American Express Gift Card

The American Express Gift Card

The American Express gift card is an open loop prepaid card that acts like a debit or credit card. It is one of the most popular open loop gift cards and comes in a variety of different denominations. The American Express gift card can be used anywhere that AMEX is accepted in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can buy American Express gift cards in almost any convenience, grocery, or drugstore. The gift cards are active once they are purchased at the cash register. Each card comes with a $3.95 to $6.95 activation fee.

Starting September 30, 2009 all American Express Gift Cards are no longer subject to monthly service or inactivity fees. This is a major benefit because a lot of open loop gift cards like the Vanilla Visa are subject to these fees.

An interesting note is that American Express gift cards come with an expiration date, but the funds actually never expire. If you fail to use the full balance before the date the gift card expires you can call customer service at 1-877-297-4438 and have a new card re-issued to you.

The American Express gift card is one of the only gift cards on the market which post purchase service fees have been completely eliminated.

Checking the American Express Gift Card Balance

You can visit the American Express website to check your balance and monitor your gift card’s history.  – https://www.americanexpress.com/gift/giftcardslanding.shtml

Using the American Express Gift Card to Shop Online

Call 1-877-297-4438 and provide them your name, address, and phone number to register your gift card. This way you can shop online and your transaction will not be declined.