About American Express Essential Credit Card
An American Express Essential Credit Card is a no-fee credit card with a lowered interest rate. However, being an affordable credit solution, this card doesn’t feature cash back or reward-earning opportunities.
American Express Essential Credit Card features
An American Express Essential Credit Card features a low-interest rate of 12.99% on both purchases and funds advances.
This credit card involves no monthly fee for the primary cardholder and up to 9 supplementary cardholders.
An American Express EssentialTM Credit Card is an affordable credit solution that doesn’t provide cash back or reward-earning opportunities. Unfortunately, American Express doesn’t feature any welcome offers for new American Express EssentialTM Credit Card applicants either.
American Express EssentialTM Credit Card cardholders can get the advantage of certain benefits from American Express:
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American Express® Experiences providing access to presale and reserved tickets to different events and experiences plus various onsite benefits
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Amex Offers providing additional rewards for your purchases
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American Express Travel Online deals and offers on select hotel and car rental bookings
Just like most other American Express credit cards, an American Express EssentialTM Credit Card qualifies for Plan It™ — The American Express® Installment Program. With Plan It™, you can convert your purchases of $100 and more into monthly installments, with an installment fee charged instead of interest.
An American Express EssentialTM Credit Card provides you with the following insurance coverages:
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Up to $100,000 travel accident insurance
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Buyer’s Assurance® Protection Plan extending the original manufacturer’s original warranty up to one additional year
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Purchase Protection® Plan providing 90-day insurance for the items purchased with your credit card
Pros and cons
Let’s look through the key benefits of an American Express Essential Credit Card:
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No annual fee
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Free issuance of up to 9 supplementary cards
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A lowered interest rate
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Eligibility for Plan It™ — The American Express® Installment Program
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24/7 customer service
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Credit card protection capabilities (Fraud Protection Guarantee and American Express SafeKey®)
The drawbacks of this credit card are:
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The lack of cash back or reward-earning opportunities
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Few insurance coverages included
How to apply for an American Express Essential Credit Card
American Express accepts applications for an American Express Essential Credit Card online. To proceed, hit the “Apply Now” button on the credit card description page and fill out the form with the following information:
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Your first name
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Your middle name
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Your last name
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Your name on the card
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Your email
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Your date of birth
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Your postal code
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Your social insurance number (optional)
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Your phone number
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Your address
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Your personal annual income
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Your other household income
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Your employment status
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Your employer name
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Your work phone number
Then, create a PIN and specify whether you want to receive Online-Only Statements, order supplementary cards, or add AMEX® Account Protector Ultimate. To complete your application, review your applicant information, agree to the terms and conditions, and click the “SUBMIT” button.