American Express

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Ds@usmma

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My DS is looking into getting an American Express card. I read that service academy’s get the fee waived for the platinum card. Is this true and has anyone tried it?
 
Ds@usmma said:
I tried but AMEX said they don’t have his name on the SCRA. I think it’s because they are not active duty members yet
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That is indeed likely to be the reason. USMMA midshipmen are not AD. They are some category of USN Reserve. Unless they go AD at graduation, they then become USN Reserve officers.

If he is shopping for a credit card, things to look for - as someone quite likely to be out the country regularly - are no fee or waived fee, good airline mileage or travel points or cash back, how widely accepted overseas and in small businesses, and no foreign transaction service fees. If he is not eligible at this time for the AMEX deal, he should look at the financial institutions which focus on serving the military worldwide, such as USAA and NFCU.
 
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Truth be told, you may not want an AMEX card. It has lost acceptance in th States at a lot of places and that is even more tru overseas. That is in large part due to AMEX charging higher service fees as compared to Mastercard or Visa. There is a good discussion at AMEX Acceptance. This is what Rick Steeve’s says on his website, “American credit cards work throughout Europe (at hotels, larger shops and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies, and so on); Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common, and the Discover card is unknown in Europe. It’s a good idea to bring an extra card as a backup (especially if you’re renting a car and using your card to cover CDW insurance).”
 
JohnPAKP65 said:
Truth be told, you may not want an AMEX card. It has lost acceptance in th States at a lot of places and that is even more tru overseas. That is in large part due to AMEX charging higher service fees as compared to Mastercard or Visa. There is a good discussion at AMEX Acceptance. This is what Rick Steeve’s says on his website, “American credit cards work throughout Europe (at hotels, larger shops and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies, and so on); Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common, and the Discover card is unknown in Europe. It’s a good idea to bring an extra card as a backup (especially if you’re renting a car and using your card to cover CDW insurance).”
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While true, The Amex Platinum is king for AD Cadet/MIDNs due to the perks. Monthly Uber amounts, free streaming subs, Walmartplus, airport lounges, etc. They aren't necessarily looking to spend money, just get stuff. DS has both platinum and gold because the perks are different.
 
justme said:
While true, The Amex Platinum is king for AD Cadet/MIDNs due to the perks. Monthly Uber amounts, free streaming subs, Walmartplus, airport lounges, etc. They aren't necessarily looking to spend money, just get stuff. DS has both platinum and gold because the perks are different.
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That AMEX Platinum comes at a cost. Currently it has an annual fee of $695 for the primary cardholder and $175 for each additional authorized user.
 
Before I-Day, NFCU will have a tent set-up & helps the Plebe Candidates & their family open accounts, including Credit Cards if they want one. My suggestion would be to compare their CC w/ AmEx. My oldest who is in NROTC opened up all of his accounts that day too. They make it super easy! I agree with @JohnPAKP65 re: acceptance. I worked for Discover for 10 years. Their Cashback Program is one of the best but acceptance outside of the US makes it hard. My oldest hasn’t tested it but my guess is NFCU credit cards need to work all across the globe.
 
Boymomof3 said:
Before I-Day, NFCU will have a tent set-up & helps the Plebe Candidates & their family open accounts, including Credit Cards if they want one. My suggestion would be to compare their CC w/ AmEx. My oldest who is in NROTC opened up all of his accounts that day too. They make it super easy! I agree with @JohnPAKP65 re: acceptance. I worked for Discover for 10 years. Their Cashback Program is one of the best but acceptance outside of the US makes it hard. My oldest hasn’t tested it but my guess is NFCU credit cards need to work all across the globe.
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The NFCU card is almost universally accepted, domestically and internationally. See NFCU card
 
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JohnPAKP65 said:
Truth be told, you may not want an AMEX card. It has lost acceptance in th States at a lot of places and that is even more tru overseas. That is in large part due to AMEX charging higher service fees as compared to Mastercard or Visa. There is a good discussion at AMEX Acceptance. This is what Rick Steeve’s says on his website, “American credit cards work throughout Europe (at hotels, larger shops and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies, and so on); Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common, and the Discover card is unknown in Europe. It’s a good idea to bring an extra card as a backup (especially if you’re renting a car and using your card to cover CDW insurance).”
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I use my Amex almost exclusively and rarely run in to an issue of a place not accepting in US. In England and France there are a few smaller places that didn’t accept it but overall I have used it extensively through both countries.
 
Eddie123 said:
Whats the use of paying annual fees on a card ya cant use?
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Again, Amex waives fees for AD. (at least currently) So, lots of threads over the past 3-4 years on how Cadets & MIDNs were applying like crazy. They get lots of perks, including streaming services, Uber money, etc each month that they do use.
 
justme said:
Again, Amex waives fees for AD. (at least currently) So, lots of threads over the past 3-4 years on how Cadets & MIDNs were applying like crazy. They get lots of perks, including streaming services, Uber money, etc each month that they do use.
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Your correct, the AMEX fee waiver reduces the annual fee to $0 for active duty military, Guard and Reserve on 30+ day active orders, and military spouses of active duty troops.” I don’t think mids at KP fall into any of those categories.
 
justme said:
While true, The Amex Platinum is king for AD Cadet/MIDNs due to the perks. Monthly Uber amounts, free streaming subs, Walmartplus, airport lounges, etc. They aren't necessarily looking to spend money, just get stuff. DS has both platinum and gold because the perks are different.
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What are uber amounts, streaming subs and Walmartplus????
 

MLA

mla.dmdc.osd.mil mla.dmdc.osd.mil

You can check your eligibility for waived fees at this website for KP personnel. I travel a LOT domestically and internationally, and if you can get the Amex Platinum, I highly recommend.
 
GoNavy29 said:
What are uber amounts, streaming subs and Walmartplus????
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You probably should read the Amex benefits for the platinum card. But, those specific ones, IIRC, was something like $20/month back for Uber purchases made on Amex card, $20/month back on certain streaming subscriptions like Disney+ if used Amex card to purchase, and Walmart+ is Walmart's version of Amazon Prime. Other cards have similar perks, but not in total and not with the waived annual fee.*

That is a perk for AD personnel that Amex offers currently. They could change it at any time. So, beware. The annual fee is huge if it doesnt get waived.
 
justme said:
You probably should read the Amex benefits for the platinum card. But, those specific ones, IIRC, was something like $20/month back for Uber purchases made on Amex card, $20/month back on certain streaming subscriptions like Disney+ if used Amex card to purchase, and Walmart+ is Walmart's version of Amazon Prime. Other cards have similar perks, but not in total and not with the waived annual fee.*

That is a perk for AD personnel that Amex offers currently. They could change it at any time. So, beware. The annual fee is huge if it doesnt get waived.
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Thank you! I personally pay the fee!$
Very worth it! Thank you for sharing those perks!! I need to learn to read fine print!😅
I hope my DS will be able to get a Platinum!
Still CPR.
 
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