Thinking about earning money working remotely, either full-time or as a side hustle? Check out the jobs at American Express (AXP) : As one of the largest and best-established financial services companies in the world, American Express employs over 60,000 full-time and part-time workers in a variety of career areas, ranging from sales to technology, marketing, finance and customer service—and many of these jobs can be performed from home.
You could say that customers are at the heart of everything Amex does; in fact, its rewards programs, which cardholders can redeem at restaurants, retailers, airlines, and hotels (to name a few), have inspired some serious long-term customer loyalty.
American Express cardholders ring up more than $888 billion in purchases each year, making it the world’s largest credit card company by purchase volume.
Why is American Express committed to remote work?
American Express is considered one of the top places to work—Fortune recently named it one of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials— and that’s largely due to its flexible work models. For instance, during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Amex pledged not to layoff any workers and instead set its employees up (that’s right, all 60,000 of them) to work remotely. As workers began returning to the office, Amex incorporated employee feedback into shaping a generous new workplace model called Amex Flex, which gives its employees the option of working up to four weeks per year from anyplace in the world.
Amex also defined new parameters for its job types:
- Fully onsite positions constitute working in the office four to five days a week. This makes up Amex’s smallest slice of the workforce, mainly security, technology, and facilities operations roles.
- Hybrid work, which is a mix of in-office and virtual work, typically involves two days per week in the office.
- Fully virtual jobs make up nearly half (about 40%) of Amex’s workforce. These employees primarily work from home but may be required to travel to an onsite location from time to time.
American Express has reaped its own rewards from its flexible policies, enabling it to cast a “wider net” and source top-tier talent—as well as provide excellent customer service across multiple time zones.
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What types of remote jobs does American Express have? What is the starting pay?
Ever wondered why you haven’t seen an American Express storefront? That’s because the company operates completely online. However, Amex operations aren’t completely virtual; the company maintains corporate offices in 55 geographic locations across the United States and Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
Amex offers two types of remote positions: Fully remote jobs, and remote jobs within a certain geographic radius, ostensibly so that the employee can attend in-person meetings as required.
In addition, the majority of Amex’s virtual positions fall under one of three business verticals:
- Corporate
- American Express Remote Virtual Customer Care
- American Express Global Business Travel
According to Indeed, the average salary at American Express ranges from $34,648 for its Travel Counselors to $164,611 for its Senior Architects. Typically, Amex is looking to hire experienced professionals although entry-level positions become available from time to time. The company also offers a student internship program for those in college.
Here are a few of Amex’s most frequently advertised remote positions and their salary ranges:
Customer Service Professional: $20–$32 per hour
Amex customer service reps respond to inquiries by phone and email. They build solid relationships with customers by resolving issues and upselling products. If you like to talk to people, work in a fast-paced environment, and are generally unflappable, this is the job for you.
Amex provides extensive training to new hires, covering call protocols, compliance, and best practices on ways to handle sensitive information, such as cardmember data.
These positions can be full-time or part-time, and shifts include nights and weekends.
A college degree is not required to work in Customer Service, but Amex seeks those with 2+ years of previous experience, basic computer skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work with all personality types.
Travel Counselor: $17–35 per hour
These full-time positions provide customer support to Amex’s business clients by booking individual and group travel arrangements, including air transportation, car rentals, and lodging. They provide customer support via telephone and fulfill special requests. They also ensure compliance with service provider policies as well as regulatory standards.
Successful candidates usually have 5+ years of corporate travel experience, a passion for customer service, and knowledge of the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS).
Sales Associate: $18–36 per hour
Reporting under the American Express Global Business Travel brand, these full-time associates are responsible for generating new sales in Amex’s enterprise market. That means they provide sales solutions to help corporations manage their travel expenditures. Responsibilities include cold-calling prospects, lead management and networking, building and maintaining partner relationships, and driving premium revenues.
Three years of business development experience is required.
Meeting & Event Planner: $46,000–$93,000
These Amex employees are responsible for all aspects of successful meetings and events, from establishing project timelines to following a workflow schedule with clients and vendors, producing program materials, maintaining accurate records, coordinating all details of the on-ground event, and submitting final bills. They work closely with internal departments as well as external groups, such as third-party suppliers. Although this position is remote, it has the possibility for international and domestic travel.
Candidates for this position should have three to five years of meeting planning experience as well as a certified meeting professional (CMP) designation. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Manager: $55,000 and up
Further up the career ladder, American Express hires experienced account, product, and project managers to carry out its strategic initiatives. These individuals aren’t necessarily subject matter experts themselves; rather, they facilitate cross-functional collaboration and implement best practices within their department. Duties include managing project risks, budget management, scheduling timelines and establishing milestones, and building relationships with key decision makers to make sure that their customers are satisfied with all final deliverables.
Excellent interpersonal skills, along with seven years of managerial experience is required. A Project Management Planning (PMP) certification is preferred.
Amex recently advertised a position for a Regional Manager in the Chicago area with a salary range between $55,000–$90,000. Residence in the Chicago area is required.
Engineer: $150k and up
As one of Amex’s highest-paid remote positions, engineers work within specific geographic locations to review outputs and translate complex technical processes into functional designs. They also provide training and mentorship to junior-level staff.
Candidates typically have a Master’s Degree in Computer Science or Information Systems Security and three years of relevant job experience, or a Bachelor’s degree and five years of experience.
These six-figure jobs are among the most lucrative at Amex: The salary range for a recently advertised Engineer in Scottsdale, Arizona area was between $156,000–$170,000.
What are some benefits of American Express remote jobs?
Benefits at Amex begin on your first day. They include paid vacation, medical and dental insurance, workplace-sponsored retirement accounts, tuition assistance, transportation reimbursement, paid parental leave, adoption assistance, and more. In addition, employees receive a weekly perk of awesome travel deals, including steep discounts on airfare, hotel stays, cruises, and car rentals.
As an equal-opportunity employer, American Express is a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI) and offers global inclusion networking opportunities, along with other resources that support employee wellbeing.
How do you apply for a remote job at American Express?
With its massive, $157 billion market cap, it would seem that a company the size of American Express is always hiring—but that also means that there are thousands of other hopeful applicants you’ll have to compete with, so it’s best to present the strongest possible credentials that closely align with the position you’re going after.
Applying for a remote job at American Express is easy: Simply visit the company’s Careers page, where you can filter your job search by remote or virtual positions. You can even upload your resume and an algorithm will determine which of its open positions best match your experience.
When you are called for an interview, prepare to undergo a comprehensive process that includes several rounds of meetings. If you are applying for a technical position, know that your abilities will be tested.
But all of this shouldn’t discourage you from applying—far from it. Amex wants to set every candidate up for success and even includes 10 Killer Interview Questions to help jobseekers prepare for their interviews.