In late 2012, American Express and Walmart

In late 2012, American Express and Walmart announced the launch of Bluebird, a prepaid debit card similar to that of Green Dot.^[27] TOSHIBA Satellite M645-SP6001L laptop keyboard

 Bluebird is being touted as having lower fees than other prepaid debit cards with some of the benefits of traditional American Express cards, such as roadside assistance and identity theftprotection. The card can also be used as a substitute to a traditional checking account. Unlike other such cards, Bluebird is FDIC-insured.TOSHIBA MP-06863US-9308 Laptop Keyboard

FDIC backing means Bluebird accounts now have deposit insurance, check writing capabilities and customers can now have Social Security checks, military pay and other government benefits deposited directly into their accounts.

The company mascot, the Roman Gladiator or Centurion, appears at the center of the iconic Zync, Green, Gold, Platinum, and Centurion cards. Lenovo 63Y0047 Laptop Keyboard

The figure and his pose evoke classical antiquity. These cards also feature intricate border and background designs that read "American Express." The unique designs on these cards, especially the Green card, bear resemblance to those on United States Federal Reserve Notes, and enhance the image of the cardholder as an affluent andconspicuous consumer. HP 608558-001 Laptop Keyboard

In 2005, American Express introduced ExpressPay, similar to MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave. It is a contactless payment system based on wireless RFID, where transactions are completed by holding the credit card near a receiver at which point the debt is immediately added to the account. DELL 454RX Laptop Keyboard

The card is not swiped and no PIN is entered. Many U.S. merchant and restaurant partners now offer ExpressPay, including Meijer, CVS/Pharmacy, Best Buy, Chevron Corporation, Noah's Bagels, and some McDonald's locations. Office Depot has implemented ExpressPay in all 1200 of its stores. ACER MP-04653U4-698 Laptop Keyboard

American Express offers various types of charge cards for small businesses to manage their expenses, and the company is also the largest provider of corporate cards.

In late 2007, the company announced the new Plum Card as the latest addition to their card line for small business owners.^[30] DELL Latitude D620 Laptop Keyboard

The card provides a 1.5% early pay discount or up to two months to defer payment on purchases. The 1.5% discount is available for billing periods where the cardmember spends at least $5,000. The first 10,000 cards were issued to members on December 16, 2007.^[31] GATEWAY NV-54 Laptop Keyboard

In 2008, American Express made a decision to close all Business Line of Credit accounts. This decision was reached in tandem with the Federal Reserve's approval of American Express's request to become a Commercial Bank.

American Express also offers a comprehensive range of cards designed to support mid-sized and large companies manage their travel and day-to-day operational expenses. HP Pavilion G6-1B59WM Laptop Keyboard

The core product, the American Express Corporate Card is offered in over 40 countries, and a number of complementary products for specific types of spending are offered for special needs. Examples of these products include the Corporate Meeting Card, the Corporate Purchasing Card, HP Mini 110-1150LA Laptop Keyboard

and the Business Travel Account. Commercial Cards differ from Business Cards as they enable company liability (business cards are issued as extensions of credit to the company's owner). In addition, Commercial Cards offer a comprehensive suite of data and reporting solutions that help clients gain visibility and control over employee expenditures.  TOSHIBA 9J.N7482.901 Laptop Keyboard

As part of supporting Corporate clients, American Express offers a number of online solutions delivered through the American Express @ Work website. From American Express @ Work, clients have access to program management capabilities, online statements, reporting and data integration products. Compaq Presario CQ42-228LA Laptop Keyboard

Information @ Work, a reporting tool targeted at mid-size companies to give them quick and easy access to their employees' spend data; Customized Reporting is provided to larger clients who require more advanced analytics and data consolidation capabilities. American Express also provides data files to clients to power expense reporting and reconciliation tools. HP Pavilion dm1-1010st Laptop Keyboard

In 2008, American Express acquired the Corporate Payment Services business of GE, which primarily focused on providing Purchasing Card solutions for large global clients.^[32] As part of the $1b+ transaction, American Express also added a new product, called V-Payment, to its product portfolio. DELL 454RX Laptop Keyboard

V-Payment is unique in that it enables a tightly controlled, single-use card number for increased control.In December 2000, American Express agreed to acquire the US$226 million credit card portfolio of Bank of Hawaii, then a division of Pacific Century Financial Corp.^[33] In January 2006, American Express sold its Bank of Hawaii card portfolio to Bank of America (MBNA). SAMSUNG R522 Laptop Keyboard

Bank of America will issue Visa and American Express cards under the Bank of Hawaii name.

Until 2004, Visa and MasterCard rules prohibited issuers of their cards from issuing American Express cards in the United States. This meant, as a practical matter, that U.S. banks could not issue American Express cards.  Compaq Presario CQ57 Series Laptop Keyboard

These rules were struck down as a result of antitrust litigation brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, and are no longer in effect.^[34] In January 2004, American Express reached a deal to have its cards issued by a U.S. bank, MBNA America.^[35]Initially decried by MasterCard executives as nothing but an "experiment", these cards were released in October 2004.^[36] TOSHIBA Satellite L755D-SP5165RM Laptop Keyboard

Some said that the relationship was going to be threatened by MBNA's merger with Bank of America, a major Visa issuer and original developer of Visa (and its predecessor, BankAmericard). However, an agreement was reached between American Express and Bank of America on December 21, 2005.^[37] SAMSUNG NP-Q320-FS01UK Laptop Keyboard

Under the terms of the agreement, Bank of America will own the customer loans and American Express will process the transactions. Also, American Express will dismiss Bank of America from its antitrust litigation against Visa, MasterCard, and a number of U.S. banks. TOSHIBA Qosmio F20 Series Laptop Keyboard

Finally, both Bank of America and American Express also said an existing card-issuing partnership between MBNA and American Express will continue after the Bank of America-MBNA merger. The first card from the partnership, the no-annual-fee Bank of America Rewards American Express card, was released on June 30, 2006. SONY VAIO PCG-F20 Laptop Keyboard

Since then, Citibank, GE Money, and USAA have also started issuing American Express cards. Citibank currently issues several American Express cards including anAmerican Airlines AAdvantage co-branded card.^[37] In January 2006^[38] Amex issued Dillard's American Express card in joint cooperation with GE Money, however, in Mar 2008^[39]  HP G42-364LA Laptop Keyboard

GE sold its card unit to Amex for $1.1bn in cash only deal.^[32] HSBC Bank USA is currently testing both HSBC-branded and Neiman Marcus co-branded American Express rewards credit cards, with a full rollout scheduled for late 2007 or early 2008. Also, UBS launched its Resource Card program for  HP AESP7U00110 Laptop Keyboard

US Wealth Management clients issuing Visa Signature credit cards and American Express charge cards linked to their customers accounts and employing a single rewards program for the two cards. Fidelity operates a similar program, issuing both American Express and Visa Signature cards through FIA Card Services. HP G61-425ES Laptop Keyboard

Amex is the largest provider of traveler's checks in the world.

In 2005, American Express released the American Express Travelers Check Card, a stored-value card that serves the same purposes as a traveler's check, but can be used in stores like a credit card. HP 640436-001 Laptop Keyboard

The card has since been discontinued as of October 31, 2007, due to "changing market conditions". All cardholders were issued refund checks for the remaining balances.

During the 1980s, American Express began purchasing stock brokerage firms as part of an expansion. Lenovo 3000 N200 Laptop Keyboard

In mid-1981 it purchased Sanford I. Weill's Shearson Loeb Rhoades, the second largest securities firm in the United States to form Shearson/American Express. Shearson Loeb Rhoades, itself was the culmination of several mergers in the 1970s as Weill's Hayden, Stone & Co. merged with Shearson, Hammill & Co. in 1974 to form Shearson Hayden Stone.  DELL XPS 15 L502X Laptop Keyboard

Shearson Hayden Stone then merged with Loeb, Rhoades, Hornblower & Co. (formerly Loeb, Rhoades & Co. to form Shearson Loeb Rhoades in 1979. With capital totalling $250 million at the time of its acquisition, Shearson Loeb Rhoades trailed only Merrill Lynch as the securities industry's largest brokerage firm. IBM Lenovo ThinkPad R51 1833 Laptop Keyboard

After its acquisition by American Express, the firm was renamed Shearson/American Express.

In 1984 Shearson/American Express purchased the 90-year-old Investors Diversified Services, bringing with it a fleet of financial advisors and investment products. Also in 1984, American Express acquired the investment banking and trading firm, Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb, HP G62-a20EJ Laptop Keyboard

and added it to the Shearson family, creating Shearson Lehman/American Express. In 1988, the firm acquired E. F. Hutton & Co., forming Shearson Lehman Hutton until 1990, when the firm's name became Shearson Lehman Brothers. When Harvey Golub took the reins in 1993 he negotiated the sale of Shearson's retail brokerage and asset management business to  ACER Aspire 5742 Laptop Keyboard

Primerica and in following year, spun off of the remaining investment banking and institutional businesses as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

On September 30, 2005, American Express spun off its American Express Financial Advisors unit as a publicly traded company, Ameriprise Financial, Inc..^[41] HP Pavilion DV7-3186cl laptop keyboard

 Due to this, American Express revenues for 2005 are down around $5 billion, however, like-for-like they are up 10.5% in 2005. Also, on September 30, 2005, RSM McGladrey acquired American Express Tax & Business Services (TBS).^[41]

On September 18, 2007, Standard Chartered Bank agreed to acquire American Express Bank Ltd, a commercial bank, SONY VAIO VGN-CR231E laptop keyboard

from American Express Co,^[42] for an estimated US$823 million, through a friendly divestiture process.

American Express established a Travel Division in 1915 that tied together all of the earlier efforts at making travel easier, and soon established its firsttravel agencies. In the 1930s, the Travel Division had grown widely. HP Pavilion dv6-2115so laptop keyboard

Albert K. Dawson was instrumental in expanding business operations overseas, even investing in tourist relations with the Soviet Union. Dawson during World War I had been a photographer and film correspondent with the German army. Today the focus of The Travel Division is on business customers and business travel. HP Pavilion dv6-2141ee laptop keyboard

The American Express Publishing Corporation publishes the Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Executive Travel, and Departures magazines, as well as American Express Skyguide and is based in New York City.

In 1975, David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather developed the highly successful HP Mini 210 laptop keyboard

Don't Leave Home Without Them ad campaign for American Express Traveler's Cheques, featuring Oscar-award-winning actor Karl Malden. Karl Malden served as the public face of American Express Travelers Cheques for 25 years. In the UK the spokesman was instead the television personality Alan Whicker. IBM Thinkpad R40 laptop keyboard

After Karl Malden's departure and as the card was promoted over the traveller's cheques, American Express continued to use celebrities, such as Mel Blanc and ballerina Cynthia Gregory. A typical ad for the American Express Card began with a celebrity asking viewers: "Do you know me?" DELL Inspiron 6000 laptop keyboard

Although he/she gave hints to his/her identity, the star's name was never mentioned except as imprinted on an American Express Card, after which announcer Peter Thomas told viewers how to apply for it. Each ad concluded with the celebrity reminding viewers: "Don't Leave Home Without It." HP Pavilion dv6-2124eo laptop keyboard

The "Don't Leave Home Without It" slogan was revived in 2005 for the prepaid American Express Travelers Cheque Card.

These slogans have been parodied numerous times:

In The Sopranos episode, "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request...", Christopher Moltisanti concludes his sale of stolen credit card numbers to Middle Easterners with a quip: HP Pavilion dv6-2173cl laptop keyboard

• "Don't leave home without them!" This statement confuses the Middle Easterners, who are unfamiliar with the ad campaign.

The long-running PBS children's TV series Sesame Street parodied the "Do you know me?/Don't Leave Home Without It" ad campaigns with three skits involving aMuppet character holding a Grown-Up Friend's hand while crossing the street.  ASUS A9R laptop keyboard

One skit featured Forgetful Jones (performed by Richard Hunt) with Olivia (Alaina Reed Hall) as his Grown-Up Friend, a second featured Bert and Ernie (Frank Oz and Jim Henson respectively) with Gordon (Roscoe Orman) as their Grown-Up Friend, and the third featured Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) with Bob (Bob McGrath) as his Grown-Up Friend. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E525 laptop keyboard

All three skits ended with their names being embossed at the bottom of a card looking like an American Express card that had a big human left hand in the middle with the words "Grown-Up Friend's Hand" above it, and a voiceover saying "A Grown-Up Friend's Hand. Don't cross the street without it." GATEWAY MX6956 laptop keyboard

Another parody was seen on an episode of the CBS game show Press Your Luck, when the animated "Whammy Character" would give the "Do you know me?" tag line, followed by the display of an AmEx card-parody, which then had "WHAMMY" typed in on the bottom line of the card. GATEWAY NX570X laptop keyboard

• In the pilot episode of "Masquerade (TV series)", a KGB general says the line "I suppose you never leave home without it", to a KGB agent when he sees that agent's 'National American' card.

In a campaign speech during the 1984 Election, President Ronald Reagan said "If the big spenders get their way, IBM Thinkpad Z60m laptop keyboard

• they'll charge everything to your taxpayer's express card, and believe me, they never leave home without it."