Less places taking Amex?

fun4everyone
fun4everyone Posts: 2,339 Forumite
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Purely personal experience this but are less places taking AMEX now? My local restaurant stopped, and my dentist and now the car dealer I use also (no idea if this is a local thing or nationwide).

Am I going to have to switch to stoozing a 0%er some point soon? Retailers appear to be moving away from my favoured cashback card.
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Comments

  • blue.peter
    blue.peter Posts: 1,212 Forumite
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    I haven't noticed any reduction in the number of businesses accepting my AmEx card. There's no firm that I use that has accepted it in the past but no longer does.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 35,242 Forumite
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    I find more accept Amex now than did a few years ago.
  • fun4everyone
    fun4everyone Posts: 2,339 Forumite
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    edited 15 January 2020 at 3:46PM
    Ok that's good. I did find out that BMW stopped taking it recently the other day which is quite a large change. No idea if national or just the local dealer.
  • MallyGirl
    MallyGirl Posts: 6,617 Senior Ambassador
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    only my local Indian restaurant has stopped but that seems to be a technology issue - they have to virtually hang the card machine out of the window to take any cc payments. They still featured on the shop small list.
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  • lisyloo
    lisyloo Posts: 29,611 Forumite
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    I find more places take it now and even on market stalls. Theres a new system (izettle I think?) with white key pads which market traders use now that takes amex.

    It’s a bit odd sometimes, certainly in London because if you go to a market (say brixton for example) about half the places will say no cash and the other half will say cash only.
    There have always been small independent businesses like restaurants and dentists that won’t use it because of the charges and they aren’t big enough to negotiate a better rate, but PayPal and izettle have opened up avenues.

    You still need a back up.
  • Tallaght
    Tallaght Posts: 1,632 Forumite
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    I used to have a blue Amex but there was loads of places that would not accept it including car hire firms.
  • dcfc67
    dcfc67 Posts: 399 Forumite
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    Costco used to be Amex only, they now take Visa and Mastercard.
    Which is useful as I got rid of my goldcard before the annual fee kicked in.
  • born_again
    born_again Posts: 14,415 Forumite
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    MallyGirl wrote: »
    only my local Indian restaurant has stopped but that seems to be a technology issue - they have to virtually hang the card machine out of the window to take any cc payments. They still featured on the shop small list.

    Odd as it would also effect debit card payments.
    Life in the slow lane
  • fun4everyone
    fun4everyone Posts: 2,339 Forumite
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    Some government services used to take it iirc (not passport renewals but car tax did), now I don't think anything does on there.
  • Malkytheheed
    Malkytheheed Posts: 657 Forumite
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    dcfc67 wrote: »
    Costco used to be Amex only, they now take Visa and Mastercard.
    Which is useful as I got rid of my goldcard before the annual fee kicked in.
    Costco were not AMEX only....:rotfl:
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