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American ExpressNamed for its early express shipping services, American Express is a credit card and bank holding company. As of 2025, American Express was the second-largest credit card issuer in terms of US purchase volume and had a market capitalization exceeding $200B.
American Express was founded in 1850 when Henry Wells, William Fargo, and John Butterfield decided to consolidate their rival express shipping rail services. By 1862, American Express operated more than 10,000 miles of railway from the East Coast into Minnesota and Missouri. Over time, American Express expanded its rail services into accompanying travel services, like traveler's checks and money orders, until it began focusing entirely on its financial business in 1918.
Since launching its first charge card in 1958, American Express has become known for offering expansive perks and rewards to cardholders—from access to airport lounges to dining credits—in order to attract affluent customers.Explore American Express
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Learn more about American Express' membership rewardsAmerican Express is well known for its membership program that allows cardholders to earn points. These points allow members to earn extra benefits and rack up savings at places like hotels, airlines, and restaurants. Why American Express charges merchants more than other card companies to accept AmExEach card network charges merchants a discount rate, which is a fee merchants pay to accept cards. American Express charges higher discount fees than competitors like Visa and Mastercard as the business is more reliant on fees for operation. In 2018, the Supreme Court sided with American Express in a case that significantly changed antitrust regulationThe US Department of Justice sued Visa, Mastercard, and American Express in 2010 over alleged anticompetitive contracts with merchants. While Visa and Mastercard settled out of court, American Express went to trial and had its case taken all the way up to the Supreme Court, which sided with American Express. American Express uses co-branded cards to provide brand-specific perksCo-branded credit cards are partnerships between a card issuer and another company. Unlike regular credit cards that offer many different kinds of benefits at different companies, co-branded cards tend to only offer perks with the partner company. For example, American Express has a co-branded card with Delta airlines that allows users to earn points specifically towards the Delta rewards program. American ExpressHow 'Don't leave home without it' became the American Express taglineThe tagline was created by legendary New York advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather. Its first commercial was fronted by Karl Malden, famous for his role in the TV show "The Streets of San Francisco." The slogan was originally designed for American Express traveler's cheques, but was revived for the company's credit cards. (Some users may experience a paywall.) American Express created 'Small Business Saturday' in 2010As small businesses across the US were still reeling from the Great Recession, American Express came up with the idea of "Small Business Saturday" to help drive consumer spending to small businesses. Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday. In 2011, the Senate passed a resolution supporting Small Business Saturday, and, since then, it's become nationally recognized. In 2025, American Express paid $230M to settle fraud and deceptive marketing chargesAmerican Express launched a wire payment service targeted at small businesses and falsely touted the service as a tax-deductible business expense in 2018. American Express was also accused of allowing small businesses to open corporate credit cards without the necessary employer identification number (EIN). CNBCAmerican Express stopped its rail service when President Wilson seized American railroadsAfter the US entered World War I, the federal government took control of American railways and consolidated rail companies. American Express officially exited the express shipping business in 1918 and turned its focus to its travel and financial services. National Constitution CenterAmerican Express is targeting Gen Z, who are generally less risk-averse than older generationsUnlike Millennials, who grew up during the Great Recession in 2008, Gen Z has a higher risk appetite and has grown up with more gamified spending platforms, like online gambling and prediction markets. Analysts say Gen Z's risk appetite makes them prime targets for credit card companies like American Express that can sell younger customers on large benefits in exchange for annual fees. FortuneTina Turner had to change the lyrics referencing American Express in 'Private Dancer' to comply with British advertising lawsIn her 1984 hit, "Private Dancer," Turner sings "American Express Will Do Nicely, Thank You." However, advertising laws in England prohibited mentions of companies, leading Turner to release another version of the song with the lyric "A Few Pounds Sterling Will Do Nicely, Thank You." American Express has acquired restaurant software companies to elevate its cardholder experienceOne of the many perks of American Express cards is dining credits and special reservation access to fine dining restaurants. Since American Express cardholders are often more affluent than other credit card users, restaurants have benefited from increased partnerships with American Express to offer cardholders preferential reservations and premium experiences. In 2019, American Express acquired Resy, a reservation software, and went on to acquire Tock in 2024. American Express is one of the top-ranked places to work in the USIn 2026, American Express came in eighth place in Forbes' annual ranking of the best large workplaces (meaning workplaces with more than 5,000 employees). It's the top-ranked finance company on the list. The rankings were determined by survey data that asked employees to anonymously rate the salary, opportunity for advancement, benefits, and workplace at their company. ForbesAmerican Express was the first company to offer 'gold' cards to borrowersAmerican Express began offering gold cards to affluent consumers in 1966. However, other credit card companies began offering similar, premium cards in the 1980s, which quickly became a status symbol for wealthy Americans. TIMEAmerican Express is one of Warren Buffett's top stocksBuffett's long investment in American Express is indicative of his highly principled investment strategy. Buffett often invested in longstanding businesses with strong core products and services. As of 2025, Buffett owned around 20% of all American Express stock, and his investment in American Express made up around 16% of his portfolio. InvestopediaIn 2013, American Express became the first credit card company to open an airport loungeAmerican Express opened its first airport lounge, the Centurion, in Las Vegas more than a decade ago. Since then, not only has American Express increased the number of lounges it has in airports across the country, but other credit card companies have also opened lounges. Business TravellerThe Platinum American Express card is among the most expensive mainstream travel credit cardsAmerican Express charges a $895 annual fee on its Platinum Card in exchange for nearly $3.5K worth of credits and benefits. Some of the credits include a $600 for hotels, a $400 credit at restaurants with Resy, a $300 Lululemon credit, and even a $200 credit at Oura ring. (Some users may experience a paywall.) Soybean oil fraud almost decimated American Express in 1963A New York commodities trader who had defrauded the American government over uninspected meat for school lunches , Anthony "Tino" De Angelis, used American Express warehouses to sell soybean oil. However, Angelis had actually filled the tanks with water and placed just enough soybean oil on top of the tanks to pass inspection. American Express was liable for many of the tanks and its stock faced a huge downturn, opening the door for a then 33-year-old Warren Buffett to make his first purchase in the company. American Express briefly owned Lehman BrothersIn 1984, Shearson, a retail banking company and American Express subsidiary, bought the investment banking company Lehman Brothers—best known for its historic 2008 collapse—for $360M. The businesses were then called Shearson Lehman/American Express. American Express spun off Lehman Brothers with an IPO in 1994 that attracted nearly $3B in new capital. TIMEAmerican Express is credited with inventing the traveler's checkIn the 1890s, then American Express President James C. Fargo was frustrated that he couldn't get cash while traveling in Europe outside of major cities. Marcellus Berry, an American Express employee, came up with the idea of a traveler's "cheque": a prepaid check, similar to cash, that requires the signature of both the customer and the receiving institution to be valid. American Express never modernized the spelling of the word "cheque" and stopped providing them at the end of 2020. Yahoo FinanceThe 'Centurion' card is American Express' highest tier, invite-only credit cardThe Centurion card or "black card" debuted in 1999 and created the trend of credit card companies' most exclusive cards being black. Centurion cards are technically invite-only, but you can fill out a form to request being considered for the card. It has a $5K initiation fee and a $5K annual fee. YouTubeSee a timeline of American Express' historySince its founding in 1850, American Express has evolved from a mail delivery service to a multinational financial services company. Small additions to the company over time, such as taking money orders and inventing traveler's cheques, were key drivers of the company's transformation. American Express runs on a 'spend-centric' model, using perks and merchant fees to drive profitAmerican Express cardholders tend to spend more money per transaction than other credit card users, which makes the interchange fees merchants have to pay to accept American Express cards worth it while incentivizing other companies to pay the interchange fee as well. InvestopediaAmerican Express is both a card issuer and a processing networkUnlike most credit card companies, American Express issues credit cards and processes payments—something called a closed-loop model. By offering both services, American Express profits from both interest and interchange fees, and also has access to more data on how customers spend their money so it can offer better perks. CNETAmerican Express debuted its first charge card in 1958 to give travelers access to cash abroadThe original American Express charge card was made of purple paperboard and allowed customers to book travel. Unlike credit cards, the card's balance had to be entirely paid off each month. When the card first launched, 250,000 customers used it, and 17,500 companies had agreed to accept it. HISTORYIn 1882, American Express began offering money orders to compete with the US Postal ServiceMoney orders were American Express' first move into financial services. USPS launched its money order service in 1864 as a way for Civil War soldiers to send money back home. Between the 1880s and 1920s, immigration into the United States surged;the American Express money order service gave immigrants a way to send money to family members living in other countries. Two of American Express' co-founders also founded Wells FargoHenry Wells and William Fargo formed Wells, Fargo & Co. two years after American Express was created. Wells and Fargo saw an opportunity to expand the express delivery service from the East Coast and Middle America to the West Coast. The two initially asked the American Express board to expand operations, but the board declined, so they decided to create their own company. Today, Wells Fargo is among the top four largest banks in the US. HISTORYAmerican Express caters its business to wealthy cardholdersAmerican Express cards charge high annual fees, but also offer significant rewards and credits. It's just one way the company targets affluent customers who spend higher dollar amounts per transaction and tend to have more transactions than the average cardholder. This strategy decreases the company's risk, since it actually offers credit instead of just acting as a card network. CNBCAmerican Express has a roughly 20% market share by purchase volumeAmong the major credit card companies in the US, American Express had 19.50% of the market share in 2025. Visa and Mastercard had 52.20% and 24.90%, respectively, and Discover had the smallest market share of 3.50%. WalletHubPolygenic scores aim to predict traits based on the contributions of many genesThese novel tests for multifactorial conditions evaluate the probability of traits like elevated blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol based on what researchers currently know about different gene variants and their links to various traits. The tests are predictive, not definitive, partly because environmental factors influence the expression of genes. What's more, knowledge about cumulative effects from individual genes continues to evolve. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine states that these tests are too unreliable and nascent for clinical use. American Society for Reproductive MedicineThe Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag is protected speechIn Texas v. Johnson (1989), the court held, 5-4, that flag burning is a form of symbolic political expression protected by the First Amendment—one of the most controversial free-speech rulings in American history. Americans are historically more supportive of free speech than people in most other countriesA 2016 survey of 38 countries found that the US scored highest in support for free expression, with 71% of Americans saying people should be able to say what they want without government censorship, more than in any other nation surveyed. Pew Research CenterSome art critics believe that Liminalism, a form of art exploring the uncanny yet familiar, defines our present momentWhile analyzing images of abandoned malls or empty hallways, art historians and critics argue that this style captures the feelings of this moment in time. Liminalism, they propose, expresses prominent themes in our age like anonymity, alienation, and anxiety. HyperallergicWilliam Clark negotiated one-tenth of all ratified treaties between Native Americans and the USAfter the expedition, Clark held key territorial and federal roles, overseeing western expansion and Native relations. While he expressed sympathy for displaced natives, he oversaw the transfer of millions of acres from Native nations to US control through various treaties. BrittanicaKermit the Frog was originally a lizard—and was made from Jim Henson's jeansThe iconic figure was initially created for 1955's "Sam and Friends," a lead-in to "The Tonight Show" that was the debut of the Muppets. The original Kermit puppet was lizard-like and made from two articles of clothing: Henson's blue jeans and his mother's old coat. National Museum of American HistoryExecutives at American Online wanted to shut down AIMDespite not seeing value in a service that could not be charged for, executives were pushed by the development team behind AOL's Instant Messenger to keep it free, which helped it reach 36 million active users. Screenname selection and away messages allowed users to express their individuality, and the use of emoticons sets the tone for future internet communication. The VergeBasquiat's work is often called neoexpressionistThe neoexpressionist movement was a reaction to the minimalism of the 1960s, employing bold colors and brash symbolism to convey emotion and, at times, make political statements. As the style’s name implies, it was a new form of expressionism, a movement popular in the early 20th century. National Museum of African-American HistoryProlonged space travel significantly impacts multiple human body systemsAstronauts can lose 20% of their muscle mass after two weeks and 10% of their bone mass after six months in space. Decreased sharpness of eyesight and changes in neural connectivity, brain structure and gut bacteria have also been observed. BBC'The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.'- Former President Theodore Roosevelt's (1858–1919) Theodore Roosevelt CenterGerman expressionism produced some of horror’s earliest classicsAfter World War I, German filmmakers turned from reality to the surreal, fusing experimental art with the nascent world of film. Some of the movement’s most notable films, like FW Murnau’s “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” and Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” were intent on frightening their audiences. The Twin GeeksThe US and the USSR backed opposing sides in dozens of proxy wars during the Cold WarTo avoid direct confrontation, the superpowers supported rival factions in conflicts around the world—including in Korea, Vietnam, Angola, and Afghanistan. American ArchivePhilip Roth once tried to correct details on one of his novel's Wikipedia pagesThe Wikipedia entry for Roth's 2000 novel "The Human Stain" alleges that the book was based on the life of Anatole Broyard, a Black American writer who "passed" for white, something he shared in common with the main character in Roth's novel, though Roth said that wasn't true. When Roth tried to correct the error, Wikipedia editors told him he would need a secondary source to back up his claim. The Atlantic'Mystery hikes' were a popular attraction in the 1930sStill reeling from the Great Depression, many Americans were looking for low-cost (or free) activities. Some travel agencies curated "mystery hikes," which offered intrepid amblers the opportunity to be set on a blind adventure. Atlas ObscuraThe Mexican-American War led to the birth of the Associated PressTo cover the distant war efficiently, rival New York newspapers pooled resources to share reports from the front—forming what became the Associated Press. The war marked a turning point in how Americans received real-time news about foreign conflicts. Zócalo Public Square'I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.'- Comedian Joan Rivers (1933-2014) BrainyQuote‘Torch songs’ are passionate expressions of unrequited loveThe term comes from an idiom about dedicated romantics carrying torches for their love interests. The style was especially popular for female vocalists before the rise of rock ‘n’ roll and significantly influenced early girl group records. American MastersMerchants have to pay credit card transaction fees each time a card is swipedCredit card networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express must calculate fees for not only the customer, but also the merchant in every transaction. NerdWalletAmerica’s largest Comic-Con by attendance takes place in New York CityNew York Comic Con—held annually at New York City's Javits Center since 2006—draws around 200,000 attendees, features more than 570 panels and events, and hosts more than 1,250 exhibitors, making it North America’s biggest pop-culture convention by attendance. VICEThe Declaration was also a list of grievancesThis article breaks down the Declaration’s 27 grievances against King George III, illustrating how they were intended not only to express colonial anger but also to justify rebellion and garner support abroad. HISTORYThe 'Howl' obscenity trial changed American publishingThe "Howl" obscenity trial is one of the most significant in American publishing, affirming that material with the "slightest redeeming social importance" cannot be considered "obscene." In the process, it permits artists, like Allen Ginsberg, to use the language they see fit to express themselves. Foundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionIn a 2024 survey, 93% of participants expressed concerns about self-driving carsSafety was the leading consumer fear, with technological malfunctions coming in second. Nearly half of all consumers identified skepticism or concern as their primary descriptor for autonomous cars, but 20% cited enhanced mobility for the elderly and people with disabilities as a key benefit. Forbes
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