and businesses with good credit these are the people you want spending money on your business. Those that have good credit also tend to have money so don't turn these people away because of higher processing fees, these are customers you want to keep coming back to buy from you.
Here are some key bullet points about American Express Merchant Services:
- Higher Average Charge - Industry research shows that the average American Express transaction is nearly 31% higher than the average non-American Express credit transaction.*
- Avid Internet Shoppers - 79% of American Express Cardmembers used American Express to make, on average, 23.2 purchases over the Internet in the past year.**
- Frequent Diners - American Express Cardmembers made, on average, 19.2 restaurant purchases in the past 3 months.***
*The NilsonReport, #851, February2006
**Brookfield Research, July 2006
***Brookfield Research, June2007
May 03, 2007
American Express Business Gold Rewards Review
Attention Business Owners, Amex Wants You
American Express has expressed a serious interest in acquiring customers that operate businesses with their Gold rewards card.
Since I am a small business owner, I am always looking for more rewards and in general anything that will reduce my costs. The Amex Business Gold really caught my attention because of the phenominal rewards such as:
As a guy that runs his own show, free travel really gets my attention. I am very busy traveling in business and what better reward than free travel to reward my family for their patience while I go on all sorts of business trips to Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami, Toronto, Vancouver and Las Vegas again than to say, "You know what, I have tons of points on the credit card. Let's take the kids to DisneyLand". And I am an instant hero at home. All my business travel is quickly forgotten about (for a while anyway)
If you are a business owner and want to be a hero at home too then I highly recommend the Gold Business card from American Express. Travel rewards, pay no annual fee for your first year and your employees can get Amex Green cards with no annual fee too!
Apply for the Amex Business Gold Rewards card:
April 13, 2007
Blue Cash from American Express Best Rewards
The Blue Cash from American Express is THE choice of consumer's.
I have received tons of feedback from some very happy American Express cardholders who have recently applied through Crediteria.com for the American Express Blue Cash reward credit card.
Here is what Jessica from Boise has to say about the Blue Cash credit card:
I just can't believe the amazing rewards that I am getting from American Express Blue and with no annual fee! Wow, Amex blue cash is a truly awesome card to have!
There are far too many reviews to post them all here but I think Jessica's thoughts sum it up best.
If you have excellent credit and want excellent rewards then you should apply now:
February 28, 2007
Blue from American Express
Blue from American Express® - Apply Now
This review of the Blue Card from American Express was just received from a reader.
Here is what Jorges had to say about his American Express Blue Card:
I never thought that I would say that I actually love a credit card but I have had my Blue Amex card for 7 months now and just had to let the folks at Crediteria.com know what a truly wonderful piece of plastic this is.Having no annual fee, rewards and paying no interest is simply amazing and in my opinion has to be one of the best credit cards ever on the market!
I can't say enough good things about the Blue Card. Oh yeah, I suppose I should thank American Express too for putting such an awesome product out there.
As you can see Jorges was thrilled with his Blue Card and I personally think it is on of the best on the market as well.
If you have excellent credit then Blue just might be the perfect card for you.
Blue from American Express® - Apply Now
Posted by Colin at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
April 15, 2006
Review Of Platinum Business Credit Card from American Express
The American Express business platinum card is best suited for those businesses who currently are carrying a huge debt load on other high interest credit cards. The Platinum Business card provides a 12 month 0 APR introductory rate on balance transfers. This is perfect for those who are simply looking to cut a few expenses from their business and are not concerned with a reward points program. As with all American Express offers your credit must be top notch otherwise your application will not be accepted.
After the expiration of the 0 APR intro rate the rate goes up to 9.49%,11.49%,13.49% or 16.49% depending on various factors such as your business credit rating and the size of the credit line. The rates provided by American Express are in line with most other credit cards so you will not be getting ripped off.
If your goal is to cut costs in your business by shaving off some credit card interest payments this card will be perfect for you. My recommendation would be to apply for this card if this is your situation and then apply for another American Express rewards card such as the Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card after you pay down the balance on the Platinum card. There usually is no cost to switch from one product offered by Amex to another. The only extra cost might be an annual fee so read the terms and conditions on the application before you apply to ensure you are comfortable with them.
Platinum Business Credit Card from OPENSM The Small Business Team - Click Here to Apply Now
Posted by Colin at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)April 02, 2006
Review Of Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
Rewards and features of the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express
Free nights at Starwood Hotels start at 2000 points
Redeem points with most major airlines
You earn 1 point for every dollar spent
Earn 3 points for every dollar spent with Starwood hotels
First year has no annual fee
Balance transfers from higher rate cards
Categorized year end statement
Travel accident insurance
Car rental loss or damage insurance
Fees and APR details of the Starwood Preferred Guest Card
Introductory APR of 2.9% for 6 months.
Ongoing APR of prime plus 9.99%
Late payment fee minimum of $15 on balance less than $100
Late payment fee of $29 on balances of $100 to $1000
$35 late payment fee on balances greater than $1,000
Overlimit fee $35
Overall review and editor's opinion of the Starwood Preferred Guest Card
The Starwood rewards card which includes rewards for such hotels as Westin Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W Hotels is an excellent card for those who travel frequently and stay at the previously mentioned hotels either while on vacation or for business trips. If your balance is paid in full each and every billing cycle you will benefit greatly from this card. If you tend to carry a balance on the card you will find your rewards compared to what you pay in interest, depending upon your balance, will be about break-even. Breaking even isn't necessarily a bad thing but to truly reap the rewards of this card make sure you pay off your entire bill when you receive it. I personally recommend the Starwood Perferred Guest card from American Express for those with excellent credit.
March 31, 2006
Review of the American Express Rewards Green Card
The Rewards Green Card from American Express is a very flexible reward points card. Flexibility is one of the features that I really like in a rewards card. Unlike some points credit cards you are not limited to redeeming your points on say only travel. The Rewards Green Card gives you the ability to cash in your points on shopping, entertainment, and travel rewards. Having a choice of how to spend your points is always the better choice in my opinion. Let's say you have accumulated enough points for your dream vacation but your life situation has changed, for example maybe you've had a new baby, anybody who has traveled with an infant will know it simply is not a pleasant experience. So having the flexibilty to use your points on other items is a truly excellent feature with a reward credit card.
Here are just some of the stores where you can redeem your points: GAP, Banana Republic, Maui Jim, Sony, Cannon, Dell Computers, TicketMaster, most major airlines, restaurants and there many more stores and services where you can use the points you have accumulated. The point is your points can be used for products or services that you actually need. It is this points flexibility that wins my seal of approval. The only downside to any American Express card is their strict qualification quidelines. Only those with excellent credit will qualify for any American Express credit card. If your credit bureau report has any problems you won't qualify for the card. If you have read any of my previous reviews of Amex cards you already know not to apply for credit cards that you don't qualify for as it will impact the decision of other lenders in granting you credit.
To summarize why the American Express Rewards Green Card is an excellent card to have in your wallet:
Points can be used for shopping, entertainment and travel.
Low annual fee of $65
First year there is no annual fee
Issues to consider:
On cash advances the fees will be 3% or $5.00 fee, whichever is greater, with no maximum. In addition, there is a 1% fee charged for Travelers Cheque transactions.
Review of the American Express Rewards Gold Card
Like every Amex card you will only qualify if you have excellent credit. I do mention this on every American Express review that I publish because it is vitally important that you avoid applying for credit cards that you won't qualify for as it will adversely affect your credit. Other lenders may not lend to you if they see too many denied credit applications on your credit bureau report.
With the American Express Rewards Gold credit card the key perks to entice you to apply are:
5000 bonus points which you can redeem immediately
Earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on Card purchases
Earn 2 points for virtually every dollar you spend at stand-alone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, the U.S. Postal Service (excluding bulk mail), or to pay your wireless phone bill
Redeem points for rewards from over 50 of the finest names in shopping and entertainment, including DellTM Computer, Callaway® Golf, and The Sharper Image®
Transfer points into 11 frequent flyer programs -- 2 points for 1 airline mile with most programs
Redeem points for travel certificates from 6 of our domestic and international airline partners
Points have no expiration date
There is no limit to the number of points you can earn
The fees associated with the American Express Gold card are:
$90 Basic Card Annual fee
$35 Annual Fee for Additional Cards
All charges made on this Charge Card are due and payable when you receive your billing statement.
Late fees vary from state to state so make sure you check for your state. Other details about the Amex Rewards Gold card are:
Minimum yearly income required to qualify for the card is $20,000
The only real problem this card could present to the cardholder is the fact that all charges made in a billing cycle are due immediately upon receiving your statement. Yes, every dime you spend for a month must be paid in full each and every month.
I only recommend this card to those you have very good bill payment habits. Those of you who tend to carry a balance on your credit cards should avoid applying for this card.
Editor's Review Of Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card From American Express
If you haven't read my other reviews of American Express cards please note that you will only be accepted for an Amex card if you have excellent credit.
The key benefits offered from American Express with the Gold Delta SkyMiles® card are:
15000 bonus miles with your first purchase - Bonus points are rewarded 8-12 weeks after the first charge you make on the card.
SkyMiles never expire
Delta Frequent Flyer number is printed right on your card - Providing convenience to you when redeeming your airmiles.
Competitive APR - Currently
No annual fee for the first year - $85 annual fee for the first year
Additional cards are fee free
Balance transfer of 9.99% for the life of the balance
One mile for every other eligible dollar spent - Eligible dollars are on the first $100000 you spend
No blackout dates - Fly when you want with your points!
Specific details about the Delta SkyMiles® card:
APR for purchases: 16.49%
Variable rates determined by:
Adding 9.99% to prime rate for purchases
Adding 14.99% to prime rate for cash advances
The Prime Rate for each billing period is the Prime Rate published in The Wall Street Journal on the first day of that billing period or two days prior to the closing date of that billing period, whichever is higher.
Deliquent and seriously deliquent rates are prime plus 12.99% and 21.99% - Pay your bills on time or pay!
Grace Period
20 days if previous months balance is paid in full.
Minimum finance charge of 0.50 applies so watch your small purchases on the card such as coffee as you will be an additional 0.50.
Overall the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card From American Express is a great card for those who like to travel on Delta Airlines and have excellent credit. If you are like me and don't like to carry cash watch that 0.50 minimum finance charge for your small purchases as that can really start to add up faster than you think in charges. Most people overlook this minimum finance charge and end up paying a small fortune in finance fees on this card. Use another form of payment for your lunches and coffees if you are going to apply for the Amex SkyMiles card.
February 21, 2006
Which Amex Card Is Right For You?
If you need a credit card for personal or business use, American Express offers a variety of options. Picking the right card can be a daunting task, so I'm here to help you simplify the process by explaining the key pros and cons of a few of the most popular cards that American Express offers.
Do you prefer having no annual fee? Try the Blue or the Blue Cash cards, available for personal use or business use. Blue Cash rewards you for using your card by giving you up to 5% cash back. Both cards come with an introductory 0% APR and a permanent APR as low as 7.99%, depending on your credit history and card usage. These cards are also smartly designed in blue coloring and clear plastic. The Blue cards have pre-set spending limits, which some customers do not prefer.
American Express also offers their instantly recognizable green cards and gold cards. These cards have annual fees anywhere from $65-$90, but come with the flexibility of no pre-set spending limit. Let's clear something up, though, about what this actually means. Each purchase you make with your card is individually approved at the time of the sale, and approval is based on a variety of factors. Some factors used are credit record, personal resources, and past account history. "No pre-set spending limit" does not mean you have the ability to instantly charge whatever you want!
Posted by Colin at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)February 16, 2006
Editor's Review Of American Express Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card
The American Express Hilton HHonors Platinum credit card offers some fabulous rewards for those with distinctive taste and excellent credit. American Express is targeting those who earn a great salary and travel frequently either for business or personal reasons. The card offers a great points system where you earn 5 Hilton HHonors® bonus points for each eligible dollar spent on stays at over 2,700 Hilton Family hotels worldwide and for eligible purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, dining establishments, the U.S. Postal Service, and for wireless phone bills. The additional points earned really start adding up fast!
Another great feature offered by the American Express Hilton HHonors Platinum card are balance transfers from your higher-rate credti cards to your American Express® Card account with no transaction fee! Then enjoy the low APR: 2.9% for first six months of cardmembership.
The costs and fees of being a cardholder
The American Express Hilton HHonors Platinum is perfect for those who enjoy staying in the finest of Hotels such as the Hilton family of hotels. Your credit must be excellent to qualify for this card however most people who stay at Hilton hotels do have their finances in order. I really don't see any down side to this card other than the incredibly high interest rates for default accounts but high rates for default accounts with any credit card are incredibly high. The Hilton rewards card from American Express gets my approval.
Posted by Colin at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)January 22, 2006
Editor's Review Of Blue from American Express
The first thing to note about the Blue card from American Express is to qualify for this credit card you must have an excellent credit rating. Having anything less than near perfect credit will result in a rejection letter from Amex. This holds true for all American Express cards. Save yourself some time and the possibility of further rejections from other companies by not applying. It is a fact that if you apply for several credit cards and you are rejected that other lending institutions will take this into consideration when approving you for their card. If they see several denied applications for credit on your credit report they may deny you credit for this reason alone
Now getting to some of the details of the Blue card. At the time of publishing the Blue card offers an excellent incentive to apply by offering a 0% APR for the first 15 months. There is also a very low balance transfer rate of 3.99% (why don't they just call it 4%) for the life of the balance - what this means is if you are carrying a large balance with another credit card company at a higher rate you can transfer that balance to Blue and pay interest of only 3.99% versus typical rate of 16% or more. This can result in huge savings for you.
There is no annual fee which is incredibly good. Many credit card companies will charge you annual fees of over $100. This might not sound like much for the year but when you see an extra charge on your card you might not be so happy with that so why pay a fee when you don't have to. Many people will pay the annual fees to earn the rewards points that are offered - but - Blue from American Express provides you with the option to join their travel and merchandise rewards program. So why bother with other cards when Blue really can provide you with all the benefits without the annual fee.
For those with excellent credit and currently carry a balance on another card, Blue is the perfect option for you. Apply for the blue card and transfer your higher rate credit card to start saving immediately. If you don't want to transfer a balance the 15 month interest free period is something that you will definetely benefit from. An introductory 0% APR of 15 months is simply amazing - most other credit card companies only offer 6 month introductory periods.
The Blue card from American Express has my personal approval. I have never received any negative feedback from visitors about this card and I am very confident that you will have no complaints about it.
Review Of American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card
Business owners who have excellent credit will be the only applications accepted by American Express. If your credit is less than perfect you will need to apply for another business credit card such as the Advanta card which also offers rewards. To view the application for the Advanta rewards card - click here to check it out.
How you will earn rewards:
Earn double Miles when you use your American Express card for purchases at grocery stores, filling up with gas, paying your wireless phone bill, drug stores, hardware and home improvement stores. This is a really great feature to this card even if some of your purchases are personal in nature you can still make your purchase to earn travel rewards on your business card.
For all other purchases you will earn 1 mile for every dollar spent. You will also be rewarded an additional 15000 points upon making your first purchase on the card.
My feeling is that the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business credit card offers excellent rewards for small business owners. Personally what I recommend is that you use the points you earn from this card towards personal travel and pay for all your business expenses on the card. Why? Because you can take advantage of write-offs with your business travel where with personal travel you can't.
I also endorse this card because unlike other business credit cards American Express is not over-charging on interest - The APR's for American Express business cards is the same as it is for personal cards. Quite often other card issuers will charge businesses a premium rate and Amex does not do this.