American Express card

Myser

Hello,

Just wondering how widely accepted American Express cards are now?

Do you have the same protection with purchases as a normal credit card?

Thanks.

blue.peter

Myser said:

Just wondering how widely accepted American Express cards are now?

Experience seems to vary between individuals. I no longer have an AmEx card. However, my own experience was that I was able to put about 95% of my spending on it. There are certainly still some businesses that don't accept AmEx, but they are gradually reducing in number. On the whole, they're the smaller ones. there are still some larger firms, such as the VW dealer that services my car, that don't.

I've seen reports by people whose experience is a lot less favourable than mine. So your experience will depend on your own spending habits: do you use businesses that don't accept it a lot or a little. I think that the only way of finding out how it'll work for you isto try it out.

Myser said:

Do you have the same protection with purchases as a normal credit card?

AFAIK, it is a "normal credit card" and therefore has the same protection. But I'm not an expert, and am happy for someone more knowledgeable to correct me.

Marchitiello

Amex still has some Charge Cards products around but are mostly Credit cards in the UK now, so same as any other Credit Cards.

In a recent analysis of my annual spend i also put over 95% of my spend on Amex but also worth sharing that I do also a sizeable spend in foreign currency/travelling (excluding prepaid Hotels or Car Rental done in GBP before travelling) and of the 5% not spent on Amex, more then half was done on my MasterCard Travel Card, in places where Amex was accepted but would have incurred a 3% forex fee.

I can also confirm that acceptance has increased widely (Lidl/Aldi/B&Q amongst the larger retailers in the recent years), also thanks to the modern payment processor targeting small business (those with tiny white terminals), so that even my independent barber allow me to use my Amex.

2ilent8cho

I don't have much issue with Amex acceptance, most of my spend goes through my Amex card, just pair it with a Visa/Mastercard for where you cannot use it. So if you want Amex for cash back get say a Barclaycard Cashback card as backup, for Avios Barclaycard Avios for backup.

Jlawson118

I don't have many issues with Amex, and the acceptance has certainly gotten better in the five years I've had my card.

I just struggle with a few independent places in my local area.

I did used to have a Visa/Mastercard rewards alongside to gain points on but decent ones of these seem quite scarce lately

WillPS

All the supermarkets accept. The vast majority of petrol stations also accept.

Frozen food retailers mostly don't but Iceland/The Food Warehouse do.

Discount retailers - B&M, Home Bargains etc mostly don't accept it. Most (but bizarrely not all!) Poundlands do accept it.

Most online retailers accept either Amex or PayPal nowadays.

Places that offer bill settlement via credit card (e.g. utilities, councils) mostly don't accept Amex when they do. 


I estimate that about 80% of my spend could go through Amex.

NoodleDoodleMan

As others have said, Amex now much more widely accepted - we have a Barclaycard Reward for the few merchants who still don't.

It is a bonafide credit card - and the customer service is excellent in my experience - you get through to a rep quickly on the 'phone.

I also get account balance emails regularly.

No complaints.

username

I haven't had any major complaints regarding the Amex service, the card arrived very quickly after applying which presented a good first impression, rather than the week or so with other card providers.

I always have a Mastercard handy for the times that Amex isn't accepted - your large chain supermarkets shouldn't have a problem accepting, however, as you get more localised and small traders it can be a bit hit and miss.

Some don't even openly advertise they accept it, but tap the card and see is my approach, unless they have a sign or other direction from the shopkeeper saying No Amex etc.

Small traders that have izettle/sqauare/sumup will accept Amex as part of their agreement.

"Places that offer bill settlement via credit card (e.g. utilities, councils) mostly don't accept Amex when they do. "

Octopus Energy do accept Amex online. My local council doesn't even accept any form of credit card for payment of council tax.

"Frozen food retailers mostly don't but Iceland/The Food Warehouse do.

Discount retailers - B&M, Home Bargains etc mostly don't accept it. Most (but bizarrely not all!) Poundlands do accept it."

I wonder if this is because the margins on frozen food are thin and the Amex cost eats too much into this, or they think their clientele won't have one, and so do not bother to offer?

WillPS

username said:

"Frozen food retailers mostly don't but Iceland/The Food Warehouse do.

Discount retailers - B&M, Home Bargains etc mostly don't accept it. Most (but bizarrely not all!) Poundlands do accept it."

I wonder if this is because the margins on frozen food are thin and the Amex cost eats too much into this, or they think their clientele won't have one, and so do not bother to offer?

I don't know, but I wouldn't have thought their margins are tighter than Lidl and Aldi, who have both started accepting in recent years. Of course Amex might have cut both those brands a good deal because they're increasingly successful even with more affluent customers.

double_dutchy

Some retailers who don't accept Amex directly will instead accept Paypal and/or Google Pay so I can pay by Amex indirectly, although I think that would negate any Section 75 protection (?)

DullGreyGuy

double_dutchy said:

Some retailers who don't accept Amex directly will instead accept Paypal and/or Google Pay so I can pay by Amex indirectly, although I think that would negate any Section 75 protection (?)

You can use Google Pay to get around not accepting AmEx? You can't use ApplePay to, the merchant still sees it as an AmEx transaction. 

PayPal it depends how you use them, logged into your account you lose S75


As to acceptance, for where we shop its only small traditional stores (eg corner shops) that have any issues with it. Many market stalls, pop ups, start ups etc use mobile solutions like Zettle which do accept AmEx.

By protection, presumably you mean S75 of the CCA? In which case any credit product regulated by the CCA has this irrespective of the issuer. As has been mentioned before, charge cards have to paid off in one and so arent in the scope of the CCA but AmEx have stopped offering most their chargecards to personal lines customers.