JULY 8, 2008

Adios, AmEx

As we all know, in today’s society there are very few products or brands that we are fiercely loyal to.  Quick, can you name a brand that you will go out of your way to buy?  I can’t.  For most things, I’ll buy whatever is on sale, whatever is convenient or whatever catches my eye on any given day.  There are a few stores that I really love- Amazon.com, Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s - but to say I am fiercely loyal to them is a stretch.  I rarely buy anything from any of the brick-and-mortar stores more than once a month, because they simply aren’t convenient. 

One brand that I have been semi-loyal to for many years now, though, is American Express, whose credit card allows me to earn frequent flyer miles on Delta.  I grew up in Atlanta, and my dad is a very frequent business traveler, so from as early as I can remember, Delta was the only airline to fly.  I got my own Delta AmEx card several years ago and use it for everything. 

I have cashed in my miles for several trips, but as Krissy mentioned in her post last week, flying is almost becoming more trouble than it’s worth these days.  And with a baby on the way, I think my days of frequent flying are in the past.

And now, the nail in the coffin: I received an email from Delta this week informing me that they will now charge me $25 to use miles for a domestic flight. Seriously? I thought the whole point of frequent flyer miles was that you got to fly for free.

Well, guess what?  Delta - and now AmEx - have lost my loyalty.  There are no benefits to me anymore to keep using my AmEx Delta card.  I have officially made the switch to an Amazon rewards credit card. My husband has had an Amazon card for years and loves that he gets Amazon gift certificates after spending a certain amount of money.  I love that I can buy virtually anything I need from Amazon, often for a reduced price with free shipping.

It was a tough decision and the first few times I used the new card (which happened to be at Target, and then at Amazon) I felt like I was cheating on Delta.  However, I doubt that Delta cares about me, so why should I care about them?  The bottom line, in my opinion, is that for basically any product or service, customers have the power.  There is always another option, another competitor, another place to spend my money, and I don’t have to stick with my past preferences and behaviors. 

So, I have now officially converted to my Amazon credit card.  Bye-bye Delta AmEx.  (except that I’ll have to hold on to my AmEx card for when I shop at Costco, which only accepts American Express.  What’s up with that?)