topic Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX in Credit Cards

Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:16:46 GMT

I know a huge downfall to AMEX is that it's the company retailers are most likely to not accept. Has anyone been successful in getting a retailer to accept American Express who didn't at one point? Message Edited by jessep28 on 08-16-2008 10:16 PM

Message Edited by jessep28 on 08-16-2008 10:16 PM

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:30:07 GMT

Not the big AMEX i thought they where accepted any many stores world wide.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:28:20 GMT

It has been eons since I've seen someone who didn't take AmEx, other than doctor's offices and tiny mom-and-pop corner stores. Oh, and my kids' university.

But for general retail, restaurants, and travel, it seems not to be a problem. Even the local gas, beer, video, and live bait store takes AmEx.

Nightcrawlers on the Centurion!

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:55:58 GMT

Maybe it was an anomaly but I ran into three places yesterday that wouldn't accept American Express.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:02:43 GMT

jessep28 wrote:
Maybe it was an anomaly but I ran into three places yesterday that wouldn't accept American Express.

What places where they?

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:54:52 GMT

haulingthescoreup wrote:
It has been eons since I've seen someone who didn't take AmEx, other than doctor's offices and tiny mom-and-pop corner stores. Oh, and my kids' university.

But for general retail, restaurants, and travel, it seems not to be a problem. Even the local gas, beer, video, and live bait store takes AmEx.

Nightcrawlers on the Centurion!

None of the golf courses around here take amex.

I found out that UT will accept CCs for tuition online, but theres a 2.5% fee

It's almost worth it to catapult me into the bonus cashback, lol. I wonder how long until I make that 2.5% back...

There are a few places that don't take it, but you're not going to convince them to. Just bring along a visa, I always have a visa on me. It's pretty much universally accepted.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:03:22 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

None of the golf courses around here take amex.

I found out that UT will accept CCs for tuition online, but theres a 2.5% fee

It's almost worth it to catapult me into the bonus cashback, lol. I wonder how long until I make that 2.5% back...

There are a few places that don't take it, but you're not going to convince them to. Just bring along a visa, I always have a visa on me. It's pretty much universally accepted.

UT takes it now? I didn't know, or I'd forgotten.

Amazed that Fox Den and Egwani don't take it! They're so.... well... I'm many years past my very limited golf career.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:05:41 GMT

Well, Egwani probably does. I mainly play at Lambert, Pine Lakes and The Golf Club in Maryville.

And here I go off topic

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:05:26 GMT

1) Place where I get my haircut. It's a small business owner so I can kind of see why.
2) Sandwich Place by my house (Jimmy Johns). But I just went off the stickers they had on the door.
3) Movie Theater. This actually was what irritated me since they aren't exactly a small chain. (Marcus Theaters)

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

preci0uz — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:08:49 GMT

I haven't seen any establishment that doesn't take AMEX in NY. I've notice that a lot of places don't accept Discover.

Now, what's really shocking is that there are actual places that don't take credit cards at all! It's frustrating. This is NY!!

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Geordi — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:31:22 GMT

Well I have frequented a couple establishments in the South Florida area that say that they don't take American Express or Discover. Mind you these are small mom & pop stores.

The funny thing is that they DO TAKE both AMEX and Discover. In all the places that I've been in that said they didn't take AMEX or Discover, I found out by accident when I gave my Discover card or AMEX out of habit to a new cashier. They innocently swiped the card and the transaction was approved.

At one eatery, again small mom and pop, I found out later that the merchant system by default takes Visa, MC, Amex, & Discover. However if the merchant doesn't want to pay the additional transaction fees for Discover or Amex, then the merchant simply tells customers that they don't accept those cards.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:29:59 GMT

Yeah, I never thought retailers would deliberately try to steer customers away from using AMEX. You figure that some customers and especially businesses would find it inconvenient they have to use an alternative payment form and not patronize that vendor anymore.

I sent a request into the theater to ask that they accept AMEX. They have over 50 locations, I don't see how AMEX could overburden them.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:39:03 GMT

I suppose the main problem, with both AmEx and Discover, is that the fees to the vendor are so much higher than those of Visa and MC.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:09:11 GMT

All of my regular places take Amex-

My Sushi place does not take Discover-

The kids pediatrician only takes Visa/MC

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:18:45 GMT

I've come across a few places around here that don't take AmEx - restaurants, mainly. Also, our local Dominos Pizza CLAIMS to accept AmEx... and yet I've never succeeded in actually paying them with AmEx. Try to order online and pay with AmEx, it won't go through. You get some error message telling you to call the store. They then proceed to go through the whole rigamarole of taking your card details and putting the payment through... but it's never worked for me, and I always end up using a Visa/MC instead, although they always act like this has never happened before. It's happened to me, hm, three times in the last month, and I forget how many times before that. First time it happened, I freaked out that the FR fairy was paying me a visit... after a few attempts (with both my Delta SkyMiles card and my Blue), all to no avail, I've come to the conclusion that no matter what they say, they don't actually accept AmEx... or at least, they don't accept MY AmEx! I might keep trying periodically, just to see if it ever starts working...

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:53:17 GMT

@haulingthescoreup wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

None of the golf courses around here take amex.
I found out that UT will accept CCs for tuition online, but theres a 2.5% fee
It's almost worth it to catapult me into the bonus cashback, lol. I wonder how long until I make that 2.5% back...
There are a few places that don't take it, but you're not going to convince them to. Just bring along a visa, I always have a visa on me. It's pretty much universally accepted.

UT takes it now? I didn't know, or I'd forgotten.

Amazed that Fox Den and Egwani don't take it! They're so.... well... I'm many years past my very limited golf career.

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Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:55:28 GMT

And then stand by for the financial review as soon as you charge the tuition...because of course if you run up a big balance like that you must be either going broke or planning on having a heart attack next week.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:45:29 GMT

I've come across a few places around here that don't take AmEx - restaurants, mainly. Also, our local Dominos Pizza CLAIMS to accept AmEx... and yet I've never succeeded in actually paying them with AmEx. Try to order online and pay with AmEx, it won't go through. You get some error message telling you to call the store. They then proceed to go through the whole rigamarole of taking your card details and putting the payment through... but it's never worked for me, and I always end up using a Visa/MC instead, although they always act like this has never happened before. It's happened to me, hm, three times in the last month, and I forget how many times before that. First time it happened, I freaked out that the FR fairy was paying me a visit... after a few attempts (with both my Delta SkyMiles card and my Blue), all to no avail, I've come to the conclusion that no matter what they say, they don't actually accept AmEx... or at least, they don't accept MY AmEx! I might keep trying periodically, just to see if it ever starts working...

That totally happened to me at Dominos! The site told me to call the store, but it routed to a call center where they told me that the reason it wouldn't go through was the online coupon I had selected was invalid! They didn't say anything about it being the CC. I ended up still submitting online and using cash, since they wouldn't let me use the coupon I'd picked. Plus I love the pizza tracker

Oh, and I found a gas station that doesn't take AMEX. Southern CA.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

sammyfire2001 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:57:05 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
1) Place where I get my haircut. It's a small business owner so I can kind of see why.
2) Sandwich Place by my house (Jimmy Johns). But I just went off the stickers they had on the door.
3) Movie Theater. This actually was what irritated me since they aren't exactly a small chain. (Marcus Theaters)

I was quite shocked to discover that movie theter that I went to last Saturday didn't accept it either. They are a major movie chain as well.

Re: Getting Retailers to Accept AMEX

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:54:18 GMT

@sammyfire2001 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
1) Place where I get my haircut. It's a small business owner so I can kind of see why.
2) Sandwich Place by my house (Jimmy Johns). But I just went off the stickers they had on the door.
3) Movie Theater. This actually was what irritated me since they aren't exactly a small chain. (Marcus Theaters)
I was quite shocked to discover that movie theter that I went to last Saturday didn't accept it either. They are a major movie chain as well.

Hard to believe that theatres don't make enough of a markup on tickets to afford to process AmEx cards!

Maybe it's that AmEx guarantee --with so many lousy movies out, ticketholders might be trying to use their AmEx consumer protections to get refunds.