[Navy_guy]

I'm not yet a resident of the Villages, but my wife and I hope to move here soon. We've spent a couple of weekends, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and we're sure this is where we want to retire. I've only found one thing that irritates me: most of the merchants in The Villages WON'T take American Express. May not seem like a big deal, but my Amex Card is the only one I use for credit purchases. As a consumer, I've found American Express to be extremely accommodating when it comes to questionable charges, and when I need to call them, I always get to talk to a person - not a (*&^^$!! machine.

I understand that Amex charges the merchant a bit more than other cards, but it's not enough to send any of 'em into bankruptcy. It's also not "corporate policy", because the Villages takes American Express when we pay up front for our lodging costs. My wife's American Express gives us a 2% rebate on purchases, and mine is a frequent flyer card, and I've gotten several free flights with it. We'd both hate to give those 'perks' up.

If more people would insist that merchants take American Express, and start buying from someone who does, the merchants would take Amex in one heckuva hurry. Anyone with me on this, or am I a 'majority' of 1? :dontknow:

Let me just say, though, that that's a small thing. We LOVE The Villages, and all the really great people we've met.