#credit-card-fees

#credit-card-fees

The Platinum Card from American Express recently reclaimed its first-place rank as the most expensive mainstream travel credit card after briefly being dethroned by the Chase Sapphire Reserve this summer. In exchange for well over $1,000 in new benefits, the Amex Platinum now costs a whopping $895 a year, up $200 from the current annual fee of $695. To justify the annual fee price hike, the Amex Platinum now offers more than $3,500 of value in annual credits and benefits. It also comes in an optional, limited-edition mirror finish, which current cardholders can request through their online dashboard or via the Amex app.

Stablecoins reduce settlement time, cross-border costs and enable programmable rewards. They outpace traditional credit card systems. US merchants pay over $100 billion in card fees yearly. In comparison, stablecoins offer much cheaper, faster payments. Ripple's RLUSD, Gemini's XRP Card and Moca's Air Shop show stablecoins moving into mainstream commerce. With big players exploring adoption, stablecoins are positioned to become central to US payment systems.