Company Overview
American
Express’s principal products and services are charge and credit payment card
products and travel-related services offered to consumers and businesses around
the world. They are principally engaged in businesses comprising
four reportable operating segments: U.S. Card Services, International Card
Services, Global Commercial Services and Global Network & Merchant Services. They compete
in the global payments industry with charge[1], credit
and debit card networks, issuers and acquirers, as well as evolving alternative
payment providers. As the payments industry continues to evolve, American
Express is facing increasing competition from non-traditional players that
leverage new technologies and customers’ existing accounts and relationships to
create payment or other fee-based solutions.
Revenue Sources
- Discount revenue, largest revenue source, which represents fees generally charged to merchants when Card Members use their cards to purchase goods and services at merchants on American Express’s network.
- Net card fees, which represent revenue earned from annual card membership fees.
- Travel commissions and fees, which are earned by charging a transaction or management fee to both customers and suppliers for travel-related transactions.
- Other commissions and fees, which are earned on foreign exchange conversions, card-related fees and assessments, Loyalty Partner-related fees and other service fees.
- Other revenue, which represents revenues arising from contracts with partners of American Express’s Global Network Services (GNS) business (including commissions and signing fees), insurance premiums earned from Card Member travel and other insurance programs, prepaid card-related revenues, revenues related to the GBT JV transition services agreement, earnings from equity method investments (including the GBT JV) and other miscellaneous revenue and fees.
- Interest on loans, which principally represents interest income earned on outstanding balances.
Business Model
Wherever
American Express manage both the acquiring relationship with merchants and the
Card-issuing side of the business, there is a “closed loop,” which distinguishes American Express’s network from the
bankcard networks, in that they have access to information at both ends of the
Card transaction. This “closed loop” allows American Express to analyze
information on Card Member spending and build algorithms and other analytical
tools that enable American Express to provide targeted marketing and other
information services for merchants and special offers and services to Card
Members through a variety of channels, while at the same time respecting Card
Member preferences and protecting Card Member and merchant data in compliance with
applicable policies and legal requirements.
American
Express’s “spend-centric” business
model focuses on generating revenues primarily by driving spending on their Cards
and secondarily by finance charges and fees. Spending on their Cards, which is
higher on average on a percard basis versus their competitors,[2]
offers greater value to merchants in the form of loyal customers and higher sales.
This enables American Express to earn discount revenue that allows them to
invest in value-added services for merchants and Card Members.
Competition
American
Express global card network competes in the global payments industry with other
card networks, including, among others, Visa,
MasterCard, Diners Club International (which is owned by Discover Financial
Services), Discover (primarily in
the United States) and JCB and
China UnionPay (primarily in Asia).
They are the fourth largest general-purpose card network on a global basis
based on purchase volume, behind Visa, MasterCard and China UnionPay. In
addition to such networks, a range of companies globally, including merchant
acquirers and processors and companies such as PayPal, carry out some
activities similar to those performed by American Express’s GMS and GNS
businesses.
Risk
Lawsuit Issue. Ongoing legal
proceedings regarding American Express’s non-discrimination and honor-all-cards
provisions in merchant contracts could require changes to those provisions that
could result in a material loss of revenue or increased expenses, substantial
monetary judgments and/or damage to their reputation and brand.
Highly Competitive Industry. American
Express compete with a wide variety of financial payment products, including
charge, credit and debit card networks and issuers, paper-based transactions
(e.g., cash and checks), bank transfer models (e.g., wire transfers and ACH),
as well as evolving alternative payment mechanisms, systems and products, such
as aggregators and web-based payment platforms (e.g., PayPal, Square and
Amazon), wireless payment technologies (including using mobile telephone
networks to carry out transactions), digital currencies, prepaid systems, gift
cards and other systems linked to payment cards.
Differences between American Express and Major Competitors
[1]Like credit cards, charge cards
extend credit to you from the issuer, but you’re required to pay the full
balance at the end of the month.
[2] From American Express’s
website, it shows that they have the best customer base of any payments
company. On average, their card members spend about four times more than those
of MasterCard and three-and-a-half times more than Visa.
Sources:
American Express’s 10K, Annual Report and Website
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