OMG no one takes Discover!!!....myth?

[SecretAzure]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I've only run into that "problem" with liquor stores

---

This precisely. I didn't even know this was a problem until I went to a liquor store and they stopped me before swiping and said "We don't accept Discover." Luckily, it was just my Barclaycard Ring card and I was able to swipe it. 

I live in Miami...nearly every card is accepted anywhere but this right here is one of the major reasons I havn't gotten a Discover It card, although this is a small case and probably affects few other people lol. In other news, I havn't ever been told I can't use my Amex anywhere.

[happypill]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@happypill wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I'm Asian.

My family is Asian.

My family likes Asian food.

(Mod Cut-This cannot be stated in the public forum)

Asian restaurants don't accept Discover/AMEX.

My family likes Discover.

My family can't use Discover at Asian restaurants

---

I was about to say this exactly!  I live in the Bay Area and I would say that a solid majority of authentic Asian restaurants targeting Asians (not Asian themed restaurants or Asian fusion restaurants) do not take Discover.  I think a few more take Amex.  Of course, there are quite a few that are cash only and don't take any cards at all.  My totally unscientific, seat-of-the-pants, back-of-the-envelope count would be as follows:

100% take cash (obviously)

80% take VS/MC

20% take Amex in addition to VS/MC

10% take Discover in addition to VS/MC/AMEX

Back when I used to travel a lot, I always felt like Amex was more widely accepted than Discover.  I know this isn't the case any more as Discover has expanded a lot.  Of course, it depends a lot on the perspective of the user.  Amex always catered to business travelers, so it makes sense that they felt like a big player when I traveled a lot - my company issued an Amex and I used it for all business expenses with no problem.  I'm not sure what Discover's main niche is...people new to credit maybe?  They have definitely come a long way though.

---

Really? It would seem logical that AMEX would be less accepted because of their higher transaction fee. Right? That's what I have seen at least...Discover being more acceptable than AMEX.

---

Well, it all comes down to who's got the pricing power.  Amex has lot more business travelers and business travelers are much more valuable.  Amex can charge higher fees because their customer base is more valuable and they can demand that destinations favored by business travelers accept Amex.  At least, historically that has been their position.  If the power shifts, then places could refuse to take Amex because of their higher fees, which might be happening, but not to Discover.  Discover simply isn't a player in the business travel arena.  I've never heard of any company issuing Discover to their employees.  The company I'm currently with (Fortune 500) issues a Visa.

[SouthJamaica]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I have always been curious of this. Has Discover grown in such a way where this is a thing of the past, where you dont have to ask "Do you take Discover?"

Or is there a significant lower amount of merchants that shy away from accepting Discover. And is there a specific reason for this?

---

There are plenty of merchants who take Visa and Mastercard, but don't take Discover or Amex.

[UncleB]

---

@deltatee wrote:

I've only had one restaurant that didn't take discover, and my hair cutter only takes visa and MasterCard.  I personally find discover to be more widely accepted than Amex.  Interestingly, when I was in law school, discover was the only card that was accepted by the school's online tuition payment portal.

---

We must travel in the same circles... the only times my Discover has ever not been accepted was just as you experienced... at a local restaurant and where I get my hair cut!  The restaurant takes Visa/MC/Amex - but no Discover - and where I get my hair cut is a chain, but they take Visa/MC only. 

Those are the only two places where I've not been able to use my Discover.  Years ago (back in the 90s) I had both cards as well, and it was actually easier back then to use Discover than Amex, although from what I hear this is no longer the case.  Notably, back then Amex wasn't accepted at retailers such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Sears, at least until the mid-late 90s, but Discover was.

[deltatee]

^ that is exactly how my hair cutter is. You must be a Coloradan

[UncleB]

---

@deltatee wrote:
^ that is exactly how my hair cutter is. You must be a Coloradan

---

LOL... actually I'm in the Southeast... Georgia/sometimes Alabama. 

[deltatee]

Oh nope. Not even close. You live with far more humidity than I can handle.

[weehoo]

More people accept Discover then Amex, by a lot which is my expirience using my card in the bay area.