Talk:American Express

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Text and/or other creative content from this version of ExpressPay was copied or moved into American Express#ExpressPay with this edit on 06:33, 14 June 2011. The former page's history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page, and it must not be deleted as long as the latter page exists.

To-do list for American Express: edit · history · watch · refresh · Updated 2006-11-27 Add section on products offered Add section on operating divisions (Citigroup is a good example for this)

Both snopes.com and this article are wrong when it comes to the black Amex card not existing until 1999. During my university days in the late 80's and early 90's, I worked nightclubs and restaurant/bars. I will swear on the Bible in court that not only did Black American Express cards exist back then, but I processed transactions on them from two different people (one VERY well-known sports celebrity, the other a rather non-descript person unknown to me to this day). Obviously, my comment here isn't proof, but there has to be some proof out there somewhere that these cards did exist WELL before 1999. Greg Salter (talk) 18:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Somewhere between 1984 and 1993 The New Republic ran a cover story on the American Express Black Card, and discussed cardholders such as Elton John and Imelda Marcos, for whom stores would open in the middle of the night and allow them private shopping. The TNR web site does not yet go back that far.Frank Lynch (talk) 15:40, 21 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

If there's an editor who has access to the Reader's Guide To Periodical Literature, could you please verify this reference in the New Republic? The bounds would be June, 1984 to June, 1993. Thanks. Frank Lynch (talk) 16:56, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure that there's a good reason to have a separate article for the Canadian division of Amex. There's no major, encyclopedic material in the Canadian article that couldn't be included in the main Amex article. In addition, the Amex businesses in several other countries are larger their Canadian business. What do people think? -- Crocodile Punter (talk) 06:52, 5 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Since there was no objection, I've gone ahead and merged the relevant content into American Express. --Crocodile Punter (talk) 22:01, 17 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In the history of its early founding, it is described as offering "express mail" but as the mails at that time was "letters" not "packages" with International Parcel Post service beginning circa 1890 and Parcel Post circa 1913, the service is more accurately described as "package delivery" I believe. Mulp (talk) 01:07, 10 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

User:Ykral has objected to my removal of the following text:

Unfortunately for Costco members and staff, in 2008 as American Express began having serious financial problems, many people found themselves with suddenly-reduced American Express credit limits, sometimes to a very large degree. The impact on Costco's sales is yet to be determined. Some Costco shareholders requested that Costco management examine this issue.

Unfortunately, much of this is either totally uncited (suddenly-reduced credit limits, requests to Costco management) or speculation (impact on sales). Either way, it needs a citation before it can be included in the article. Esrever ^(klaT) 20:19, 17 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with you Esrever, for several reasons:

1. It's not sourced, as you said. But even if it was:
2. The tone and language is pretty POV: it seems like that paragraph is there solely to pick a bone with Amex, rather than to aid understanding of the company and its operations
3. It makes far more sense to cover this topic in Costco's page, because obviously it has a far greater impact on Costco than on Amex. It just doesn't seem particularly useful or relevant on the Amex page.

--Crocodile Punter (talk) 22:16, 17 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Completely disagree. AmEx has become famous for its recent tactics and it is Costco's only credit card. You are plugging exactly that relationship here, then let the facts be known here. And verified with Galanti at Costco HQ. Call him. The matter is also noted on the Costco page. Thanks.Ykral (talk) 04:04, 18 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We're not "plugging" that relationship here. It's stated in a fairly neutral way in the article. I'm not sure "Galanti at Costco HQ" qualifies as a reliable source. Please note that we're only interested in things that have been reported in secondary sources here. Esrever ^(klaT) 04:10, 18 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If this is such a substantial issue that "AmEx has become famous for its recent tactics", then there should be no trouble finding secondary sources in news articles, etc. I think it's more likely that a handful of people have had a bad experience, which is bad of course, but it's minor in the grand scheme of things, and not relevant to an article about the entire company. Costco sales would have to be very small in relation to the total volume of purchases going through Amex cards, and it doesn't sound like Amex did anything all that unusual -- card issuers have always reduced credit limits when they thought people were more risky, and over the last year every issuer has become much, much more aggressive in reducing credit limits. My point is not to defend what Amex did, but to say that while it may have had a big effect on you personally, that doesn't mean it's a major issue worth discussing on the page. If you have a bone to pick with what Amex did to your personal account, take it up with them, rather than venting on wikipedia. -- Crocodile Punter (talk) 11:59, 19 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry my friends, what I posted is pure fact, nothing less. And if you don't know who Galanti is then you don't understand anything about the relationships. This is all business, not personal. And try reading up this page a little before you make your comments. Thanks. Ykral (talk) 15:27, 19 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, no one editor gets to decide what does or doesn't get included on Wikipedia. You need to establish consensus for your edits, and you clearly don't have it here. Why not discuss this stuff with those of us who object to its inclusion, rather than just reverting edits all the time? For instance, you must provide a citation for this stuff in the article, and you've not listed any reliable sources here. Esrever ^(klaT) 15:33, 19 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed much of this stuff, to to state things like this you need reliable sources, if there was widespread cancellations and line of credit reductions upon a seizable portion of the accounts in their portfolio there would be countless third party published reliable sources. You can't start putting in information that until theres actual proof amounts to nothing more then a disgruntled customer expressing his opinion on the company's actions. Likewise if you're going to mention Costco be sure that it's appropriate, sourced and in the right location not just hidden into another unrelated section to get the information in. All credit card companies are going to restrict credit usage or cancel accounts for people that are defaulting in their mortgages or is unemployed and being delinquent with their creditors. To say that Amex is on a campaign to axe off much of their risky portfolio would need real references. — raeky ^{(talk | edits)} 08:13, 21 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

American Express is best known for its iconic Green, Gold, and Platinum charge cards, and offers credit cards of similar color levels in most countries
What's about ?

What about what? What's your question? -- Crocodile Punter (talk) 06:02, 3 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I said: what about Gold and Platinum ? the article has no link and no information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.32.104.117 (talk) 14:29, 3 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You're right, it would be very useful to have more information about them, with links. Be bold: find appropriate information and add it! :) --Crocodile Punter (talk) 05:18, 5 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The company generated serious negative publicity regarding perceived abuse of its long-time paying clients, by slashing their credit limits regardless of payment history, and in many cases closing their accounts. Other factors reported in major newspapers include snooping on where clients were spending, and cutting credit because "other customers at that business were delinquent" (or some very similar language).

In addition to these negatives, perhaps someone can highlight more of what was going on at the company at the time. In the article, these events are just dismissed as a one-line comment about becoming a bank holding company. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.85.14.106 (talk) 05:21, 9 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

After seeing Optima as an option on Dominos.com for payment, I wondered what the heck it was, found the American Express website and this page. The American Express website appears to start the enrolment process for the Optima, though I didn't try to create an account. Is the brand resurfacing? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.16.61.8 (talk) 16:53, 20 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I propose that ExpressPay be merged into American Express. The ExpressPay brand name is exclusive to American Express cards. Also, the existing ExpressPay article is short and would fit in well. Finally, I note that the MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave brands do not have separate articles. HairyWombat 13:39, 4 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Later. Done. HairyWombat 05:34, 14 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Does not look good. --Aleksd (talk) 14:17, 20 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That's probably an issue with opera... — raekyt 15:52, 20 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

With all due respect to the official corporate history on American Express' website listing its founding city as Buffalo, NY when one does a Google search of American express founded albany, one gets quite alot of hits of websites listing the city of Albany, NY. Secondary independent sources do take precedence in Wikipedia over self-published sources from the topic of the article itself. If there is a conflict the independent sources need to be used regardless of "fact".Worldjustice (talk) 12:04, 5 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Totally can't figure out what "poda nae" is or are. I thought maybe this was a misspelling of "podanae," which was maybe a Latinate plural of "podana," except podana isn't a word in English. Neither is podanae. Neither is poda nae.

The "poda nae" context is: "The building completed the continuous masonry wall of its block-front poda nae and assisted in transforming Broadway..."

Huh? Bobby in the Bronx 173.77.133.20 (talk) 01:18, 20 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

A piece of news to look out for, as it effects content on the article. Holders of JetBlue cards were notified this week by American Express and JetBlue are ending their partnership, with the card moving to Barclay. Cardholders were informed to cease their use of the American Express version on March 20 and to switch to a card which Barclay will provide. The possible end of the partnership was discussed on the Internet in February 2015, but so far as I know there has not been a public announcement by American Express or JetBlue. I may have missed it. When something is publicly announced with a citable reference, the page should be updated.Frank Lynch (talk) 20:09, 24 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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I removed a large amount of material that was unsourced, improperly sourced, or promotional. If you object to what I did let's talk about it. Turkeyturkeypieyum (talk) 23:07, 5 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Already given you my views on alterations to the article. David J Johnson (talk) 16:38, 7 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

"The British government appointed American Express its official agent at the beginning of World War I. They were to deliver letters, money and relief parcels to British prisoners of war. Their employees went into camps to cash drafts for both British and French prisoners and arranged for them to recive money from home.

By the end of the war they were delivering 150 tonnes of parcels per day to prisoners in six countries."

^[1]

That is my paraphrase of the source, not a direct quote.

MidlandLinda (talk) 11:14, 27 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Since no one else has a suggestion I've inserted it in the Financial services section. MidlandLinda (talk) 19:52, 5 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The RED card had its own article but there was almost no info there - https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Express_Red&oldid=699764373. There were also no references, just a link to the AMEX page and as the product is discontinued, it redirects to main home page. Any useful info was salvaged and put on the Product RED and main Amex page. Rayman60 (talk) 00:00, 4 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I am going to add this picture to the article.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Yanjipy (talk • contribs) 17:16, 14 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Payback (loyalty card). Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Jonathan Haas (talk) 19:25, 19 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The list of ALL members of the board, which doesn't even WikiLink (for those for whom there are articles), can be replaced with a simple link to the board listing on their website, and it will be more up-to-date too. Pi314m (talk) 18:56, 7 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• AmEx Rome 2.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 05:23, 21 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The whole article is good. it just so seems to me that "early history" seems more of a history of the office buildings of AmEx. I wonder if there is a goal turning it into a history of their business, operation, people, etc

xinbenlv ^{Talk, Remember to "ping" me} 01:03, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]