American Express Gift Card Irony

Gift cards are hot. An Incentive Federation study found that companies plan to make gift cards their No. 1 choice this holiday season and beyond. The study also found that gift cards and gift certificates were included in 32 percent of corporate incentive programs in 2000 and climbed to more than 54 percent in 2003. For the first time this year, gift cards were rated as "the most wanted gift," outranking CDs, DVDs, apparel, tapes and books in an annual consumer survey of holiday retail spending plans commissioned by Deloitte & Touche. American Express has done a great job in building a brand for their cards. The ads we see on TV are great. They are brilliant windows into the modern consumer. Choice rules. The problem is that American Express has a consistency problem. While you can buy Amex gift cards at many banks....(wait for it) you can't buy them using an American Express card. This seems like the height of irony and more simply bad brand channel management. I actually tried to do this. Went to a couple banks and was told "cash only" and for customers of that bank only. My bank didn't sell them but would be happy to gift wrap a savings bond though mailed to me in 7-10 business days. Huh? A sad state of affairs. Half the experience is not enough. Buying the gift card should reinforce membership in American Express as much as it brings in new customers. Needless to say, I didn't get the gift cards (or the savings bonds). Sale lost. And I've been a gold member for over 15 years. This needs fixing.