.svg){kind=logo} | |
 Headquarters at theAmerican Express Tower | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial Services |
| Predecessor |
|
| Founded | March 18, 1850; 175 years ago (1850-03-18), inBuffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Headquarters | 200 Vesey Street,, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Services | |
| Revenue |  US$65.95 billion (2024) |
| US$12.89 billion (2024) | |
| US$10.13 billion (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$271.5 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$30.26 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 75,100 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | americanexpress |
| Footnotes / references [2][3][4][5][6] | |
American Express Company[7] orAmex is an Americanbank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes inpayment cards. It is headquartered at200 Vesey Street, also known as American Express Tower, in theBattery Park City neighborhood ofLower Manhattan.
Amex is the fourth-largest card network globally based on purchase volume, behindChina UnionPay,Visa, andMastercard.[8][9] 141.2 million Amex cards were in force worldwide as of December 31, 2023, with an average annual spend per card member of US$24,059. That year, Amex handled over $1.7 trillion in purchase volume on its network.[3] Amex isthe 16th largest US bank, with a total of US$270 billion in assets or 1.1% of all assets insured by theFDIC. It is ranked 58th on theFortune 500[10] and 28th on the list of the most valuable brands byForbes.[11] In 2023, it was ranked 63rd in theForbes Global 2000.[12] American Express National Bank is adirect bank owned by Amex.
Founded in 1850 as afreight forwarding company, Amex introduced financial and travel services during the early 1900s. It developed its first papercharge card in 1958, gold card in 1966, green card in 1969, platinum card in 1984, andCenturion Card in 1999. The "Don't Leave Home Without It" advertising campaign was introduced in 1975 and renewed in 2005. In the 1980s, Amex acquired and then divested a stake inShearson.[13] In the 1990s, it stopped reducinginterchange fees for merchants who exclusively accepted Amex cards and expanded market share through targeted marketing campaigns. Amex converted to a bank holding company during the2008 financial crisis. Amex began operatingairport lounges in 2013, offering access to certain cardholders.
Amex had a 9% worldwide market share by transaction volume in 2023.[14] While American Express credit cards are accepted at 99% of U.S. merchants that accept credit cards, they are less accepted in Europe and Asia.[15][16] American Express offers various types of cards including travel and dining cards, everyday spending points cards, and cash back cards. Each category has several card options with different benefits and reward structures. High-profile cards like the Green, Gold, and Platinum cards cater to frequent travelers and diners with perks tailored to these activities.[17]
In 1850, American Express was started as a freight forwarding company inBuffalo, New York.[18] It was founded as a joint-stock corporation by the merger of the cash-in-transit companies owned byHenry Wells (Wells & Company),William G. Fargo (Livingston, Fargo & Company), andJohn Warren Butterfield (Wells, Butterfield & Company, the successor earlier in 1850 of Butterfield, Wasson & Company).[4] Wells and Fargo also startedWells Fargo & Co. in 1852 when Butterfield and other directors objected to the proposal that American Express extend its operations to California.
American Express initially established its headquarters in a building at the intersection of Jay Street andHudson Street in what was later called theTribeca section of Manhattan. For years it enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the movement of express shipments (goods, securities, currency, etc.) throughout New York State. In 1874, American Express moved its headquarters to 65 Broadway in what was becoming theFinancial District of Manhattan, a location it was to retain through two buildings.[19]
In 1854, the American Express Co. purchased a lot on Vesey Street in New York City as the site for its stables. The company's first New York headquarters was an 1858 marble Italianate palazzo at 55–61Hudson Street, which had a busy freight depot on the ground story with a spur line from theHudson River Railroad. A stable was constructed in 1867, five blocks north at 4–8 Hubert Street. The company prospered sufficiently that headquarters were moved in 1874 from the wholesale shipping district to the budding Financial District and into rented offices in two five-story brownstone commercial buildings at 63 and 65 Broadway that were owned by the Harmony family.[20]
In 1880, American Express built a new warehouse behind the Broadway Building at 46 Trinity Place. The designer is unknown, but it has a façade of brick arches that are reminiscent of pre-skyscraper New York. American Express has long been out of this building, but it still bears aterracotta seal with the American Express Eagle.[21]: 23 In 1890–91 the company constructed a new ten-story building byEdward H. Kendall on the site of its former headquarters onHudson Street. By 1903, the company had assets of some $28 million, second only to theNational City Bank of New York among financial institutions in the city. To reflect this, the company purchased the Broadway buildings and site.[20]
At the end of the Wells–Fargo reign in 1914, an aggressive new president, George Chadbourne Taylor (1868–1923), who had worked his way up through the company over the previous thirty years, decided to build a new headquarters. The old buildings, dubbed byThe New York Times as "among the ancient landmarks" of lower Broadway, were inadequate for such a rapidly expanding concern.
After some delays due to the First World War, the 21-storyneo-classicalAmerican Express Co. Building was constructed in 1916–17 to the design ofJ. Lawrence Aspinwall, of the firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker, the successor to the architectural practice ofJames Renwick Jr. The building consolidated the two lots of the former buildings with a single address:65 Broadway. This building was part of the "Express Row" section of lower Broadway at the time. The building completed the continuous masonry wall of its block-front and assisted in transforming Broadway into the "canyon" of neo-classical masonry office towers familiar to this day.[21]: 22 American Express sold this building in 1975, but retained travel services there. The building was also the headquarters over the years of other prominent firms, including investment bankersJ.& W. Seligman & Co. (1940–74), theAmerican Bureau of Shipping, a maritime concern (1977–86), and later J.J. Kenny, andStandard & Poor's, the latter of which renamed the building for itself.[20][21]: 22
American Express extended its reach nationwide by arranging affiliations with other express companies (includingWells Fargo – the replacement for the two former companies that merged to form American Express), railroads, and steamship companies.[19] In 1857, American Express started its expansion in the area of financial services by launching amoney order business[19] to compete with theUnited States Post Office's money orders. Sometime between 1888 and 1890,J. C. Fargo took a trip to Europe and returned frustrated and infuriated. Despite the fact that he was president of American Express and that he carried with him traditionalletters of credit, he found it difficult to obtain cash anywhere except in major cities. Fargo went toMarcellus Flemming Berry and asked him to create a better solution than the letter of credit. Berry introduced the American ExpressTraveler's Cheque which was launched in 1891 in denominations of $10, $20, $50, and $100.[22]
Traveler's cheques established American Express as a truly international company. In 1914, at the onset ofWorld War I, American Express in Europe was among the few companies to honor the letters of credit (issued by various banks) held by Americans in Europe, because other financial institutions refused to assist these stranded travelers. The British government appointed American Express its official agent at the beginning of World War I. They were to deliver letters, money, and relief parcels to British prisoners of war. Their employees went into camps to cash drafts for both British and French prisoners and arranged for them to receive money from home. By the end of the war they were delivering 150 tonnes of parcels per day to prisoners in six countries.[23]
In 1915, American Express established a travel division and soon established its firsttravel agency.[24]Albert K. Dawson was instrumental in expanding business operations overseas, even investing in tourist relations with theSoviet Union. During World War I, Dawson was a photographer and film correspondent with the German army.
American Express was one of the monopolies that PresidentTheodore Roosevelt had theInterstate Commerce Commission (ICC) investigate during his administration (1901–1909). The interest of the ICC was drawn to its strict control of the railroad express business. However, the solution did not come immediately to hand.[19] The solution to this problem came as a coincidence to other problems during World War I. During the winter of 1917, the United States suffered a severe coal shortage and on December 26 PresidentWoodrow Wilson commandeered the railroads on behalf of the United States government to move federal troops, their supplies, and coal. Treasury SecretaryWilliam Gibbs McAdoo was assigned the task of consolidating the railway lines for the war effort. All contracts between express companies and railroads were nullified and McAdoo proposed that all existing express companies be consolidated into a single company to serve the country's needs. This ended American Express's express business and removed them from the ICC's interest. The result was that a new company called theAmerican Railway Express Agency formed in July 1918. The new entity took custody of all the pooled equipment and property of existing express companies (the largest share of which, 40%, came from American Express, who had owned the rights to the express business over 71,280 miles (114,710 km) of railroad lines, and had 10,000 offices, with over 30,000 employees).
American Express executives discussed the possibility of launching a travelcharge card as early as 1946, but it was not untilDiners Club launched a card in March 1950, that American Express began to seriously consider the possibility. At the end of 1957, under American Express CEORalph Reed the company entered the business and by the launch date of October 1, 1958, public interest had become so significant that 250,000 cards were issued prior to the official launch date.[25] The card was launched with an annual fee of $6, $1 higher than Diners Club, to be seen as a premium product. The first cards were made of paper, with the account number and card member's name typed. In 1959, American Express became the first company to issue embossed plastic cards.[26]
In 1966, American Express introduced the Gold Card for "big-spending members".[27][28]
In 1977,James D. Robinson III became chairman and CEO of the company.[29]
In 1979, American Express acquired 50% of the cable subsidiary ofWarner Communications, formingWarner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, for $175 million in cash and short-term notes.[30][31] It owned two-thirds ofQube, an experimental two-way cable TV service, along withMTV,Nickelodeon, andThe Movie Channel. The venture was unprofitable, and, in 1985, Amex sold its 50% interest toViacom for $450 million.[32]
In the 1980s, American Express embarked on an effort to become a financial services holding company and made several acquisitions, creating an investment banking arm. In mid-1981 it purchasedSanford I. Weill'sShearson Loeb Rhoades, the second-largest securities firm in the United States to formShearson/American Express. Shearson Loeb Rhoades itself was the culmination of several mergers in the 1970s as Weill'sHayden, Stone & Co. merged withShearson, Hammill & Co. in 1974,[33] to formShearson Hayden Stone. Shearson Hayden Stone then merged withLoeb, Rhoades, Hornblower & Co. (formerlyLoeb, Rhoades & Co.) to form Shearson Loeb Rhoades in 1979. With capital totaling $250 million at the time of its acquisition, Shearson Loeb Rhoades was the second-largestbrokerage firm, behindMerrill Lynch.
After the purchase of Shearson, Weill was given the position of president of American Express in 1983. Weill grew increasingly unhappy with responsibilities within the company and his conflicts with CEOJames D. Robinson III. Weill soon realized that he was not positioned to be named CEO and resigned in August 1985. In 1984, American Express acquiredLehman Brothers and added it to the Shearson family, creating Shearson Lehman/American Express. Lehman CEO and former traderLewis Glucksman became CEO of Shearson Lehman/American Express.[34] In 1984, Shearson/American Express acquiredInvestors Diversified Services (IDS), bringing with it a fleet of financial advisors and investment products. In 1988, Shearson Lehman acquired theE.F. Hutton & Co., a brokerage firm that was merged with the investment banking business. The investment banking arm was renamedShearson Lehman Hutton, Inc.[35]
In 1983, as part of Robinson's plan to expand into international banking of wealthy clients, Amex acquiredTrade Development Bank ofGeneva fromEdmond Safra for US$550 million and Safra became a member of theboard of directors of Amex.[36] TDB executives were excluded from important company decisions and Safra unsuccessfully tried to repurchase the bank. Safra then opened a competing bank. In response, American Express launched an international smear campaign against Safra by inaccurately reporting to news and media outlets in that Safra was being investigated by theFBI for being involved in theIran–Contra affair, along with drug trafficking and the mafia.[37] All of the accusations were confirmed to be false and led to the resignation of Harry L. Freeman, public relations chief of American Express, after admitting to the entire scandal. In July 1989, American Express publicly apologized to Edmond Safra and donated $8 million to the charity of his choice.[38] In 1990, American Express sold its Swiss banking operations to Compagnie de Banque et d'Investissements, which led to the creation ofUnion Bancaire Privée (UBP).[39]
In 1984, Amex launched the Platinum Card, billed as an "ultra-exclusive" credit card with a $250 annual fee. It was offered by invitation only to American Express customers with at least two years of tenure, significant spending, and excellent payment history.[40][41][42]
In 1987, American Express introduced the Optima card, its first credit card product that did not have to be paid in full at the end of the month.[43][44]
In 1991, a group of restaurants inBoston, including some that were exclusive to Amex, stopped accepting American Express while accepting and encouraging the use of Visa and Mastercard.[45][46][47] The rationale was due to far lower fees as compared to American Express' fees at the time (which were about 4% for each transaction versus around 1.2% for Visa and Mastercard). The revolt, known as the "Boston Fee Party" (alluding to theBoston Tea Party), spread to over 250 restaurants across the United States, including restaurants in other cities such asNew York City,Chicago, andLos Angeles. Visa offered to pay the Fee Party's legal bills, andDiscover Card was able to increase their acceptance among Boston restaurants by 375%.Kenneth Chenault, then head of Travel Related Services prior to becoming American Express CEO, cut fees to bring these restaurants back into the fold.[48] American Express then shifted its focus from exclusivity to broadening acceptance, adding mainstream merchants likeWalmart to the American Express network. American Express was, at the time, known for cutting itsinterchange fee to merchants and restaurants if they accepted only American Express and no other credit or charge cards.[49] This prompted competitors such as Visa and Mastercard to file complaints as the tactics gave Amex exclusivity at restaurants. Capitalizing on this elitist image, American Express frequently mentioned such exclusive partnerships in its advertising.[50] Aside from some holdouts includingNeiman Marcus, which continued exclusivity until 2011, the practice largely ended in 1991.[51]
In April 1992, American Express spun offFirst Data in aninitial public offering.[52][53]
In 1993,Harvey Golub became CEO of American Express.[54] That year, American Express negotiated the sale of Shearson's retail brokerage and investment management business toPrimerica. The Shearson business was merged with Primerica'sSmith Barney to createSmith Barney Shearson.[55]
In June 1994, American Express completed the spin-off of the remaininginvestment banking and institutional businesses asLehman Brothers, ending its foray into the brokerage business.[56][57]
In September 1994, the Optima True Grace card was introduced. The card was unique in that it offered agrace period on all purchases whether a balance was carried on the card or not, not charging interest on new purchases immediately for cards with unpaid balances.[58] The card was discontinued a few years later.
In 1998, Amex launched the Blue credit card, targeted at young adults, in the UK after testing it in other countries. The card had a smart chip and users were encouraged to pay bills and get information via the company website.[59] It launched in the US in 1999.[60] A television media campaign for Blue adopted the 1979 UKSynthpop hit "Cars" byGary Numan as its theme music.[61]
In 1999, American Express introduced the high-feeCenturion Card, often referred to as the "black card," which caters to an even more affluent customer segment. The card was initially available only to select users of the Platinum card. American Express created the card line amid rumors andurban legends in the 1980s that it produced an ultra-exclusive black card for elite users who could purchase anything with it.[62][63][64]
In December 2000, American Express agreed to acquire the $226 million credit card portfolio ofBank of Hawaii, then a division ofPacific Century Financial Corporation[65] In January 2006, American Express sold its Bank of Hawaii card portfolio toBank of America (MBNA).
Until 2004, Visa and Mastercard rules prohibited issuers of their cards from issuing American Express cards in the United States. This meant, as a practical matter, that U.S. banks could not issue American Express cards. These rules were struck down as a result of antitrust litigation brought by theUnited States Department of Justice.[66] In January 2004, American Express reached a deal to have its cards issued byMBNA.[67][68][69] Initially decried by Mastercard executives as nothing but an "experiment", the cards were issued beginning in October 2004.[70][71] An agreement was reached regarding the acquisition of MBNA by Bank of America whereby Bank of America owned the customer loans and American Express processed the transactions. American Express dismissed Bank of America from its antitrust litigation against Visa, Mastercard, and other banks. The first card from the partnership, the Bank of America Rewards American Express card, was released on June 30, 2006.[72]
In June 2005, American Express introduced ExpressPay, acontactless payment system based on wirelessRFID.[73] In July 2005, American Express issued the American Express Travelers Cheque Card, astored-value card that serves the same purposes as a traveler's cheque, but can be used in stores like a credit card.[74] Amex discontinued the card in October 2007.[75]
On September 30, 2005, American Express completed the corporate spin-off of its American Express Financial Advisors unit,Ameriprise Financial, to its shareholders andRSM McGladrey acquired American Express Tax & Business Services (TBS).[76][77][78]
In 2006, the UK division of American Express joined theProduct Red coalition and issued a Red Card, donating with each purchase throughThe Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to help African women and children with HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.[79]
In late 2007, the company announced the Plum Card for small business owners.[80]
In March 2008, American Express acquired the Corporate Payment Services business ofGeneral Electric, which primarily focused on providing purchasing card solutions for large global clients, for $1.1 billion in cash.[81] The transaction added V-Payment to its product portfolio. V-Payment enables a tightly controlled, single-use card number.
In March 2008,Standard Chartered Bank acquired American Express Bank Ltd, the international banking subsidiary of American Express for $823 million.[82][83][84][85]
On November 10, 2008, during the2008 financial crisis, the company receivedFederal Reserve System approval to convert to abank holding company, making it eligible for government assistance under theTroubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).[86][87] At that time, American Express had total consolidated assets of about $127 billion.[87] In June 2009, $3.39 billion in TARP funds were repaid plus $74.4 million in dividend payments. In July 2009, the company ended its obligations under TARP by buying back $340 million in Treasury warrants.[88][89][90] As part of the conversion, the company reduced or closed many business lines of credit.[91]
In 2009, American Express introduced the ZYNC charge card, a white card targeting young adults.[92] The card was later discontinued.
In November 2010, the UK division of American Express was cautioned by theOffice of Fair Trading for the use of controversialcharging orders against those in debt. The company was one of four companies who were allegedly encouraging customers to turn their unsecured credit card debts into a form of secured debt.[93]
In November 2011,Neiman Marcus, which gave general-purpose card exclusivity to American Express since the 1980s, began accepting cards using the Visa and Mastercard payment networks.[94][95] In 2011, Amex launched the Blue Cash Preferred Card credit card.[96]
In October 2012, TheConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) required three American Express subsidiaries to refund an estimated $85 million to approximately 250,000 customers for illegal card practices between 2003 and 2012. Allegations included that American Express made misleading statements regarding signup bonuses, charged unlawful late fees, discriminated against applicants due to age, and failed to report consumer complaints to regulators.[97][98] Also in October 2012, American Express andWalmart announced the launch of Bluebird, aprepaid debit card withroadside assistance andidentity theft protection that can also be used as a substitute for a traditional transactional account whereby users can have payments deposited to the account and have insurance from theFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[99][100][101]
In October 2013, Amex sold most of its publications:Travel + Leisure,Food & Wine,Executive Travel,Black Ink, andDepartures magazines, toTime Inc.[102] Time restructured the publications, which are now owned byDotdash Meredith.[103]
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In 2013, the company opened its first airport lounge, offering access to certain cardmembers.[104]
In March 2014, American Express announced the corporate spin-off its corporate travel business asAmerican Express Global Business Travel and the sale of 50% of the business to an investor group led by Certares LP for $900 million.[105][106]
Effective in 2016 in the United States, and in 2015 in Canada, Costco ended its relationship with Amex that had provided co-branded Costco membership cards since 2004. The cards issued by Costco in the United States were an extension of an exclusive deal between Costco and American Express dating from 1999. Costco was the last major US merchant that accepted American Express cards exclusively. Costco's Canadian stores ended its exclusive deal with American Express in January 2015, in favor of one withCapital One and Mastercard.[107][108]Citigroup became the exclusive issuer of Costco's credit cards and Visa replaced American Express as the exclusive credit card accepted at Costco's stores in the United States.[109][110] All TrueEarnings card accounts and balances held by American Express were sold to Citigroup, and new Costco Anywhere Visa cards were sent to Costco members prior to the switch date. The Costco partnership represented 8%, or $80 billion, of American Express' billed business and about 20%, or about $14 billion, of its interest-bearing credit portfolio.[110] The impact of losing the Costco card accounts was significant; in the first quarter without Costco cards, company profit dropped 10% and revenue dropped 5% compared to the previous year.[111]
On March 1, 2017,ANZ announced that it was no longer issuing American Express cards, with them phased out entirely by August 5, 2017.[112] In October 2017, American Express established a joint venture company, LianTong (连通), in China to operate its payment card brand locally. In June 2020, it obtained a local bank cardclearing business license in China.[113][114]
In a court caseOhio v. American Express Co. (2018), merchants filed aclass action lawsuit against American Express and claimed that charging high fees to merchants is a violation of theSherman Antitrust Act.[115][116] According to the lawsuit, American Express charges significantly higher fees than other credit card providers.[117][118] In January 2017, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling that American Express could block merchants that accept its cards from steering customers to other cards, like those offered by Visa and Mastercard.[119] In June 2018, theSupreme Court of the United States affirmed the 2nd Circuit's ruling.[120][121][122]
In 2018, the Gold Card was converted to a credit card for UK residents, but remains a charge card in the US.[123][124]
In March 2019, American Express acquired LoungeBuddy, a provider which offers pay-per-use access to select airport lounges worldwide.[125] Also in March 2019, Amex reduced its presence in the European Union, due to changes to the EU's banking regulations.[126] In July 2019, Amex acquired Acompay, a digital payment automation platform.[127] In September 2019,Pedestrian Group acquired American Express Openair Cinemas, which facilitated outdoor showings of films at 10 locations in Australia and New Zealand and was operated by Fairfax Events.[128][129]
In 2020, American Express acquiredKabbage.[130][131][132][133] In June 2021, the company's first checking account for small businesses, Kabbage Checking, was launched. American Express also offers credit lines of $1,000 to $150,000 for small businesses, using Kabbage's automated underwriting software.[134][135] In January 2023, the Kabbage brand was renamed American Express Business Blueprint.[136][137]
In January 2021, theUnited States Department of the Treasury, theFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and theFederal Reserve launched an investigation into whether the company had misled potential corporate customers and used aggressive tactics while selling American Express cards in 2015 and 2016.[138][139] In October 2021, Amex launched full-service business checking for small and mid-sized businesses under the American Express brand.[140]
In March 2022, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine andrelated sanctions, American Express suspended all operations inRussia andBelarus.[141]
In July 2023, Amex agreed to pay $15 million to the US Treasury to settle an investigation accusing the company of failing to govern and oversee a third-party affiliate and for violation of regulations in efforts to retain small business customers.[142][143] Net income for 2023 was $8.4 billion, 14% higher than expected.[144] Also in 2023, the company undertook a restructuring, costing up to $277 million.[145]
In June 2024, Amex acquiredTock, a restaurant reservation platform, further expanding its portfolio in dining reservations following its earlier acquisition ofResy.[146][147]
In January 2025, American Express announced that it will pay about $230 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil probes into alleged deceptive practices in selling credit card and wire transfer products to small business customers. The company has agreed to pay $138.4 million, which includes about $108 million in fines, and entered a non-prosecution agreement to end criminal and civil probes by the U.S. Department of Justice.[148]
In September 2025, American Express increased its annual fee for its Platinum card for the first time since 2021, raising it to $895 from $695. The company announced new benefits for cardholders including statement credits forLululemon,Oura Ring,Resy restaurants and anUber One membership. It also increased credits for luxury hotel stays, streaming subscriptions (including the addition ofParamount+,YouTube Premium andYouTube TV) and a Clear membership.[149][150]
In October 2025, merchants agreed to a $231.7 million settlement before a U.S. District Judge, asB & R Supermarket, Inc., et al v. Visa, Inc. et al, for costs imposed in frauds related to counterfeit, lost, or stolen cards, with American Express agreeing[151] to pay $20 million of the total settlement.[152]
| Year | Revenue | Net income |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 65.9 | 10.1 |
| 2023 | 60.5 | 8.4 |
| 2022 | 55.6 | 7.4 |
| 2021 | 43.6 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | 38.1 | 3.0 |
| 2019 | 47.0 | 6.6 |
| 2018 | 43.2 | 6.7 |
| 2017 | 38.9 | 2.6 |
| 2016 | 37.1 | 5.2 |
| 2015 | 34.4 | 5.0 |
| 2014 | 35.8 | 5.8 |
| 2013 | 34.8 | 5.3 |
| 2012 | 33.7 | 4.4 |
| 2011 | 32.2 | 4.8 |
| 2010 | 30.0 | 4.0 |
| 2009 | 26.5 | 2.1 |
American Express has a specialized corporate meeting credit card.[154] Another specialized American Express business card is the American Express Corporate Purchasing Card, which can be assigned to individual employees or departments. Reconciliation and accounting services are available to make these functions easier for the corporation.[155]
Citibank,First National Bank of Omaha,USAA,Navy Federal Credit Union,Synchrony Financial, andUS Bancorp issue American Express cards. Citi issues theMacy's andBloomingdale's American Express cards along with Citi-branded cards. US Bancorp issues American Express-branded cards for US Bank along with Elan Card Services, a subsidiary that issues credit cards on behalf of small to midsize banks. Somecredit unions, includingPentagon Federal Credit Union, also issue American Express cards. Until August 2023, Wells Fargo issued American Express cards under their own brand and forDillard's.JPMorgan Chase andWells Fargo are the onlyBig Four banks in the U.S. that do not partner with American Express.[156][157][158]
The company logo, a gladiator or centurion, appears at the center of several cards. The figure and his pose evokeclassical antiquity, demonstrate strength and stability, and the designs on these cards, especially the Green card, bear resemblance to those on the United StatesFederal Reserve Notes.
In 1975,David Ogilvy ofOgilvy & Mather developed the highly successful "Don't Leave Home Without Them"ad campaign for American Express Traveler's Cheques, featuring Academy Award-winning actorKarl Malden. Malden served as the public face of American Express Travelers Cheques for 25 years. In the UK, the spokesman wasAlan Whicker, a television personality.[159]
After Malden's departure, and as the card assumed importance over the traveler's cheques, American Express continued to use celebrities, such asMel Blanc and ballerinaCynthia Gregory.[160][161] A typical ad for the American Express Card began with a celebrity asking viewers: "Do you know me?" Although he/she gave hints to his/her identity, the star's name was never mentioned except as imprinted on an American Express Card, after which announcerPeter Thomas told viewers how to apply for it.[162] Each ad concluded with the celebrity reminding viewers: "Don't Leave Home Without It." The "Don't Leave Home Without It" slogan was revived in 2005.[163]
American Express uses celebrities in advertising. Some notable examples include a late 1990s ad campaign with comedianJerry Seinfeld, including two 2004webisodes in a series entitled "The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman".[164]
In late 2004, American Express launched the "My life. My card." brand campaign, and later the "Are You a Cardmember?" brand campaign in 2007, both by Ogilvy & Mather,[165] featuring celebrities that use American Express cards including:
In 2007, a two-minute black-and-white ad, titled "Animals" and starringEllen DeGeneres, won theEmmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.[185][186]
Many American Express credit card ads feature a sample American Express Card with the name "C. F. Frost" on the front. This is not a fabricated name; Charles F. Frost was an advertising executive at Ogilvy & Mather.[187]
American Express was one of the earliest users ofcause marketing, to great success.[188] A 1983 promotion advertised that for each purchase made with an American Express Card, American Express would contribute one penny to the renovation of theStatue of Liberty. The campaign generated contributions of $1.7 million to the Statue of Liberty restoration project. What would soon capture the attention of marketing departments of major corporations was that the promotion generated approximately a 28% increase in American Express card usage by consumers.
In May 2007, American Express launched an initiative called the Members Project.[189][190] Cardholders were invited to submit ideas for projects, and were told American Express was funding the winning project.
Since 2011, American Express has a £100 million sponsorship agreement with football clubBrighton & Hove Albion F.C. The agreement includes naming rights overFalmer Stadium, Brighton training facilities and shirt sponsorship over the kits of the men's, women's, youth and disability teams[191][192]
In May 2024, American Express became the official partner ofF1 Academy, a female-onlysingle-seater racing series founded byFormula One, for the2024 season. The partnership deal include American Express' branding to appear onJessica Edgar's car livery and driver suit.[193]
In 2016, at theCorporate Art Awards, American Express received the award frompptArt for "the best international restoration programme: World's Monument Watch". American Express is a sponsor of "World Monuments Watch", launched in 1995 byWorld Monuments Fund.[194]
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In April 1986, American Express moved its headquarters to the 51-storyThree World Financial Center in New York City. After theSeptember 11 attacks, American Express had to leave its headquarters temporarily because it was located directly opposite theWorld Trade Center and was damaged during the fall of the towers. The company began gradually moving back into its rehabilitated building in 2002. The company maintains major offices inSunrise, Florida;Salt Lake City, Utah; andPhoenix, Arizona, with its maindata centers inNorth Carolina and Phoenix.
AMEX Bank of Canada was founded in 1853, in Toronto. It has around 1,700 employees as of December 2020 in its head office at Sheppard,[195] east of Highway 404 inToronto (relocated fromMarkham, Ontario, a northern suburb of Toronto where it resided from 1985 to 2015), as well as an office inHamilton, Ontario. The company began operations as a bank on July 1, 1990, following anorder-in-council made by theBrian Mulroney government on November 21, 1988. This decision was not without controversy as federal banking policy at the time would not ordinarily have permitted American Express to operate as a bank.[196] It is a member of theCanadian Bankers Association (CBA) and a registered member of theCanada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC), the federal agency insuring deposits at all of Canada's chartered banks.
American Express has several offices in the UK, including a European Service Center in theCarlton Hill area ofBrighton, England. The building was completed in 2012. It replaced American Express's former building, Amex House, a large white tower block built in 1977 and surrounded by several other smaller offices around the city.[197] The American Express European Service Center deals with card servicing, sales, fraud and merchant servicing. Official Europe, Middle East, and Africa HQ is located in theBelgravia district of Westminster, incentral London, at Belgrave House on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1; other UK offices are based inSussex atBurgess Hill andManchester.[198] In November 2009,Brighton and Hove City Council granted planning permission for American Express to redevelop the Amex House site.
The Japan, Asia-Pacific, and Australian Headquarters are co-located in Singapore, at16 Collyer Quay, and inSydney'sKing Street Wharf area. The headquarters of Latin America andCaribbean division is inFort Lauderdale, Florida.
American Express also has a significant presence in India. Its two centers are located atGurgaon,Haryana (Cyber City) andBangalore,Karnataka (Bagmane capital).The Indian operations of American Express revolve around theback office customer services operations apart from the credit card business for the domestic Indian Economy, arguably the American Express campus in Gurgaon is the largest employee location by headcount for Amex and supports business continuity objectives of Amex including duringHurricane Sandy, the center works 24/7 and includes a co-located second building which was recently[when?] transferred to a third party service provider but does much work for Amex.
The company has consistently ranked highly on lists of best companies to work for compiled byFortune[199][200][201] and Mediacorp Canada Inc.[202]
We began as a freight forwarding company in 1850, earning a reputation as a company people could trust while transporting some of their most valuable possessions.
one of the Wall Street's highest ranking black executives
Stephen Joseph Squeri is Chairman/CEO at American Express Co
