Lucky shares helpful tips on how to get a new metal American Express Platinum card. But I don’t want one.
Oh I do want one, actually, but not if I have to give up my existing one. Why? It is one of my last credit cards with raised numbers. That matters when you spend any amount of time in Germany.
Although even Germany is finally coming to grips with the age of credit cards, many business establishments still refuse to accept them. Many that do still use something like this:
Remember these? 1985 called. It wants its credit card reader back.
Here’s an example. My favorite steakhouse in Frankfurt, called Buffalo, still uses the old carbon paper system above. Recently I was there and pulled out my Chase Sapphire Reserve card to pay the bill since it earns 3x points on dining.
The waiter shook his head and I already knew why. He made back and forth motions with his hand as if he operating the old credit machine and I nodded in understanding.
Thankfully, my good old American Express Platinum card still has raised numbers and I was able to pay with card instead of cash. I could see the waiter was disappointed I had a back-up card!
Credit card companies are increasingly using trendy new metallic cards with non-raised numbers placed on the backside of the card. Most new cards from CITI and Chase are issued in this style. While I do prefer the look and feel of these cards, they are not as practical in all parts of the world.
I still have my American Express Gold card that is raised, but I plan to cancel that card. I also have a Chase INK card in my office somewhere that I may have to bring on future trips to Germany when AMEX eventually sends me a new card.
Seems like a funny problem to have, but in Europe this is still prevalent.
What is to say you can’t keep your old card as well as the metal one.
That would be ideal, but usually the new card has a different CID and sometimes and updated expiration date.
YMMV, but my chase cards work with different renewal dates.
I agree with this… You can just ask for a replacement card and they will send it out no problem (Same CID). Also, what percentage of us are traveling to places like Germany that often. This article is honestly kind of silly.
Not only is it silly, it’s extremely rare in Germany to encounter this problem. Anyway, my bank gave me a visa a master a metal master a virtual visa a virtual disposable one time use visa and a maestro card for countries where cc’s are accepted less. All have the same cashback.
I HATE my steel card, Avoid it if you travel out of North America.
It’s not just about raised letters, the steel cards don’t work in the machines, even when I enter the correct PIN!
I just got my new Amex CANADA platinum steel card, i am traveling in South Africa and not a single machine works with this card. The only way I could rent a car was to call Amex long distance from South Africa, to have them special approve the transaction.
Amex says this is the merchants issue$&@!
I worked retail all through the 90s, and my wife still has the carbon system for backup for her business. You know what the backup for raised numbers is? Writing the number down with a pen; it’s carbon paper, not magic. If you have no other card it may take 30 seconds, but they’ll do it to get paid. The waiter/business without a swipe or chip system may be “disappointed” that you have a raised number card, but imagine how disappointed they’d be if you had no other way to pay.
And I tend to think in Germany I’d be washing dishes before he took out a pen to write down the numbers. Logical solution, though.
I am a German and I’ve never seen someone use such a thing for credit cards since the 90s.
A German bank issued a master card with all the numbers on the back of the card.
LOL #Firstworldproblems Matthew! I ordered one I don’t intend to use (too heavy) for a slightly different reason (spite). Clearly I’m in the minority! 🙂
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/62m0x3/psa_everyone_that_requested_a_replacement_amex/dfnkwqt/
I agree on the concern, although I have a number of other cards that still have raised numbers, so I’m covered if there’s a problem.
That said, I’m looking forward to the new cards, because I’ve had horrible problems with cards cracking ever since they changed to the chip card design. I don’t have that problem with any other card I carry.
At least they accepted a card. Went to DT FRA for lunch in between a long layover and had a good meal at this one restaurant. When it came time to paying the bill, I was told they were cash only. We had exactly enough EURs to cover the bill but not a tip. At that time, I didn’t have a Schwab/Cap1 360 account so didn’t want to go to the ATM either for just a tip. Felt bad but it’s the restaurant’s fault for not accepting credit cards in 2015 especially in a country like Germany.
We only have Citi cards, all the spending going to American miles, is there another card that I could link my AA miles to in-order to keep funding my account?
Thank you in advance
The American Aviator card from Barclays perhaps?
Aren’t the numbers still raised though? They are on my CSR. Maybe not enough for the ’85 reader?
They are indeed very slightly raised, but not even for the carbon paper to pick up.
Manual card imprinters still used even in Silicon Valley, but only as a backup. https://twitter.com/askmrlee/status/732192422290038784
But even non-high end cards are going this way like Discover and CapitalOne. One of my CapitalOne cards went non-embossed like 4 years ago it seems.
Carbon Copy of your credit card. Luckily you haven’t had it stolen. How many places still use this Olde technology may have been a better article and prevalent to the topic of this new Amex, then 1 place in Germany, just to draw in readers. Article needs substance. You mention your going to cancel your Gold Card, the Platinum now offers Gold Cards so you do have a back up there also,but you failed to draw attention to that.
Many places in Germany and Austria. The steakhouse was just an example. Even if it was just the steakhouse, that would be enough …
I solved the problem by living in Europe and only eating steak in the USA. Perhaps, I am in the minority but IMHO the best steak houses (globally) are in the United States. So, I often see no need to eat steak in Europe. (or at least, seldom eat steak in Europe…)
FWIW, I’ve never (seldom) had issues with my Chip+Pin AMEX (Metal Card) in Germany. Must totally be dining at different places. Same with Netherlands (but, AMEX is less of a thing, but gaining ground in Amsterdam where I lived for 3+ years)….. Now in London, it’s never an issue and ALWAYS Chip+Pin AMEX (if AMEX is accepted.. which is often a minor pet peeve of mine…)
“Many places” is definitely not true. I am using credit cards in Germany for years on a daily basis and I never (!) encountered this. The one and only time I used this was in a taxi in Miami.
Matthew, weren’t you going to cancel your AmEx plat card? I thought you might want to think about that post you wrote earlier this month.
Hi Alan,
I am going to cancel my AMEX Gold card, but certainly keep the Plat. I linked to that post in my article.
Actually, he threatened to cancel his Platinum card too.
http://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2017/03/09/warning-american-express/
I HATE my steel card, Avoid it if you travel out of North America.
I just got my new Amex CANADA platinum steel card, i am traveling in South Africa and not a single machine works with this card. The only way I could rent a car was to call Amex long distance from South Africa, to have them special approve the transaction.
Amex says this is the merchants issue$&@!
Hello Matthew,
So from what I understand, when your platinum card expires, you will be pushed to the new metal platinum card.
HOWEVER, you could get an additional gold card attached to your platinum card account for no additional fee and have that in your name (amex is going to be waiving fees for additional gold cards that are attached to platinum card accounts). Those will still be issued in plastic with the raised numbers, and will still show up on your platinum card bill.
I know this means extra plastic in your wallet,but may be a good work around.
I cary a few credit cards so I don’t like the raised numbers ones. They make my wallet thicker. I’m not sure the reason American Express still have raised numbers because many places still don’t have electronic reader. I found that strange the steakhouse in Frankfurt still using the old credit card reader and accepted American Express. I just got back from a trip to Europe. I went to many places in Paris, Berlin, and Prague. I have not very rare that I found a place accepting American Express. Europe is far more ahead than the US in credit card. They’ve been using cards with chip fore years before I got my first one with chip. For that reason, a merchant in Frankfurt still using the old credit card reader is VERY rare.
You’re right that Europe is ahead of the USA when it comes to chips, but I think Germany is way behind the USA in terms of overall credit card acceptance rates. There are still far too many places in Germany that are cash or EC-card only.
Correct, and your raised numbers cc won’t help you in such places, a bank with good service however will help you by providing you with proper cards so you can spend worldwide.
Why do places in Germany don’t accept cc’s? Because they are expensive to accept. Especially amex
WHY I WON’T BE REQUESTING A METAL AMEX PLAT CARD…i am from Bangladesh..