My American Express card is my primary credit card, and based on what I see other attorneys using, I know that I am certainly not alone. Thus, I love that since the first day that Apple Pay has been available, I've been able to charge to my Amex account whenever I use Apple Pay at supporting stores such as Walgreens, Subway, Whole Foods, etc. I was surprised that I could even use Apple Pay at the (in?)famous Flora-Bama bar at the beach on the Florida/Alabama border. This week, my American Express card has become even more valuable because one can now use Touch ID with the Amex Mobile for iPhone app instead of having to type a password.
There isn't much to say about the feature. If you are using an iPhone 5s or an iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus, the app gives you the option to turn on Touch ID support. Once you do so, it just works. Launch the app, put your finger on the Home Button, and almost instantly you are securely logged in to the app, without having to type anything at all.
This feature works great, and makes it a lot faster and easier to use the app to keep track of purchases, my balance, etc. Note that the feature currently only works with the iPhone version of the app, so even if you have an iPad Air 2 with Touch ID, you will still need to type a password for now.
Although this isn't a new feature of the Amex app, I thought that I would also mention that if you turn on notifications for the Amex app, you get a notification every time that your Amex card is used to make a purchase, including the amount of the purchase. I generally keep notifications turned off for the apps on my iPhone, but this is one of the rare apps for which I allow notifications because the notification is a quick way to make sure that you were charged the right amount. And the notifications are incredibly fast. Give a credit card to your waiter, and you'll get the notification on your iPhone long before the waiter returns with your card. If you don't currently have notifications turned on for this app, give it a try and see what you think.
I only have a small number of apps on my iPhone that require a password when you launch the app. The perfect example is the 1Password app; it is one of the most useful apps on my iPhone, but given the confidential information contained in the app, you better believe that I have a secure password on it. But secure passwords are a pain to use, which is why I love Touch ID so much more, now that iOS 8 lets apps use Touch ID. You get the security of knowing that only you can access the app, without the inconvenience of typing a password. The Amex app was also a perfect candidate for this feature, and I hope to see all banks with iPhone apps adding the feature soon. (If you use a Discover card, I believe that its app is also Touch ID enabled.)
Click here to get Amex Mobile (for iPhone) (free): 
