Apparently there is a technical distinction between an email or text message which is pushed to my phone by American Express, and the type of alert you have in mind. Please explain how it differs, and why you prefer it.
Push notifications generally involve a message being sent directly to the American Express application installed on the device. This enables a few features that email or SMS cannot including:
- Acknowledging the notification will open the Amex app (not an Amex website) and in some cases take you directly to the relevant transaction in the app (if enabled by Amex).
- Push doesn't rely on the email or mobile number that Amex has on file for you, it's only necessity is that the app is installed. Handy when traveling and using foreign sim cards or if the email you use with Amex isn't on your phone.
- Push is generally immediate, when compared with email, which depending on your email settings, can be received with some delay which could be problematic for alerts about 'suspicious' activity, especially if you're abroad using a different number and the only contact mechanism that Amex can reach you by is email.
It should also be noted that Amex does support Push, especially via Apple Pay on iPhones. I have my Amex cards enabled for ApplePay and whenever I use my Amex card for a purchase, whether via tapping my phone to pay or swiping my physical card, I get a push notification to my iPhone 6 with the merchant and transaction amount.
This is actually much better than Citi or Chase which only send alerts to ApplePay if you use ApplePay to tap to pay.