Are you a new American Express customer? Here are the 5 things you need to do as soon as you get your credit card
Almost daily we receive messages from users of our site asking for help in taking advantage of the many benefits [...]
Almost daily we receive messages from users of our site asking for help in taking advantage of the many benefits associated with American Express cards. Today we try to answer the most frequently asked questions with what we here at TFC believe are the essential steps for new cardholders.
In this article:
Of course, all these activities must be done after activating the card and receiving it through the mail.
Download the American Express app
It may seem strange to most, but many users do not download the official app, I have no idea if it is because of laziness or lack of space on the smartphone. The app is essential to get h24 into the services offered by the card, keep track of expenses, activate offers, manage your profile, up to-in case of emergency- temporarily blocking a lost card. All active Amex under your profile will be present in the app, regardless of whether we are talking about personal or corporate cards.
Activate Apple Pay
Amex cards can be paired with the Apple Pay payment system, so by doing so we will have our card on our cell phone or smartwatch and will not have to take it out of our wallet every time we need to pay and, even more conveniently, there will be no need to type in the PIN when paying with this mode avoiding contacts with surfaces and greatly speeding up payment operations, even at the turnstiles of the Milan subway for example.
Learn about the Memebership Rewards loyalty program
All Amex base cards participate in the Membership Rewards point collection, on this site we have repeatedly explained how using these points you can book a ticket to go around the world, pay the hotel at Disneyland or more simply discount everyday expenses (but we do not recommend this use). In addition to this, you need to know the mechanism of particular promotions, such as the Introduce a friend who can accumulate hundreds of thousands of points Every year to all owners.
Apply for card-related benefits
Almost every card has special benefits, the American Express Explora for example, allows you to earn up to 3 points for every euro spent. Once the card is activated, you have to choose the merchandise category where you want to earn the bonus. Please note that the category can be changed a maximum of 1 time per year.
If the card provides for obtaining the Priority Pass to enter lounges for free around the world, you have to make the request. If you are a customer American Express Platinum, you will have to spend a few hours filling out forms and sending applications for statuses in hotel chains or for car rental as far as cabs.
Take advantage of the many promotions
In the special section on the website and app you will find dozens of promotions that allow you to save hundreds of euros on everyday expenses. We have devoted dozens of articles to explain offers that gave away hundreds of euros on groceries at Carrefour or Esselunga, at hotels in Italy (and beyond) to online shopping on dozens of sites.
In addition, it should not be forgotten that there are several bonuses related to cards, for example thehe Payback card is free for life and gives away lots of bonus points on many merchandise categories.
