rrgg

You are right that strictly speaking you did not literally write "only Americans." But if you really meant that, you would have written something like "people like to think they're important." The implication of your statement is a singling out of Americans.

And your logic analogy is wrong anyway. Something comparable to your original statement would be, "lions are killing off the zebra herd because they're carnivores." That doesn't mean there aren't other carnivores, but it does mark lions as the guilty party, and ignores that hyenas might be just as responsible for killing them off.

I already apologized for misunderstanding you, so your pedantics aren't coming off so friendly.

21A

I'm not even sure that in many cases that there are still "classic" and "gold" levels. e.g. Citibank's basic products, even for students, are "Platinum Select" and "Dividend Platinum Select" (apparently, anticipating the ubiquity of Platinum, they added Select)... but most of their others don't have any metallic classification anyway. For the AAdvantage cards, they do have Bronze (eh? didn't silver use to come below gold?), Gold and Platinum.

I suspect it's just the "race to the bottom" phenomenon suggested above, where as soon as Gold hit critical mass, no one wanted anything that wasn't marketed that way, so all the products added that to their name, and then eventually the same for Platinum.

everywhere

Where will it end ?

alanh

I want a Yttrium card!

SOhp101

As for condescending Europeans, most people are specifically referring to the French. Most people in France are annoyed with those who speak English when coming to France and expecting everyone to understand what they're saying.

It may be condescending to you, but think about the way you would act to a tourist who walked up to you and started to speak spanish (which is the second most spoken language in the US, mind you) and began getting annoyed that you couldn't understand him.


My 'special Americans' comment was merely a half-attempt at a joke.

A more appropriate response would be that:
- use of credit is more popular in the US
- people with 'high prestige' cards will spend more, regardless of their income

The word platinum on credit cards nowadays is akin to teachers telling their students that "you are all unique."

just like everyone else.

hazzey

Actually, this is the reason why I won't be visiting France anytime soon. I really want to, but I also don't want to be "one of those tourists." Sadly, until I learn another language well enough to converse, my country visiting options are cut back.

berkeleybum

Actually, there is well-documented history of Americans thinking that they are special. Its called "American exceptionalism"

And more OT, I hate that I'm not even in my 20s yet and have no less than 5 platinum cards in my wallet. Nothing to strive for.

rrgg

"American exceptionalism" is a term that refers to a perception of America's political place in the world-- offering hope for humanity through freedom.

It has nothing to do with Americans thinking they're prima donnas who deserve platinum cards, mansions, and bling.

HMizzle

I want a Noble Gas level card.

jackal

Here's one: the Citi/AA card comes as a World MasterCard (MC's highest level, including the No Preset Spending Limit feature), but that card is further broken down into a Gold World and Platinum World product (it's not enough to just be World). But if you go to MasterCard's web site, Gold, Platinum and World are three separate products (although that same site makes no differentiation between the Gold and Platinum benefits), so how can Citi issue a Gold World or a Platinum World card? That's like labeling something a basic luxury car or a low-resolution HDTV (although I suppose 720p would qualify for that, at least in comparison to 1080p...).

American Express is even better. You have your standard Classic (Green), Gold and Platinum (and Centurion, but we'll leave that alone for now) charge cards, and the Platinum card comes with some pretty decent benefits (at least compared to the generic Visa/MC platinum cards). But American Express also offers platinum-level credit cards (like the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card or the Platinum Costco Cash Rebate card) which feature nowhere near the benefits of the platinum charge card. (Oh, and then there's Blue, which is completely outside of the traditional metallic card categories. Are we supposed to think that Blue is better or worse than Green, Gold or Platinum? Or different? None of their advertising specifies which cards are charge cards versus credit cards or even what the difference is...)

My second credit card, which I obtained six months after my first (secured) card, was a Capital One Platinum card (interestingly, if you go to Capital One's site, you can sort cards by your credit type, and--guess what--from Excellent down to Limited History, all they offer is Platinum; adding further confusion, they offer an additional "Visa Professional" product...). Within three years, I had two Visa Signatures, one Mastercard Platinum World (yes, Citi/AA), a Visa Platinum Select, and an American Express Platinum (well, Platinum Costco Cash Rebate, which really isn't very platinum), among a few others. The marketing machine worked: I was proud of all of my precious metal cards and felt like I was a master of superior financial resources.

Now, if I could only someday hit a platinum or equivalent level in a frequent flyer program...

alex0683de

Remember how it is in the Olympics? Bronze comes before Silver, which comes before Gold. So basically, someone who has a Bronze Card is scum not worthy of Silver...

Basically, it's a matter of a sort of "inflation of expectations". There are people nowadays who would take not being offered a Platinum card as a slight. Remember the days when there was no Platinum? When things ended at Gold? Or when there was no Gold at all? It's all been marketing from the beginning.

The reason it hasn't happened outside the US is that 1. there is less credit card usage in other countries and 2. companies in other countries tend to be more protective of their premium product.

With regard to 1.: I know a number of people in Switzerland and Germany who don't have any credit card and just use Maestro debit cards or cash instead. When you have not even sewn up the market with your regular credit card, there is no need to keep stealing market share from others by (supposedly) differentiating your product by slapping on the name of a precious metal. I have 5 credit cards - two from Switzerland, three from Germany. They're all basic cards (though three of them are co-branded).

In any case, while it's absolutely correct that Europeans also have and covet status symbols, they're usually more subtle. Bling won't get you much other than disgust in Continental Europe. And the same goes for a credit card that screams "Oooh, look at me, I want you to think I'm important!" The best you can hope for is to be regarded as a self-important w@nker, probably less than that. Most people who work with credit cards over here barely even look at them anyway.

With regard to 2.: European companies like to keep their premium product premium. That is why there are no unlimited free upgrades on European airlines, and that is why banks actually require you to reach the (rather high) qualification requirements for their premium products. They realize that when a product is no longer regarded as premium, people are no longer willing to pay a premium for it. That is why the First Class and Business Class cabin on US carriers are full of upgraders - when you think you can get the product for free, why would you pay for it? It's all about revenue protection, and if this means going out with empty seats in F and flying everyone in the cabin they paid for, so be it. If it means giving everyone a basic Visa unless they're willing to pay a higher annual fee for the Gold, then so be it. (BTW, yes, most credit cards in Continental Europe, even the basic ones, still come with an annual fee. I bet US card issuers would love to still be able to charge people for using their card!)

There are some companies who are starting to buck the trend, but they're not well-regarded. One example is http://www.gebuhrenfrei.com/ (German only, sorry), but somehow I fail to see the cachet of a card which screams "GOLD!" but still carries the word Gebührenfrei meaning "free of fees".

rrgg

Although the MC benefits may be the same, Citi attaches their own benefits to these 2 cards which differ.

bpgveg14

We ARE all fancy over here! That's why I'm wearing my $200 Air Jordan sneakers and sipping my $5.00 bottle of spring water filtered through the thighs of Polynesian virgins!

ralfp

A US$9,000 limit seems kinda low... it doesn't take much to get cards with limits in excess of that. I would not surprise me if those levels were applicable to US cards. A card with a US$4500 limit is at the low end of usefulness; you can barely buy two last minute trans-pac round trips.

Maybe banks in the US are just a bit more generous with credit?

BTW: I'm just a regular guy with (for this forum) probably below average income and a non-perfect credit rating (not too bad though).

ralfp

A US$9,000 limit seems kinda low... it doesn't take much to get cards with limits in excess of that. It would not surprise me if those levels were applicable to US cards. A card with a US$4500 limit is at the low end of usefulness; you can barely buy two last minute trans-pac round trips.

Maybe banks in the US are just a bit more generous with credit?

BTW: I'm just a regular guy with (for this forum) probably below average income and a non-perfect credit rating (not too bad though).