Side Notes by Zerodha Varsity

American Express - Why Buffett likes it more than Visa and Mastercard?

Episode Notes

American Express is one of Warren Buffett's longest-standing bets. For over three decades, Berkshire Hathaway has held onto AmEx, through recessions, market crashes, and massive shifts in the payments industry. This is interesting given that AmEx operates a far smaller network than Visa and Mastercard.

So what makes AmEx different? Why has Buffett never sold? And how does a company with fewer cards and lower acceptance still generate outsized returns? 

Listen to American Express' interesting story in this season finale.