Annoyed at places that don't take Amex

[youngandcreditwrthy]

So I really got bummed when paying my bill at brunch yesterday. All I had were Amex Delta Gold and BCE and my ugly Chase debit visa with absolutely no benefits or cash back.

They told me they didn't accept Amex, so I had to use my debit card heh.

Im frustrated that more places don't accept Amex. Sure, a phat credit line and a nicely designed card are fantastic,
But if I can't use it everywhere I go... What's the point?
Is Amex working on expanding acceptance?
Sure, I get a small business doesn't want yo pay a 5% metchant fee, BUT HELLO...do you want my business or not?

Just frustrated heh lol

[Open123]

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@youngandcreditwrthy wrote:
So I really got bummed when paying my bill at brunch yesterday. All I had were Amex Delta Gold and BCE and my ugly Chase debit visa with absolutely no benefits or cash back.

They told me they didn't accept Amex, so I had to use my debit card heh.

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LOL...as a fellow rewards jukie, I feel your pain!  Debit card with no rewards is like sacrilege!

Wait till you travel abroad, much less Amex acceptance, where MC is King, Visa is Queen and Amex is the single bishop on the wrong color. 

PS - JCB/Disc is nice to have when travelling to Japan and SE Asia.

[lg8302ch]

yep... I know how this feels. I live in Europe where there are sooooooo many places you cannot even pay with a credit card and if they accept it is VI and MC and very rarely AX and even more rare  DC/Discover 

[lg8302ch]

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LOL...as a fellow rewards jukie, I feel your pain!  Debit card with no rewards is like sacrilege!

Wait till you travel abroad, much less Amex acceptance, where MC is King, Visa is Queen and Amex is the single bishop on the wrong color. 

PS - JCB/Disc is nice to have when travelling to Japan and SE Asia.

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+ 1

I love your explanation 

[navigatethis12]

Wouldn't the Chase Freedom have gotten you 5% on that brunch? I carry one card from each network (except Discover, which I wouldn't dare take out of the house), just for insurance if a place doesn't accept something or the network goes down.

[youngandcreditwrthy]

I know!
I almost had a panic attack over $0.40 lost in rewards :-(
I don't want a Visa, MC, or Discover in my wallet. Amex has been treating me the fairest lately, but if I can't use it as much, what's the point. I don't want to have extra cards in my wallet "just in case" My wallet is small and will barely fit much of anything haha. No way in heck I could get all 20 cards in that thing.

[steve23111]

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@youngandcreditwrthy wrote:
So I really got bummed when paying my bill at brunch yesterday. All I had were Amex Delta Gold and BCE and my ugly Chase debit visa with absolutely no benefits or cash back.

They told me they didn't accept Amex, so I had to use my debit card heh.

Im frustrated that more places don't accept Amex. Sure, a phat credit line and a nicely designed card are fantastic,
But if I can't use it everywhere I go... What's the point?
Is Amex working on expanding acceptance?
Sure, I get a small business doesn't want yo pay a 5% metchant fee, BUT HELLO...do you want my business or not?

Just frustrated heh lol

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I think it's fair to say that EVERY card issuer is ALWAYS working on expanding their acceptance.  I also think AMEX has come a long way in the last few years, as I have found they ARE accepted almost everywhere credit cards are accepted.

The one gotcha is that a lot of places won't post an AMEX logo sticker on the door and they will TELL you initially that they do not accept AMEX, but the moment you leave the sale on the counter and start to walk, or tell them you only use AMEX, they suddenly "find a way" to make it work (ie, run the damn card through the machine).  Most smaller businesses use payment terminals run by firms that cater to the card processing needs of small businesses, and virtually all of those terminals will accept all four major card flavors.

Try it.

[Open123]

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@steve23111 wrote:

The one gotcha is that a lot of places won't post an AMEX logo sticker on the door and they will TELL you initially that they do not accept AMEX, but the moment you leave the sale on the counter and start to walk, or tell them you only use AMEX, they suddenly "find a way" to make it work (ie, run the damn card through the machine).  Most smaller businesses use payment terminals run by firms that cater to the card processing needs of small businesses, and virtually all of those terminals will accept all four major card flavors.

Try it.

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Right, per the merchant agreement, if the Amex blue signed is displayed, the Merchant *must* accept the card; but, if it isn't, they can at their discretion.  

I've been to a few restaurants who asked me to pay with another card (since they know I have it), but allowed some tourists next to our table to pay with an Amex.

[HeilFico]

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@navigatethis12 wrote:

Wouldn't the Chase Freedom have gotten you 5% on that brunch? I carry one card from each network (except Discover, which I wouldn't dare take out of the house), just for insurance if a place doesn't accept something or the network goes down.

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What's wrong with Discover?  Love my IT card and the rewards that come with it!

[lg8302ch]

ohhhhh....such a small wallet that it cannot take only  1 visa OR 1 mastercard ??