How limited is US AMEX acceptance?

[john398]

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@RnJ wrote:

Acceptance in my area is high, the majority of online shops accept Amex as well (and that's being said broadly, I use quite a few off-the-wall online shops).

I do not however, ever use Amex at gas stations - in my area, holds of double the amount is never worth it.  I'm not worried about being covered, I just have an adversion to those who put incredibly high holds on a purchase.

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I noticed AmEx holds of about $100 ever time I use it at the gas staion but I still use it for the 3% if it is not a Chase or Freedom 5% qtr

[Anonymous]

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@Creditaddict wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

Just curious if AMEX acceptance is still limited these days. I would assume that all big companies (gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, online retailers and sizeable B&M stores, etc) accept it? Are the only merchants that don't (for the most part) mom and pop stores or very small businesses where the merchant fees just aren't worth it to them?

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I rarely find a place that does not take it however my partner works in Korea Town and restaurants in that area rarely take it...

I actually think some of the smaller places now that "Square" has come out are starting to take Amex because they don't actually get charged anymore to take it.

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Yup.

In LA, most places in Ktown do not accept Amex and Discover, because of the higher fees. A lot of places in San Gabriel Valley do not even accept any sort of credit cards. 

So in a way, it really depends on where you are shopping at. Most expensive dining and shopping establishments will accept any payment network. Tourist spots will even accept foreign networks such as Unionpay. For instance, Unionpay has a 5% cashback / discount offer at Crystals in Las Vegas, while none of the other networks have such promotions. 

Certain companies will not accept Amex for rent and insurance as well, so if this is a major concern for you, it's best to find out beforehand. 

[Anonymous]

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@09Lexie wrote:

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@gdale6 wrote:

I have only run up some small operators who do not take the card and most of them are in rural areas. In the bigger cities it isnt even an issue.

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This question has been asked before and I have to disagree with gdale6 regarding 'rural areas'.  In So Cal, one of the more popular hamburger chains, In n Out does not accept Amex. 

When I was in NY last year, I noticed it wasn't widely accepted at restaurants either. 

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+1.

There're several fast food chains that do not accept Amex.

Yoshinoya for instance only accepts MC and Visa. 

In rural areas, you may find more places that doesn't accept Amex, since those locations usually have less big-box retailers, but it also depends on which area you are specifically talking about. 

In bigger cities, Amex acceptance is still pretty limited. For instance, I was going to get food at a casual sushi place so I only brought my drivers license and 1 Amex card. Found out they didn't take Amex, and drove around several different places, and it all turns out they didn't accept Amex either. Prolly just my luck, but when you don't have a visa / MC / cash on hand, it is a lot more apparent about just how limited Amex's acceptance is sometimes.

[Anonymous]

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@09Lexie wrote:

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@gdale6 wrote:

I have only run up some small operators who do not take the card and most of them are in rural areas. In the bigger cities it isnt even an issue.

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This question has been asked before and I have to disagree with gdale6 regarding 'rural areas'.  In So Cal, one of the more popular hamburger chains, In n Out does not accept Amex. 

When I was in NY last year, I noticed it wasn't widely accepted at restaurants either. 

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Really? I was in NY a little over a year ago and had no problems at restaurants.

As for here in SW Florida, the only places I've encountered are my hair salon and a few mom and pop restaurants. For the most part acceptance has been pretty good.

[Anonymous]

I've been pleasantly surprised as to how many places we've been to that do accept AmEx.  So far I've only run across 1 restaurant & IIRC only 1-2 online merchants that did not. 

[wHiTeSoL]

San Francisco Bay Area here and for the most part no issues. I run into issues at just a handful of non chain restaurants, and of course in and out.

[Anonymous]

ehh, it's hit or miss in Orlando.  My vet and a small restaurant have been the only places I've encountered so far that didn't take Amex (or Discover).

[09Lexie]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@09Lexie wrote:

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@gdale6 wrote:

I have only run up some small operators who do not take the card and most of them are in rural areas. In the bigger cities it isnt even an issue.

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This question has been asked before and I have to disagree with gdale6 regarding 'rural areas'.  In So Cal, one of the more popular hamburger chains, In n Out does not accept Amex. 

When I was in NY last year, I noticed it wasn't widely accepted at restaurants either. 

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Really? I was in NY a little over a year ago and had no problems at restaurants.

As for here in SW Florida, the only places I've encountered are my hair salon and a few mom and pop restaurants. For the most part acceptance has been pretty good.

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Yea, we stayed in Manhattan and there were two very popular eateries that did not accept Amex.  I had just received my NY Skyline Discover and used it instead. 

[Anonymous]

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@09Lexie wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@09Lexie wrote:

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@gdale6 wrote:

I have only run up some small operators who do not take the card and most of them are in rural areas. In the bigger cities it isnt even an issue.

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This question has been asked before and I have to disagree with gdale6 regarding 'rural areas'.  In So Cal, one of the more popular hamburger chains, In n Out does not accept Amex. 

When I was in NY last year, I noticed it wasn't widely accepted at restaurants either. 

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Really? I was in NY a little over a year ago and had no problems at restaurants.

As for here in SW Florida, the only places I've encountered are my hair salon and a few mom and pop restaurants. For the most part acceptance has been pretty good.

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Yea, we stayed in Manhattan and there were two very popular eateries that did not accept Amex.  I had just received my NY Skyline Discover and used it instead. 

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Interesting. Just proves the point that Amex doesn't have universal acceptance. But, I think it has improved over the years.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Interesting. Just proves the point that Amex doesn't have universal acceptance. But, I think it has improved over the years.

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I agree.

It's definitely much better compared to the days when Amex & Discover were getting shafted by MC and Visa.

The biggest problem for Amex however is overseas acceptance. Discover has managed to work out agreements with other networks, such as UnionPay, which has drastically increased their acceptance, especially in Asia. Hopefully this will improve in the future. But first of all, Amex needs to get rid of FTFs on their travel and charge cards.