I got my new Amex card today...you know, the 10,000-gets-you-75,000 miles promo.

The downside is this: Amex customer service is awful awful AWFUL! I mean horrendous. In fact, I have been unable to get through to Amex on ANY phone number to even ACTIVATE the card! Activation line, Gold line, Platinum line, international (toll) line - NONE of them work.

First of all, if I have a Gold or a Plat card that I'm paying $80-135 per year for, it is UNACCEPTABLE for me to EVER be on a long hold. For ANY reason. Diners Club has figured this out. To be unable to even activate the card (most companies have figured out an automated way to do this) is even worse.

The massive mileage bonus sure looked good in print, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the point where I can cash in.