The American Express card isn't accepted by every merchant, but it can be used at a growing number of locations in the United States and around the world.
American Express is not accepted everywhere because American Express charges merchants higher fees than Visa, Mastercard. This makes retailers like Costco, independently owned boutiques, and many family stores shy away from accepting your American Express card.
American Express is accepted at 10.6 million merchant locations in the U.S. and in 160+ countries and territories abroad. But you'll find some stores that have exclusive deals with the more popular networks, Visa and Mastercard. For example, Costco only accepts Visa cards now, after switching from Amex only in 2016.
While American Express cards are accepted in more than 100 countries worldwide, Amex is still lagging behind Discover, Visa and Mastercard.
Walmart.com accepts the following payment methods:
Credit cards, including American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. ATM / Debit / Check Cards, including Walmart MoneyCard Opens in new window. ... Walmart Gift Cards and eGift Cards (gift cards cannot be used to purchase other gift cards) PayPal.
Most major gas station chains (like BP, Exxon, Shell, Texaco, Gulf, and Murphy USA) will accept American Express, but you may find a handful of independent gas stations that will only accept Visa/Mastercard. That happens because American Express charges the merchants higher processing fees.
Amazon Pay accepts credit and debit cards. Credit cards currently accepted include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club, and JCB. The Amazon.com store card is available for use with selected merchants.
Winner: Visa
American Express has long charged higher credit card processing fees than other payment networks. To avoid those more expensive fees, some merchants have opted not to accept American Express cards. It's accepted in over 170 countries; however, Visa is accepted in over 200 countries.
Mastercard credit cards are accepted at 37 million merchant locations in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard is accepted in more countries than Visa, yet roughly 7 million more merchants worldwide take Visa. Both have a claim to the title of most widely accepted credit card as a result.
Why is American Express hard to use? American Express-issued cards are not as widely accepted as cards operating under the MasterCard or Visa schemes. While millions of retailers will take American Express across the world, you'll come across quite a few which don't in the UK.
According to an American Express representative, 99% of U.S. merchants who accept credit cards also now accept American Express. Thanks to an initiative to increase its acceptance rates among U.S. merchants, AmEx announced that it has achieved “virtual parity” with Visa and Mastercard, according to its internal data.
Whether a credit card is accepted at a particular merchant depends on the payment network it belongs to. The good news is that the four major payment networks—Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express—are widely accepted everywhere in the United States.
American Express is one of the leading card issuers in the United States. It's known for its top-notch customer service and some of the best rewards available. From ultra-elite business travel cards to everyday rewards, American Express has credit cards that are a good choice for many different types of cardholders.
They are the best service provider and have special promotions and discount offers for the traveler or the customer who belongs to different countries throughout the world. They are best in providing on-time service and queries handlings. That's why they are accepted by customers globally.
All credit card issuers charge a fee, but not all issuers charge the same fee. Because of this set up, merchants can choose which credit cards they want to accept. The different fees often make or break a deal for a merchant. This is why many merchants, especially small businesses, don't accept American Express.
Is Discover Card accepted everywhere? Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards. And internationally, the Discover Global Network offers acceptance in 200 countries and territories, and growing.
Yes. American Express cards can be used in Europe to a limited extent. ... Although American Express cards will sometimes work, Visa and Mastercard are much more widely accepted internationally. Merchants that accept credit cards will almost always accept these two networks.
Fortunately, American Express is accepted throughout Canada at a variety of stores, restaurants, and service providers: over 90,000 places in Canada started accepting American Express® Cards in 2019 alone.
On the surface, one of Discover's perks is attractive to international travelers, but while Discover cardholders don't pay any foreign transaction fees, it isn't accepted in some places worldwide.
Winner: Citi undeniably has the better travel credit, but Amex wins in just about every category. From Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club access to statement credits for Uber and Saks Fifth Avenue, the Platinum card is chock full of benefits.
It offers bonus points on food-related purchases, plus dining and travel credits. Rewards are transferrable to travel partners. For serious foodies, the benefits of the American Express® Gold Card are tailor-made for your wallet.
What makes American Express different is that it is both a card issuer and a card network. Unlike card issuers such as Chase or Bank of America and card networks such as Visa or Mastercard, American Express serves both the role of servicing accounts and processing transactions.
Since Costco has a contract with Visa, shoppers can't use credit cards backed by the other three main networks, American Express, Mastercard or Discover, at Costco warehouses. However, you're able to pay with Mastercard and Discover cards for purchases made at Costco.com and the Costco app.
Most used payment methods for e-commerce worldwide 2019, by region. According to a January 2019 survey, 82 percent of responding online shoppers in the Americas cited credit or debit cards as their preferred payment method when making online purchases.
You can pay for most items on eBay with a credit card or debit card, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express.