Why Isn't American Express Accepted Everywhere? If you have an American Express card, then you may have visited merchants who accept other credit cards, but not your Amex. The reason has to do with the interchange fees charged by the credit card payment networks such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.
The most common reason for a card to be declined is because you're over your credit limit, or the purchase in question would put you over your credit limit. While some issuers either don't have a set credit limit or let you charge above it for a fee, many issuers use your limit as a hard stop for purchasing power.
Places Where American Express is Not Accepted: Cuba, Sudan, South Sudan, Iran, Syria. Major Retailers That Accept American Express: Amazon, IKEA, Sears, Target, Walmart, Lowe's, Apple, Best Buy, Staples, CVS. Major Retailers That Don't Accept American Express: Costco, small non-chain stores/restaurants.
Probably because Amex isn't as popular in the UK, therefore it isn't widely accepted. Any semi decent guidebook would have told you that. Most travellers aren't "dismayed" because they have done their research before they travel. The card is simply not beneficial to the retailer.
With any good, there is always the bad. Drawbacks of American Express include the notorious annual fees. Although an annual fee is almost expected, the actual fee itself varies.
Winner: Visa
In fact, Visa is one of the most accepted payment networks in the world. American Express is accepted by 99% of the merchants that accept credit cards, but it's still not as widely accepted as Visa. American Express has long charged higher credit card processing fees than other payment networks.
Unsurprisingly, American Express also has an excellent customer service and customer satisfaction record. The top level American Express cards have cashback offers of around 5% on purchases made, on top of giving you Nectar Points and Airmiles.
Amazon Pay accepts the following payment methods: Credit card currently accepted include Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Debit card currently accepted include Visa Electron, Delta, and Maestro.
2020 Nilson Report claims that American Express is now accepted at 10.6 million merchants in the United States, equating to a 99% acceptance rate.
The card is so hard to get, you have to be invited to even apply. While Amex doesn't really have published requirements to procure such an invite, it's reported that you'll need to spend at least $350,000 a year on your credit cards to be considered.
Yes, Walmart does accept American Express credit cards, debit cards and gift cards. In addition to American Express cards, Walmart accepts cards from the 3 other major card networks. And they accept their own store credit card that can only be used at Walmart.
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.
What does your credit score need to be for the Amex Platinum card? While there is no set score needed, we recommend you have a credit score of at least 720, 2 years of clean credit history, and an income of at least $50,000 per year to apply for the Amex Platinum card.
This is one of the most common reasons. This can be anything from suspicious to outright fraudulent activity, so it's understandable why they would decline the charge. A lot of times, you can call AMEX and they will give you the chance to fix the issue so that the charge won't be declined next time.
No,. American Express is not specifically for rich people, even though it does have a high level of status in many people's minds. Applicants need good or excellent credit scores of 700+ to qualify for Amex credit cards, and you don't need to be rich to have a good credit score.
American Express is often better than Visa and Mastercard for use in the U.S. by people with good or excellent credit who pay their bill in full monthly and redeem rewards for domestic travel or cash, depending on the Amex.
American Express is good because its credit cards offer customers a wide selection of bonus rewards in popular purchase categories. American Express credit cards also have an assortment of lucrative welcome offers, introductory 0% APR offers, and luxury travel benefits.
In addition to connecting your bank account to PayPal, you can also use credit cards with the online payment service. You can use most major credit cards on PayPal, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and more.
You can pay for most items on eBay with a credit card or debit card, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express.
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.
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. American Express' interchange fee is just too high. Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.5% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 2.5% and 3.5%.
American Express is special because it is a luxury credit card brand, known for offering elite rewards and having exclusive approval requirements. American Express also is among the country's largest credit card issuers by purchase volume, and it is one of the four major payment networks.
With multiple layers of protection, your American Express® Card linked to your mobile wallet, is the go-to Card for added fraud protection when you're out and about.