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My grandma passed away few months ago and I had to cancel an air ticket that I bought through Priceline.

When I called Chase to use their travel protection, the CSR redirected me to eclaimsline.com.

I filed a claim and uploaded my credit card statement showing the charge and the email receipt from Priceline. few days later they updated the claim demanding statement from both my airlines (booked on two different airlines) stating that I did not receive any refund (or partial), terms and conditions of ticket cancelation from both airlines, T&C from Priceline because i purchased via Priceline, a copy of the death certificate and statement from Priceline confirming that I didn't receive a refund or credit. And all of these statements must show the company logo (email address wasn't enough apparently).

Worst part was United didn't have a template for no refunds issued for this ticket and the CSR who emailed me chose a template that mentions credit for future flights in case of cancelation due to family emergency. My claim was denied because of the word credit in that email and I had to email few times before they finally agreed to pay me. This took well over 5months.

So yea, I'm really thinking about canceling my Reserve card and getting an Amex Platinum.

This is the exact reason I keep my Amex. I have yet to have a bad customer service experience with them, and I've asked for some pretty ridiculous stuff in retrospect.

Every time I sign up for a new card (google credit I'm looking at you) the customer experience is just absolutely horrible. I mean rip-you-off type horrible - where you enter a bank account for autopay, and they then charge you late fees for 2 months because "our terms of service say adding an autopay account may take up to 90 days". The other card I've signed up for in the last 18mo was a store credit card to get 20% off a one time purchase - and they couldn't even get that right. I had to have my lawyer call and threaten to sue before they finally credited the proper amount and closed my account. It's just ridiculous what most folks seem to put up with.

I've tried to cancel my Amex since I pay a yearly fee which I find stupid. But each time I deal with any other credit card company I pretty much realize Amex is in a league of it's own.

If they start to dip on customer service it's all over for them. That is the only thing keeping them alive on life support at this point, but that's really all it will take as long as their competition is so utterly anti-consumer.

I'm starting to avoid doing business with companies that don't take Amex. It's just not worth the hassle of dealing with anyone else. My Costco membership is no more due to this.

That all said - it's just a stupid way to pay for stuff. I'd prefer to use cash all things considered, but unfortunately that's generally not possible this day in age.

> it's just a stupid way to pay for stuff

Why? Credit cards are faster, safer, easier and simpler than using cash - and come from with benefits and service. How is cash really better outside of anonymity and quick transactions these days?

Sorry this is so long, I didn't have time to write a shorter version.

> Why? Credit cards are faster

No. There's no electronic lookup to verify cash is valid. No swipe, no chip with cash.

> safer

Nope. Thanks to Target and Home Depot breaches, plus some other hacks, I've had to replace cards 4 times in the last 18 months (3 in 6 months). Those last 3 all had chips too, so much for being safer or more secure. To say nothing of skimmers or card cloning. Fortunately they don't use RFID in credit cards or else it would be double.

I will note that I was never on the hook for fraudulent charges, so protection is a definite advantage to credit. Amex has also been secure for me throughout my history with them.

> easier and simpler

Open wallet. Hand cash over. Get change, if any. This is the same effort as taking out a card, swiping/inserting it, and putting it back in my wallet. The only advantage to credit is online purchasing, which excludes cash transactions by its very nature.

> and come from with benefits and service

Very true. Except for purchase protection however, these always require a membership fee, and not all services offered are useful. I've seen high-end card services that "book your travel, hotel, everything" for you, but are still subject to blackout dates. So what am I paying $450/year for if you can't overcome that? (Takes me 15-30 minutes online to figure out) Also a lot of travel services are pegged to a single airline or hotel chain, e.g. Chase Sapphire and United Airlines. (that's working out well recently)

>How is cash really better outside of anonymity and quick transactions these days?

You said credit was "faster" and then later said cash is better from "quick" transactions? Typo?

Regarding anonymity, that's crucial. Credit card breaches risk revealing all kinds of other personal information, and can be used for credit history gaming, loan applications, identity theft, etc. There is no convenience in having your credit score wrecked by some hacker just because you bought a greeting card at Target, and then only because their HVAC vendor was lazy/stupid.

Even if that didn't happen, every company is sharing purchase and customer information. Once they link it to Facebook, they can find out what all your friends are buying as well, and then target ads or sell info to spammers. Cash prevents that, at least for now.

>> Why? Credit cards are faster >No. There's no electronic lookup to verify cash is valid. No swipe, no chip with cash.

This goes against every experience I've had waiting behind someone with cash at the grocery store. A credit card is just a single swipe (not even a signature for low dollar amount purchases at many places), while it always takes longer for someone to pay with cash and the cashier to make change.

Making the assumption that the entire transaction flows perfectly, you're generally correct. But if your chip is dirty, or there's a network interruption, or... a 30 second transaction turns into several minutes of repeating the same actions, waiting for the skinner box to spit out some food.

Cash is only really slow because people have lost their familiarity with how to give change. I find that to be somewhat unfortunate, frankly.

> But if your chip is dirty, or there's a network interruption, or... a 30 second transaction turns into several minutes of repeating the same actions, waiting for the skinner box to spit out some food.

How many times did you have these type of issues? I've never had an issue with a "dirty chip" or a network interruption. These types of issues are very very rare.

I could tell you - your cash can get damaged while you carry them - that will make some merchants refuse to accept it, Also try going and paying with a $100 bill - a lot of places don't even accept them.

> Cash is only really slow because people have lost their familiarity with how to give change. I find that to be somewhat unfortunate, frankly.

Seriously? Did you forget how long did it take before to calculate a proper amount of change in the first place??? Nowadays cashiers have a screen that tells them right away how much change to give back, that already drastically reduced the transaction time, but it's nowhere near the transaction time of a credit card, nevermind nfc payments.

> Also try going and paying with a $100 bill - a lot of places don't even accept them.

I had a stack of $100's due to a vegas win that I could spend every location I tried (in my home town). The only caveat is I'd ask if they could change it out first, since today hardly anyone uses cash and cash drawers get slim. It's not very difficult to spend them, and that even surprised me a little.

> Seriously? Did you forget how long did it take before to calculate a proper amount of change in the first place???

Man these comments make me feel old. I didn't forget at all, I was a cashier. If you can't instantly calculate proper change for any transaction under $100 you didn't make a very good cashier. Most experienced (with cash) cashiers could trivially beat a chip-based credit card transaction. I do agree today you are correct, but I also find it incredibly sad and pathetic.

A properly trained and experienced cashier can change out a $100 bill for a random say $35.24 transaction in roughly the amount of time it takes to print one of those extra long receipts.

In fact I'm pretty sure with an hour of practicing on a cash register again I could likely match it. A few weeks and I'd consistently beat it without trying.

> but it's nowhere near the transaction time of a credit card, nevermind nfc payments.

You are correct re: NFC, but that is still not widely accepted. Chip card? Cash better be faster or your cashier is incompetent. They are incredibly slow.

I really find it strange so many on HN defend credit cards as a social good - they are not. They are a social evil if anything, exacting a 2-3% tax on all transactions since once they met plurality the merchant fees just got priced into all goods. I do not find this to be ethical at all, and feel it's one of the least ethical systems I contribute to - it's simply a wealth transfer from the poor to the wealthy. Very few poor folks get to use rewards cards, and they still pay the same 2-3% merchant markup we all do. Without that huge 0% cash back customer base, your reward benefits would be slashed.

I also didn't mean my trailing comment to cause such a controversy. I wasn't actually denigrating cards on purpose there, just stating I find the whole 'churning' and 'status' scenes pretty ridiculous and silly. I dropped that prefer cash line in there as an afterthought :)

> Cash better be faster or your cashier is incompetent.

A lot of processing time of cash transaction goes into a customer opening his wallet, counting bills, searching for a change to match the amount so that he gets a solid bill instead of coins, same goes for cashier, he/she has to calculate first, double check it by counting again in front of customer. So I am sorry ,but I disagree that even back in the days it was faster to pay with cash vs today's credit cards

I've found Apple Pay to be the fastest way to pay for things. The local BurgerKing just updated their POS system and it had the RFID symbol. The lady at the till mentioned using the phone is much faster than a swipe. It's also secure as each transaction gets a unique card number. Employees can't go back and use the same card number for a number of transactions; a typical CC scam.

There was a time I would have argued against you. Now I agree with you. You're also leaving out the very important arguments against credit cards being that they involve taking on new debt and they lack the psychological safeguards that cash has. You hand your credit card over and you get it back plus your items. You hand cash over and you don't get it back.

Yep.

Also, a small thing, but you're generating less data exhaust, not involving third parties in a simple transaction, and (depending on what and where you're buying), there is the "cash discount"/not paying taxes to the banks.

There's also the "cash discount" on business taxes in heavily cash oriented businesses (think pizza joints and convienence stores). I wonder how much sales tax is missing because of untraceable transactions.

> There's no electronic lookup to verify cash is valid.

That's why cards (credit or debit) are faster; cash is validated in amount by manual counting, and for validity of individual bills often by even more cumbersome manual counterfeit detection measures. Electronic verification makes cards faster.

The safety aspect of credit cards isn't so much about fraud risk, but rather the risk of irrecoverable theft (or just accidental loss) and/or bodily harm. I feel a lot safer walking around with a bunch of credit cards in my wallet than with a few thousand dollars in cash.

I get 1 to 5 percent for every transaction. Literally every time I'm forced to use cash I'm losing money.

Yes, you are participating in a low-level wealth transfer from the poor to the wealthy. I do too, but you have to understand what it is. I find it to be one of the least morally acceptable practices I participate in.

Every single person in the US now effectively pays 2-3% more for goods, and that goes directly to pay for your benefits.

I don't consider this a positive, and I honestly feel really scummy using my card in such a manner - but it's one of those things protesting doesn't really help any longer.

I also actually do value my privacy quite a bit as well - and giving banks free marketing data annoys too.

I feel the first complaint is a huge social problem, but the second rather trivial.

Also, credit cards are only faster these days vs. cash due to the insanely bad cash handling skills of the average cashier. 30 years ago this was exactly the opposite - and once in a while you'll get an old-school cashier who has worked a cash business for years and you will realize how utterly slow credit is in comparison.

When using Apple Pay at my grocery store, if I wait until the cashier is done scanning my items, it takes 4 seconds from when I tap to having the receipt come out. I can tap at any time during the transaction, and the process is nearly instantaneous. There is absolutely no way cash is faster than this.

As far as the cost of credit card rewards, the cost of managing cash for retail businesses is about 1.3% (cite http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfina...) but I honestly suspect that doesn't take into account cash shrinkage (theft). At 2-3% for credit cards, it's not a huge difference. I spend way more when I use my credit card then when I (grudgingly) use cash, so I suspect retail stores come ahead overall by taking credit over cash.

I'm an Australian, so I'm going to comment here.

We have NFC (or PayPass) nearly everywhere.

So you tap your card, and about 2 seconds later a receipt comes out. My 1 year old can do it. In fact, she actually loves doing it - every time we go to a store, she takes my card and I help her tap it.

Compare that to the old doddery shops using cash, where they have to take their gloves off, get your notes/coins, ring up the register, count up the change, and hand it to you?

And really - if you're handling food or near food - do you really want them handling coins/notes?

There is no way cash is faster.

Apparently US doesn't have NFC everywhere and you still have that old magnetic swipe thing? I'm assuming that will change soon though, when you guys upgrade. But yeah, definitely easier/faster.

The only shops around here that still take cash only are very low value shops, or a few Asian restaurants who everybody assumes are just doing tax evasion...lol.

In fact, at a recent popup food stall in Pyrmont - they had big signs saying "Card Only" - probably because they didn't want the safety risk of lots of small merchants handling large amounts of cash - or the possible food/health/safety violations.

And even in Coles (one of our two major supermarkets) - a lot of checkouts are Card Only - so that people using cash don't hold things up.

"Apparently US doesn't have NFC everywhere and you still have that old magnetic swipe thing? I'm assuming that will change soon though, when you guys upgrade. But yeah, definitely easier/faster."

I had a MasterCard with NFC, which was a pleasure to use at the few stores that supported it. But most stores only had swipe-type terminals at the time. (I have three other credit cards, none of which ever had NFC.)

The current version of this card has a chip, and the NFC was removed. The US is standardizing on chips (but without the PINs that make them secure), not on NFC. The chip transactions are horribly slow, much slower than a swipe. From a usability standpoint, it's a step backwards.

There are plenty of counterfeit bills so certain places or amounts will still require a check, which is far slower. It also means a greater risk for the merchant which increases costs and time.

And so what if you replace your card? Nothing happens. Credit cards are the safest possible payment type - a 5 minute phone call and they'll remove the charges and refund your money and even give you a new card number if you want. How much easier can it get? With cash you have no recourse.

By "quick" transactions, I mean craigslist, rural areas or similar scenarios that don't have the infrastructure or are too small to justify the transaction fees. If you're buying something for a few bucks from a street vendor, cash is probably best.

> Why? Credit cards are faster, safer, easier and simpler than using cash

But less anonymous.

AMEX definately has problems, but as you said their service is world class.

Chase started harassing a coworker whose daughter died to try to illegally collect her debt within 72 hours of her passing. I will never do business with them.

Couldn't you have taken it back to the place where you bought it? As a European, it seems a bit weird that you have to go through your credit card company to deal with this. So if you pay cash and something is faulty you are SOL?

Here the guarantee against faulty goods is a minimum of 2 years. It's on the seller, not the manfuacturer, to repair or replace it if something goes wrong. I'd expect most stores will just straight up give you a refund for something like this.

> Couldn't you have taken it back to the place where you bought it?

This would generally be the first option, yes, even in the USA.

Sure you could try it, but it is very hit and miss.

Typically you will be bounced around from hotline to hotline until you are worn out, or they tell you yes/no refund.

With a credit card company that has a decent level of respect for you as a customer, you call them, dispute the payment, and the credit card company handles the rest, ESPECIALLY under $25.

When I have disputed, I'm asked if I tried resolution with the merchant first. I've never had the impression that dispute is a first resort solution. Many merchants actually want to please their customers.

That's fine, and when you run into a merchant that doesn't care, make sure you have a credit card company like mine that takes disputes seriously ;)

A bit more context, this was Amazon several weeks outside their return window (the defect started a month in) and they declined. I don't blame them at all.

I often wonder why the yearly fees even come up in these discussions. Presumably, if you aren't getting enough value to easily offset the cost, why on earth would you ever get the card.

When I book hotels through Amex's FHR portal, I get upgraded nearly every time into suites that cost hundreds more than I'm paying. To say nothing of the free nights, hotel credits, and early check-in/late check-out. Makes the annual fee laughable, but you have to be using these cards the right way.

>When I book hotels through Amex's FHR portal

Every time I went to book with my amex platinum, the hotels they offered were way overpriced for the area. I can't help but suspect you were already paying suite prices the moment you decided to book with amex. Either that or I'm just unlucky in the cities I pick to test with.

He's booking "Fine Hotels and Resorts", so he's looking at a room at the Ritz Carlton, and getting a better room at the Ritz Carlton. He isn't looking for a room at the Embassy Suites.

"Every time I went to book with my amex platinum, the hotels they offered were way overpriced for the area. I can't help but suspect you were already paying suite prices the moment you decided to book with amex. Either that or I'm just unlucky in the cities I pick to test with."

I'm suspicious of this too ... It's very easy to get discounts and upgrades on rooms when you start with the rack rate anyway ... can the grandparent provide some additional details or examples ? I'm genuinely curious.

I am personally a starwoods member and starwoods AMEX holder and I do typically get minor upgrades (basic room class upgraded to just-better-than-basic) as a matter of course, but it never has anything to do with what card I use - rather it is based on my current points/status with SPG ...

In fact, SPG/StarwoodAMEX is my only frequent flyer or club or membership that I have - I don't bother with any frequent flyer memberships (even when I do, in fact, fly routes/airlines frequently) and I don't join any other clubs. There absolutely is a savings/benefit to be had but I never feel that it outweighs the mental overhead and complication.

I could perhaps see "upgrading" from Starwoods AMEX to AMEX Platinum in order to get all the lounge access and the instant low-tier status at all hotels and airlines - that's one of the benefits, right ?

> I don't bother with any frequent flyer memberships (even when I do, in fact, fly routes/airlines frequently) and I don't join any other clubs.

It honestly pains me to hear that. It's like someone saying "I saw $100 on the street but didn't feel that its value outweighed having to lean over."

Frequent flier miles are super simple (just put your number when booking the ticket) and very rewarding. It's idiotic to not collect them.

In all honesty I keep American Express because I know for a fact they will defend their customers. My dad works as an accountant for a hotel, and he told me and my mother about how people would come to the hotel, and even if they sign if they call up Amex and say they didn't stay there, they will get their refund. I know that sounds crazy, and there's room for abuse, but I am not using Amex to abuse of it, rather to know for a fact that if I purchase something I have genuine protection for my goods, especially if something fishy goes on in the other end.

It sounds like you tried to do everything yourself online. The biggest benefit (IMO) of Chase Sapphire cards is that someone picks up the phone as soon as you call (in most cases). I always start my price/return protection claims with Chase this way.

I recently returned a pair of earphones that gave me buyer's regret. I called CSR, filled out a form, emailed it back to them, and shipped with my package upon their approval. In a few weeks, I got the full $300 back as a check. Not quite 48 hours, but my experience has almost always been good. Even when I claim for a few dollars.

Chase's immediate live human customer service gives it a nice edge against Amex. However, I dislike calling in when I can do things online in what should be a faster manner.

Meh, my only experience with Amex customer service is this: I rented a car for 12 days. On day 5, as I try to drive to my own wedding, the car doesn't start. The rental car company refuses to help. I eventually get the car back to them on day 6 after AAA tells me the car should not be rented out at all.

The company refuses to return any money, so I try a chargeback through Amex. They refuse the chargeback all three times in their dispute resolution process, even for the six days I paid for but didn't use. After begging, the rental company returns the cost of 6 unused days. I never see any other money, not for the 1 day the car was disabled and no compensation for ending up late to my own wedding.

Shit happens, but if Amex can't even refund me my 6 unused days in this situation, I don't know what they can do.

That's surprising that Chase isn't trying to do a better job on their purchase protection benefits.

I dropped a phone once and cracked the screen. Since it was within 90 days, I did a claim through American Express and it took 24 hours for it to be processed. I didn't have to send it back or jump through any hoops. I don't understand why Chase wanted you to ship the cable to them?

I believe this benefit is a part of the card network (Visa Infinite), not the issuing bank (Chase)

What is a centurion lounge? You cant just drop that shit without explaining. Is it like a university club; like a place where members chill, drink, and play tennis?

EDIT: it's just a room at an airport.

It's an airport lounge with free hot meals and alcoholic beverages. But yeah, it's also a room.

And massages and showers and fast wi-fi

And basically heaven on Earth when you're stuck in Schipol (Amsterdam) over night in a snow storm, all planes are grounded, all the in-airport hotel rooms are booked, the first four hotels you lookup are booked solid, and your only other option is basically to sleep on the floor.

Can't you just pay to access the lounge in those once in a lifetime cases?

Other AmEx cardholders can purchase access to the lounge, if it is not near capacity.

I'm just saying its worthless unless you go to airports.

Well, they're selling a product aimed at frequent travelers. Airports are a safe bet for that market. ;)

I'm just saying that Google exists and that you could have used it, rather than insist someone explains something for you.

For what it's worth, the explanations were interesting to me. It's not something that I feel like would be worth looking up and sorting through marketing material for (the Wikipedia entry redirects to the American Express page).

Airplanes are worthless unless you go to airports. What a stupid comment.