Travel & Lifestyle

American Express Auto Purchasing Program: Pros and Cons

Using your card to pay for larger purchases is a great way to earn tons of points.

Former TPG contributor Richard Kerr charges up a new car American Express Platinum Card®During that time, he earned nearly 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points, which are worth $800 according to TPG’s December 2024 valuation.

Still, buying this major isn’t always easy. He had to negotiate with five dealers before he found one that would let him charge the full amount on the card. Certain benefits require registration; terms apply.

If you want to use your American Express card to buy a car, the American Express Car Buying Program may be your best option. All dealers participating in this program allow you to charge a minimum of $2,000 with your Amex card, and some dealers will allow you to charge the entire purchase price. Here’s what you need to know about the American Express Auto Buying Program.

RELATED: How to Redeem American Express Membership Rewards for Maximum Value

What is the American Express Auto Purchasing Program?

The American Express Auto Buying Program is the American Express-specific version of the TrueCar digital automotive marketplace. TrueCar provides data on what other consumers are paying for a specific vehicle as well as “down payment offers” from participating certified dealers in your area.

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The Amex version of TrueCar allows Amex cardholders to connect with 7,000 dealers that accept American Express cards. All participating dealers accept American Express as payment of a minimum of $2,000 of the purchase price, and some dealers allow American Express cardholders to pay the full purchase price using their card. Additionally, you can use the site to apply for discounts from certain dealers, such as Mercedes-Benz dealers in the United States, for special savings.

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You can also stack these deals with cash incentives offered by certain automakers.

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These deals help save on total savings off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

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RELATED: Save money on your next trip: Never pay the full price of a rental car with these tips

How does the American Express Auto Purchase program work?

Once you know what type of car you want to purchase, you can visit amexnetwork.truecar.com to view your options through the Amex Auto Purchasing Program. Enter the make of the car you want to buy, and the zip code for the area you want to buy. Then, select the model type you want and continue to the next page to select styles, colors, and options.

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After clicking “View Local Stock Quote” you will be presented with a series of pages where you will need to provide your name, email, phone number and address. Calls and emails start about a minute after you enter this information, so I recommend not using your primary phone number and email, or setting up filtering options so you can shop and communicate on your own schedule.

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The next page will give you some options. In my search in Charlotte, I found five dealers, each with substantial offers.

Although I entered the car style, color, and options I wanted on the previous page, the results shown to me at this point seem to ignore those choices and instead simply show me all the options for the model type, which is a bit confusing People are at a loss.

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I couldn’t find any clear mention of whether these dealers would allow me to pay in full with an American Express card, although each dealer is required to accept cards for at least $2,000. You may need to negotiate with each dealer the exact amount they allow you to charge.

Related: The 9 Best Car Rental Reward Programs You Need to Know

Benefits of the American Express Auto Purchasing Program

There are three main reasons why you might want to use the American Express Auto Buying Program when buying a car:

1. It helps you collect data on what other people paid for the car you want.

2. You can get special offer codes that can save you thousands of dollars off MSRP.

3. It will show you dealers that accept American Express for purchases.

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Special savings offer codes give you the dealer’s price on the car and the options you choose, plus your guaranteed savings. If you don’t like haggling, this can be a good way to make sure you’re paying a fair price.

Plus, if you’re looking for a dealer that accepts American Express for some or all of your car purchases, the American Express Auto Buying Program will help you find such a dealer.

RELATED: 11 Common Car Rental Mistakes – And How to Avoid Them

Disadvantages of the American Express Auto Buying Plan

The two main benefits of purchasing through the American Express Auto Buying Program are:

1. The special offer you receive should provide you with a fair price, especially if you are not good at negotiating.

2. You can find a dealer that allows you to charge most or all of your purchases to your card. Certain benefits require registration; terms apply.

However, after studying the program, I believe most clients can do better on their own.

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I can’t find evidence that dealers allow you to pay full price for a car with an American Express card. The only term I found that explicitly mentions the amount you can pay with your card is: “Participating certified dealers are solely responsible for letting you use your American Express Card for purchases of at least $2,000.” There are restrictions. So how much you can put on an American Express card seems to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

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If you have enough cash to cover the purchase, perhaps the most appealing aspect of using the American Express Auto Purchase program is the ability to load the full amount onto your American Express card.

However, unless you happen to have a dealer in your area marked as willing to accept American Express for up to the full purchase price, you may be better off working with the dealer directly. After all, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a dealer willing to accept a down payment on a card of $2,000 to $5,000. And, if you’re a good negotiator, you might be able to get a better deal.

Related: How to rent a car without a credit card

Which American Express card should you use?

So you’ve found a dealer—either through the American Express Auto Buying Program or directly with a dealer—that lets you put some or all of your vehicle purchase on a card. Now you need to decide which card to use. You should consider the following:

  • Do you have a minimum spend requirement that you need to meet? Would you like to register a new card for this purchase?
  • Do you plan to use the card? Do you have a credit card with a higher credit limit? Can you increase the credit limit on any card?
  • What is the rate of return you will receive? Certain benefits require registration; terms apply.
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Here are some American Express cards you might consider purchasing:

You should only charge your card the amount you can pay off when the bill is due. Some cards do offer a 0% introductory APR discount. If you’re buying a car with a card that offers a 0% APR, be sure to pay off the balance in full before the end of the introductory period to avoid interest and fees.

RELATED: 9 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Pay With Your Credit Card

bottom line

I have high hopes for the American Express Auto Buying Program and hope it will simplify the process of finding a dealer that accepts most or all car buying transactions. However, the website interface was frustrating to use, and I couldn’t find a guarantee that I could pay for the entire purchase with my card.

If you want to use your card to pay for part or all of your upcoming vehicle purchase, you may just have to do what Richard Cole did: visit the dealer, negotiate a firm offer, and then say you plan to pay for the entire purchase using your Card. If the dealer won’t let you charge the price you want, move on to the next dealer.

You’ll eventually find a dealer willing to make a sale – although it may take some time and effort on your part. But it’s worth it to get points and discounts on purchases. Certain benefits require registration; terms apply.


Apply here: American Express Platinum Card

Apply here: American Express Business Platinum Card

Apply here: Blue Business Plus Amex


For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, click here.
For rates and fees on the American Express Business Platinum Card, click here.
For Blue Business Plus Amex rates and fees, please click here.

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