sarmas@topaz.ARPA (Sarmas) (04/29/85)
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The question as to what of these cards should one prefer (American
Express or Diners Club) may seem ridiculous but I am seriously concerned.
I want such a card in order to be able to travel around the world. I know
that many people will recommend instantly Amex but I have noticed in Europe
that Diners is much respected.Also Diners offers a "reserved hotel room"
service (Amex offers it for gold cards only).
Can anybody list some service facts?, tell about experience or any
pitfalls?.
Thanks in advance
sarmas@topaz (Rutgers Univ.)bhs@siemens.UUCP (04/30/85)
I believe that Amex is the only company to maintain offices around the world in major cities. These are very useful, they are staffed by english speaking personnel for travel arrangements, and as an added bonus, let you cash your american personal checks (up to $400 a month or so) against hard cash/traveler's checks. Also, if you lose Amex trvelers checks or card, theirs is known to be the best and fastest customer service, travel mags and business mags occasionally will stage comparison tests, losing checks and cards in foreign cities during holiday weekends. Amex has in the past consistently come out on top. B. H. Schwab Siemens RTL, Pricneton, NJ
ben@moncol.UUCP (Bennett Broder) (04/30/85)
> The question as to what of these cards should one prefer (American >Express or Diners Club) may seem ridiculous but I am seriously concerned. >I want such a card in order to be able to travel around the world. I know >that many people will recommend instantly Amex but I have noticed in Europe >that Diners is much respected.Also Diners offers a "reserved hotel room" >service (Amex offers it for gold cards only). > Can anybody list some service facts?, tell about experience or any >pitfalls?. First of all, the American Express assured reservation plan is available to all cardmembers, not just to those with gold cards. In fact, the only real difference between a green card and a gold one is that a major bank has agreed to provide a personal line of credit for gold cardmembers, so they can get cash and/or travelers checks on the spot. Second, the American Express card is very widely excepted in Europe (at least in Italy, France, England, Belgium and Holland), and I have travelled extensively in these countries with only the AMEX card and some travelers checks. American express also provides a wealth of other services, even discount subscriptions on MCI called Expressphone. (No more MCI flames, please) I, for one, have been very pleased with their service (Amex, not MCI). Since I don't have a Diners Club, I am not as familiar with its worldwide acceptance, however, I cannot recall ever seeing an establishment that takes Diners Club, but not American Express; I have seen many that take Amex but not Diners. I have seen places that take Master Card/Visa but not Amex, claiming that Amex charges too high a percentage. My advice would be to carry Amex for most of your charges, a bank card for those shops that don't take Amex, and some travelers checks for those that don't take any cards at all. Ben Broder ihnp4!princeton!moncol!ben
stadlin@hou2h.UUCP (Art Stadlin) (05/01/85)
> > American express also provides a > wealth of other services, even discount subscriptions on MCI called > Expressphone. (No more MCI flames, please) I, for one, have been > very pleased with their service (Amex, not MCI). > I'm surprised MCI did not team-up with MasterCard International! ^ ^ ^ -- \\\ \\\\ Art Stadlin \\\\\\________!{akgua,ihnp4,houxm}!hou2h!stadlin
carl@bdaemon.UUCP (carl) (05/03/85)
> > > The question as to what of these cards should one prefer (American > >Express or Diners Club) may seem ridiculous but I am seriously concerned. Master Card served us well in Fiji and Western Samoa five years ago. Only a few times did we have to use AMEX and regardless of the card the exchange rate was better with the cards than at banks, hotels etc., with travellers checks (also AMEX!). We were told that this happens because the card companies honor the exchange rate existing on the day the card is used while the travellers checks must clear (in Australia about two weeks later) before the merchant will know how much they are worth. The uncertainty is enough to warrant a lower rate (Exception: The state run bank in Suva, Fiji had by far the best rates, service etc.). CAUTION: Always keep your copy of the card transaction. After returning from Cozumel two years ago we got a monster bill from VISA. The people at one of the large US car rental agencies had torn up the originals and handwritten new ones for three times what we had signed for. Once VISA got photo-copies of our copies, the money was quickly refunded. Carl Brandauer
mickey@cca.UUCP (Mickey Levine) (05/05/85)
I can only speak of my recent trip, but the preffered card in Europe seemed to be VISA followed by AMEX. One GREAT thing I can say about using AMEX is that the exchange rate is usually the bank rate on the 2day of exchange. While in France, the exchange rate was moving around 9.10 - 9.40 FF/Dollar. My latest bill had the exchange rate at 9.46 and 9.48 FF/Dollar. Since I made some sizeable (>$100) purchases, this really paid off. Mickey Levine decvax!cca!mickey
greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross Greenberg) (05/06/85)
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What was indicated about the foreign exchange rate on credit cards
versus travelers checks may vary from card to card:
Recently I got nailed with a higher than expected bill from American
Express from my last European sojourn. I put hotels and rented cars and
airlie tickets on the card.
American Express fixes the exchange rate for all (except airlines) not
on day of purchase, but rather on day of merchant deposit. So, when the
dollar was falling from a high of 141 drachmas, my friendly merchant
held onto the AMEX receipt until it had fallen to 128, then deposited it.
I got stuck with a higher bill. Same thing happened in France and in Isreal.
Airlines, according to AMEX, fix their own rates!!
Better check before you spend...
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Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York
--------->ihnp4!cmcl2!timeinc!greenber<---------
"If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other,
there better be no trade. A trade by which one gains and the other
loses is a fraud." --- Dagny Taggertsrm@nsc.UUCP (Richard Mateosian) (05/09/85)
In article <163@timeinc.UUCP> greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) writes: > >Recently I got nailed with a higher than expected bill from American >Express from my last European sojourn. > >American Express fixes the exchange rate for all (except airlines) not >on day of purchase, but rather on day of merchant deposit. So, when the >dollar was falling from a high of 141 drachmas, my friendly merchant >held onto the AMEX receipt until it had fallen to 128, then deposited it. If your credit slip is in drachmas, then your friendly merchant can't benefit by manipulating the posting date. The merchant getshe fixed number of drachmas specified. When we were in London last Christmas, we benefitted from the drop in the pound that occurred after we le, because merchants were slow in posting our charges. -- Richard Mateosian {allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!srm nsc!srm@decwrl.ARPA
greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) (05/11/85)
Regarding the idea of whether a merchant in another country *must* take
payment in that currency or may take payment in dollars US:
It depends on the country, according to American Express. So if a merchant
wants to, they may exchange their 19452 ding-dongs into dollars or
ding-dongs as per their desire.
Greece happens to be a country where *certain* merchants have this
option.
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Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York
--------->{ihnp4 | vax135}!timeinc!greenber<---------
Timeinc probably wouldn't acknowledge my existance, and has
opinions of its own. I highly doubt that they would make me
their spokesperson.
------
"If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other,
there better be no trade. A trade by which one gains and the other
loses is a fraud." --- Dagny Taggert