Card Issuer Profile: American Express

Present in over 100 countries around the world, American Express has perhaps the greatest global reach of any card company. This profile looks at both Amex's proprietary business and its Global Network Services division, providing an overview of both its current standing and outlook for the future.

Report Highlights

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Table 1: American Express board of directors, 2008 6
Table 2: Value of American Express transactions in the US and overseas, 2005-07 21
Table 3: American Express statistics for Western Europe, 2007 22
Table 4: American Express statistics for Eastern Europe, 2006 23
Table 5: Revenue, operating cost and profit for American Express, 2004-07 25
Table 6: Scorecard logic, part one 41
Table 7: Scorecard logic, part two 42
Table 8: American Express - number of cards in issue 44
Table 9: Source of American Express revenue by business area 44
Table 10: American Express, balance sheet 2003-07 45
Table 11: Current relevant Datamonitor publications, 2008 46
Table 12: Future relevant Datamonitor publications, 2008 46
Figure 1: American Express comprises five main groups 7
Figure 2: American Express deals with business relationships as well as card issuance 9
Figure 3: American Express is present in more than 100 countries, 2008 10
Figure 4: American Express operates a spend-centric business model 12
Figure 5: American Express cards have a higher spend velocity than average, 2008 13
Figure 6: American Express bills more than any other global card issuer, 2007 14
Figure 7: American Express relies on fee income more than its competitors 15
Figure 8: On the whole, American Express has had lower write-off rates than its competitors, 2007-08 18
Figure 9: International operations have consistently accounted for around 40% of American Express cards in issue, 2003-07 20
Figure 10: Both the value of transaction and the value of transactions per card has grown, 2003-07 21
Figure 11: The US Card Services business now accounts for more than 50% of American Express revenue 24
Figure 12: American Express has exhibited growing profits, 2004-07 25
Figure 13: The American Express balance sheet shrunk considerably with the spin-off of Ameriprise in 2005 26
Figure 14: American Express spending on marketing, promotion, and card member rewards and services has more than doubled, 2001-07 27
Figure 15: The American Express Membership Rewards program has evolved since 1991 28
Figure 16: The Centurion Card is the top of the range American Express card 30
Figure 17: The American Express reward charge cards carry a range of benefits 31
Figure 18: American Express issues airline co-brands in the US 32
Figure 19: American Express also offers some reward cards aimed at the mass market 33
Figure 20: The American Express Nectar card 35
Figure 21: The Gold Card for small businesses, 2008 36
Figure 22: The Gold Card allows small businesses to receive discounts at a range of retailers 37
Figure 23: American Express - Datamonitor Competitor Scorecard 40
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