In what year did American Express issue its first charge card? American Express issued its first charge card in 1958.
The launch took place on October 1, 1958, in the United States and Canada. American Express was already strongly associated with travelers’ checks and travel services, so the new card targeted travel-and-entertainment spending at participating hotels, restaurants, airlines, and other merchants.
The timing reflected growing competition. Diners Club had introduced a widely recognized multipurpose charge card in 1950, prompting American Express executives to consider how the company could use its travel business and merchant relationships in a new way. The first American Express card was made of purple paper rather than modern plastic.
A common mix-up concerns 1959: that was the year American Express introduced its first plastic charge card. Another confusion involves 1966, when American Express introduced its Gold Card, or 1969, when the familiar Green Card was introduced. Those milestones came after the original 1958 launch.