A few weeks ago I wrote about an issue I’ve been having with metal credit cards. The issue I’ve been experiencing is as the cards age, they start to fall apart. Unlike a traditional plastic cards, metal cards are typically a piece of metal with two info panels stuck to either side. It seems overtime the glue which holds the plastic info panels to the metal breaks down and the card falls apart.
I typically notice the degradation in the corners of the card first and over time the problem worsens. Fortunately the card remains functional as it breaks down, but eventually the card (evidently) falls apart. That’s exactly what recently happened with my metal American Express Platinum card.
What Happened To My Metal American Express Platinum Card?
I received the metal version of the American Express Platinum card back in April of 2017. I still remember unboxing the card. The metal used for this card is a little thicker and heavier than that found in Chase metal cards.
Additionally, American Express has chosen to expose much of the metal used for this card. Since the card is already silver, Amex simply printed their design on the front. On the back of the card Amex glued a plastic information panel directly to the metal card. That information panel is mostly transparent so you can again see much of the metal used for this card. However, it’s that plastic information panel that created the issue I had with the card.
After using the card for about 6 months I started noticing the information panel’s glue breaking down. Occasionally I’d catch the corner of the card with my finger and the plastic would briefly lift from the metal card. Over time this became worse to the point where nearly 70% of the plastic could be pulled away from the metal.
Finally, one day recently, I swiped my card through a card reader and the inevitable happened. As I swiped the card, the information panel got snagged by the card reader and the plastic peeled back in the card reader. I ended up with bent piece of plastic on the back of the card which obviously was not longer functional. The chip continued to work however and of course the card could still be used electronically.
Ordering A Replacement American Express Platinum Card
Although the card was still somewhat functional, I still wanted to request a new card. Thankfully American Express makes ordering a new card incredibly simple. The easiest way to order a new card is to launch the Amex mobile app. Within the “Account” tab at the bottom of the app is a “Card Management” option. After selecting card management there are two further options. The first is to confirm receipt of a new card while the second is to request a replacement card.
When you select the replace a card option you are then prompted to select which card you wish to replace. Once you select the card you wish to replace, you can then confirm your shipping address and select your shipping method. On this page you can either select 1st class mail which takes about a week to arrive or you can choose rush delivery which takes about two days.
If you don’t use the mobile app you can instead call the number on the back of your card and request a replacement card from a phone representative. Lastly, you can request a replacement card via the Amex website. To order a new card from the Amex website you must log-in and click on the account services tab. Within that tab is the option to order a replacement card.
Final Thoughts
While I think metal credit cards were a cool fad, I think it’s time to go back to the old-fashioned plastic cards. I now have three metal cards in total and two of them have needed to be replaced after about a year of (constant) use. I’ve had a similar issue on one of my plastic cards, but that appears to have been an isolated incident.
As much as I now dislike metal cards, I love how easy Amex makes it to order a replacement card. I personally always calling Amex to order a replacement card. I do this because I can ask them to let me continue using my current card until the new card arrives. I’m not sure if you have this option when requesting a new card online.
I also love that American Express helps manage any subscription or auto-pay payments. If your old card number is saved to your Netflix account, for example, Netflix can continue charging your old card number and Amex will automatically apply those charges to your new card. That’s a very handy feature in today’s subscription based world.
While ordering a replacement card is never fun, Amex at least makes it easy. They also give you the option of free expedited shipping which means you’ll receive the new card within about two business days.
