American Express in the UK

Researching_20

Hi,

I had an American Express (Amex) card 6 or 7 years ago and I found it quite hard to make use of it, at least in the UK.

I also noted at the time that even online some websites would not accept them and airlines would charge me extra for using an Amex.

Those of you with American Express cards, do you have any issues when using them in the UK?

Where are you able to use them?

Do the standard shops like Tesco / Asda / Wilko allow you to use them? What about online? (eg. Amazon)

I am basically considering getting an Amex, but I am unsure as to whether I would be able to actually make use of it in the same way as you use a Visa or Mastercard.

Thanks.

jjames1985

https://www.whoacceptsamex.co.uk/
I rarely have a problem and often there are workarounds (ie someone won't take AMEX but will take PayPal who take AMEX.)

inspectorperez

I’m relatively new to AMEX cards having acquired my first about 2 years ago through Costco membership. The cash back rewards were generous and paid out in cash on an annual basis. Online account management is a doddle and it is very easy to download statements or transactions in pdf or Csv formats. There are a few retailers who don’t accept them, but the only one in my own experience is Eurocarparts. Certainly ASDA, Lidl’s, Aldi, John Lewis, Wilco all accept AMEX cards which I also use for most of my online purchases. This is certainly my main card now of preference. Oh and one other thing, if you register with google pay you get notifications on your smartphone to confirm the payment. I find this very useful.

D3xt3r5L4b

Only B&Q is the major retailer to not accept it.
So the solution is to buy a B&Q giftcard from a shop that does accept Amex then use the gift card. 

penners324

A lot of smaller vendors now use iZettle/ SumUp etc as their card POS provider and take Amex.

Malkytheheed

Very rare now to find retailers that won't take it. As mentioned B&Q is one. But to be honest the only reason to shop there is laziness/convenience. Everything in B&Q can be found elsewhere much cheaper. 

blue.peter

No problem. I put pretty much all of my spending on credit cards, and 95% or so of it is on AmEx. There are a few retailers - mostly smaller ones - that don't accept it, so having either Visa or MasterCard as a backup is still a good idea. Amazon and the major supermarkets (I use Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco) do. B&Q and my local VW/Audi dealer are the only large firms I've found that doesn't accept it. For online purchases, you can link AmEx to a PayPal account. (AmEx is my default payment method for both Amazon and PayPal.)

quackers82

I find i can use Amex in most places and its my default card , it's not as hard to use as some would make out for everyday shopping. Places i have struggling the most is paying for things like Car Insurance in 1 go, not found an insurer who takes Amex yet. 

chanz4

quackers82 said:

I find i can use Amex in most places and its my default card , it's not as hard to use as some would make out for everyday shopping. Places i have struggling the most is paying for things like Car Insurance in 1 go, not found an insurer who takes Amex yet. 

Aviva does with me

NoodleDoodleMan

I believe Amex UK publish online a list of retailers etc. who now accept their cards - I have had one for a few years and have noticed that fewer and fewer shops still decline Amex.

As above B&Q - also B&M, Home Bargains and Savers, also Superdrug (I think).... off the top of my head, a very few others as well.

Lidl relatively recently started taking them, Aldi a few years previously.

jbrassy

I've had an Amex card for a few years now and not had many issues with it. From experience, the main places it isn't accepted are in small shops and pubs, especially outside London. The best place to look is here:
https://www.whoacceptsamex.co.uk/

When it comes to online shopping, as others have said, the best thing to do is add your Amex card to PayPal and pay through that. You also mentioned that you used to get charged extra by retailers for paying with Amex compared with using a Visa or Mastercard. This is no longer an issue since it has been illegal since January 2018 to charge consumers extra for paying with a credit card. See:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/01/cards-fees-to-be-banned-from-saturday/