American Express
American Express was started as an express mail business in Buffalo, New York, in 1850. The company started utilizing cards early, as examples below from 1868, 1888, 1888 and 1904 indicate.
American Express executives discussed the possibility of launching a travel charge card as early as 1946, but it was not until Diners Club launched their card in March 1950 that American Express began seriously to consider the possibility. At the end of 1957, American Express CEO Ralph Reed decided to get into the card business, and by the launch date of October 1, 1958 public interest had become so significant that they issued 250,000 cards prior to the official launch date.
The first cards were paper, with the account number and cardmember's name typed. It was not until 1959 that American Express began issuing embossed ISO/IEC 7810 plastic cards. |
In 1966, American Express introduced the Gold Card status - but the actual "gold" card was first issued around 1968 or 1969, and the standard card was changed made to be a Green Card, from the color of a dollar bill.
Later, American Express has introduced a wide range of cards, the most exclusive currently being The Centurion Card (aka. "The Black Card"). (My Centurion Card, below, has been edited for privacy reasons.)
Later, American Express has introduced a wide range of cards, the most exclusive currently being The Centurion Card (aka. "The Black Card"). (My Centurion Card, below, has been edited for privacy reasons.)
(Source: Wikipedia)