American Express Membership Rewards - Green card comparison - IDC / US - Business / personal

Which card has more benefits? The IDC / US - Business / personal Green card? since on the web there is not much written on each one's benefits - I don't know.

If you are a US resident it is much more difficult to obtain an IDC than a USA-issued card. You will need to document your identity, income and bank relationships.

All USA-issued business cards participate in OPEN savings. There is no corresponding personal or International Dollar Card program:

https://www257.americanexpress.com/opensavings/opensavings.do?inav=open_opensavings

USA Membership Rewards has different airline and hotel transfer partners, ratios, and promotions than the IDC version:

http://www.membershiprewards.com/catalog/travel/NewPointsTransfer.aspx?tab=airlines&mrnavlink=topnav:TravelFreqFlyerProg&ResetBreadcrumb=true

https://global.americanexpress.com/myca/intl/catalog/emea/action?request_type=un_intlCatalog&action=RewardsSearch&Face=en_EU&categoryId=9&pageNo=1

Thanks Mia,

That's helpful!

It seems that the US Green card comes with CDW. Does CDW also comes with the IDC card too?

I think not. CDW is bundled with "travel insurance" for International Dollar Cards, and the Green Card does not offer any travel insurance.

See chart here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/compare_the_american_express_cards.shtml

Note also that after year one there is an additional fee for IDC Membership Rewards (Green).

I think not. CDW is bundled with "travel insurance" for International Dollar Cards, and the Green Card does not offer any travel insurance.

See chart here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/compare_the_american_express_cards.shtml
It exactly states it comes with travel insurance. I am confused by your statement.


Note also that after year one there is an additional fee for IDC Membership Rewards (Green).
I am familiar with that.

www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/compare_the_american_express_cards.shtml

Comparing the cards the Basic does not, the Green, Gold and Plat comes with this feature.

But is it true?

It exactly states it comes with travel insurance

CDW is a basic low value feature of most American Express cards and I am surprised it appears not to be included. Green does include a Travel Accident Benefit and a Travel Inconvenience Benefit. I think I know what IDC means by those terms and it would not include CDW. Unfortunately, the website does not include a link to a summary document for Green as it does for Gold or Platinum.

I think you would need to phone the IDC office to obtain definitive information. Please let us know the outcome.

CDW is a basic low value feature of most American Express cards and I am surprised it appears not to be included. Green does include a Travel Accident Benefit and a Travel Inconvenience Benefit. I think I know what IDC means by those terms and it would not include CDW. Unfortunately, the website does not include a link to a summary document for Green as it does for Gold or Platinum.

I think you would need to phone the IDC office to obtain definitive information. Please let us know the outcome.
Only the IDC Plat card has CDW insurance! Not even the Gold! So to summarize: the ICD Green is not a good deal at all compared to the US Green card.

Savings on flights to over 400 international destinations

www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/compare_the_american_express_cards.shtml

Comparing the cards the Basic does not, the Green, Gold and Plat comes with this feature.

But is it true?
I meant it to be a new topic for someone to recognize the question but the moderator integrated it to here: So what is this deal of Savings on flights to over 400 international destinations Which come with IDC Green card and up but not with the Basic card?

What are the cash advance and foreign exchange fees for the US AMEX cards and the International Dollar Cards? I can't really find the answer.

What about the cash advance fees if the user fills up the card balance and uses not the credit line but his money to pay for the cash advance?

What are the cash advance and foreign exchange fees for the US AMEX cards and the International Dollar Cards?

The International Dollar Card terms are published here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/terms_conditions.pdf

See the table of fees in section 6. Foreign currency rate is 3%.

Cash advances are covered in a separate document:

https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Credit_AgreementforCash_Services_0211.pdf

The document is written to comply with UK law. The relevant statement is: A Cash Advance Fee of US$4 or 4% for US Dollar cards...(whichever is the greater) is payable for each cash advance you request. ATM providers may also charge their own fees for cash advances obtained in Pounds Sterling or in foreign currencies.

The USA foreign currency conversion fee is 2.7%, disclosed here:

https://www304.americanexpress.com/personal-card-application/preferred-rewards-green-charge-card/25330-10-0/0/0/0/n/?_flowId=prospectApp&_flowExecutionKey=_cFDABFEB3-DE60-D6CE-9A0B-1D90B85B7164_k2A5EFB0B-EE39-137E-9F68-8CEED611EE95&_eventId=termsAndConditions

USA-issued charge cards do not really offer cash advances. They offer access to cash from your linked checking account, although the debit may be delayed by a few days. The program is called Express Cash, and if you use that search term on the website you can find:

Are there fees associated with accessing cash on my American Express Card?
This depends on the product. For most products, the fee is usually either 3% of the transaction or $5.00, whichever amount is greater. International Cash advances are subject to either a foreign transaction fee or an increase in the converted U. S. dollar amount in addition to the cash advance / ATM fee.

Thanks Mia, that's really helpful!

The only question remained is what if I load the card account first to have a positive balance... then the cash advances are the same or maybe lower?

Here's another question: do the IDC Basic and Green card come with AMEX Buyer Protection? I haven't seen this on the list. What are the conditions for this in general? Do ALL AMEX cards come with Buyer Protection? Perhaps not.

I spoke with the rep and he said I can sing up for a personal card with a business bank account. Is that correct or a misunderstanding?

I spoke with the rep ...

USA or IDC? USA applications do not request any specific information about your bank accounts.

USA or IDC? USA applications do not request any specific information about your bank accounts.
IDC.

By the way how AMEX International can find out if I'm credit worthy? Of course they can ring up my bank and simply ask them but isn't there bank secrecy? At least in some parts of the world.

If American Express does not know of your bank, or if your bank will not provide what they request, the card applicaton will be declined. See here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1205022-amex-gold-query-republic-ireland.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1322939-credit-card-strategy-flying-expat-us.html

If American Express does not know of your bank, or if your bank will not provide what they request, the card applicaton will be declined. See here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1205022-amex-gold-query-republic-ireland.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1322939-credit-card-strategy-flying-expat-us.html
Thank you.

By the way what is the basic business model of AMEX? I mean I get that the credit card companies' model is that you pay late - and their revenue is from your interest payments but what about AMEX charge cards? They encourage you to pay it off every month.

OK, I'm a little bit confused in a few things:

http://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Credit_AgreementforCash_Services_0211.pdf
Says:
Annual Percentage Rate of Charge (APR)
This is the total cost expressed as an annual percentage of the total amount of your cash withdrawal limit.
The APR is there to help you compare different offers.
For accounts with a US Dollar or Euro card: 60.1 % APR (based on the sum of US$1,860 for Dollar cards or €1,500 for Euro cards being withdrawn in cash and the cash advance fee disclosed in the
Related Costs section below. No interest is charged on cash advances).
For accounts with a Sterling card: 42.6 % APR (based on the sum of £1,200 being withdrawn in cash and the cash advance fee disclosed in the Related Costs section below. No interest is charged on
cash advances).
The total charge for credit is US$74.4 for US Dollar cards, €60 for Euro cards or £36 for Sterling Cards
What is this credit thing? It's not a credit card is it?

The same document says that the cash advance fee is $4 and 4% for USD cards, then here it says:
http://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/en/travel/travelservices.shtml
Transaction fees are 3% for each transaction, with a minimum of $5.00 and no maximum.

What's the difference?

What is this credit thing? It's not a credit card is it?

This is a statement required by UK consumer legislation showing what the costs would be if you were to do exactly what is illustrated. In UK law the annual fee is treated as a finance charge.


http://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/en/travel/travelservices.shtml

This link appears to load a leftover page from the discontinued Latin American and Caribbean version of the International Dollar Card. The binding agreement for the ICD card is the document I linked earlier showing 4%.

Why are you interested in the International Dollar Card rather than a USA card?

This is a statement required by UK consumer legislation showing what the costs would be if you were to do exactly what is illustrated. In UK law the annual fee is treated as a finance charge.
Well, to be honest I read the piece and not quite understand. How does it get the 60.1 % APR and the US$1,860 I have no idea.


Why are you interested in the International Dollar Card rather than a USA card?
I'm not a US person, that's all I can get.

Are the US and International Membership Rewards programs different - and in general is MR different in every country? I can't find but to what airlines can you transfer points with the US Membership Rewards?

The US Green card also has a separate yearly fee to participate in MR or it's part of the card's price?

Are the US and International Membership Rewards programs different

Scroll back to post #2 of this thread where there are links to both the USA and IDC Membership Rewards transfer partners. Every version of Membership Rewards has its own earnings rate, promotional schedule, transfer partners, and transfer ratios.

Today Membership Rewards is included in the annual fee for USA-issued Green, Gold, Platinum and Centurion cards, but there used to be a separate fee. In the IDC version only the Green card has a separate fee.

I see. Thanks!

So theoretically it's possible to transfer MR points to SPG points then to 20.000 SPG points to 25.000 airline points... it's the best deal isn't it?

Or taking SPG Flights directly is the better option? I'm sure there is a topic about that.

... possible to transfer MR points to SPG points then to 20.000 SPG points to 25.000 airline points... it's the best deal isn't it?


Possible, but not attractive. The transfer rate from USA and IDC version of Membership Rewards to SPG is 3:1. In other words, 1000 Membership Rewards produces 333 Starpoints.

Possible, but not attractive. The transfer rate from USA and IDC version of Membership Rewards to SPG is 3:1. In other words, 1000 Membership Rewards produces 333 Starpoints.
That's really not the best option. Is it possible to redeem directly MR points to flights?

https://global.americanexpress.com/myca/intl/catalog/emea/action?request_type=un_intlCatalog&action=PrimaryCategorySearch&Face=en_EU&categoryId=3
I clicked on Airline Vouchers >>
and it says No results were found for your search. Please try again.

I understand that with US MR you can Pay with Points but with the IDC? Anyways, is the Pay with Points the most beneficial way to redeem MR points to flights?

Please see this thread for a comparison of various Membership Rewards USA redemption options:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1248102-best-use-amex-points-travel-cash-giftcards.html

Please see this thread for a comparison of various Membership Rewards USA redemption options:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards/1248102-best-use-amex-points-travel-cash-giftcards.html

Thanks for the link! It's interesting that AMEX US's own program is roughly half then value than transferring the points to airline programs.

And how does it work out with the AMEX IDC? It doesn't have a topic of it's own? I didn't find that it has a Pay with Points option only the transfer to airline programs deal. Correct?

Is it possible to redeem directly MR points to flights with AMEX IDC?

https://global.americanexpress.com/myca/intl/catalog/emea/action?request_type=un_intlCatalog&action=PrimaryCategorySearch&Face=en_EU&categoryId=3
I clicked on Airline Vouchers >>
and it says No results were found for your search. Please try again.

I understand that with US MR you can Pay with Points but with the IDC?


And how does it work out with the AMEX IDC? It doesn't have a topic of it's own? I didn't find that it has a Pay with Points option only the transfer to airline programs deal. Correct?
Could you help me with this one?

...interesting that AMEX US's own program is roughly half then value than transferring the points to airline programs.


This is what one would expect. When you redeem miles or points for flights or nights the airline or hotel is allowing you to use capacity which would otherwise be unsold. This creates an arbitrage situation where the reward is worth less to the provider than it is to the consumer. However, when you use Pay with Points you are asking the credit card issuer to convert points into money and buy a regular priced ticket. Money is (assumed to be) worth the same to everyone, and there is no arbitrage.

To my knowledge the IDC version of Membership Rewards has no Pay with Points option, but I have not asked because I think it is a dead end.

Thanks for the great explanation mia!