Why Businesses Should Accept American Express

The more payment options your business accepts, the happier your customers will be.

Many businesses choose to accept a wide range of payment methods to create a more seamless checkout experience. Including American Express alongside Visa and Mastercard gives customers greater flexibility and ensures they can pay using the card they prefer, helping to support a smoother overall payment journey. But there are other reasons why accepting American Express as a payment method can help you drive better results for your business.

These days, Amex is accepted at more UK businesses than ever before, including the major supermarkets and transport providers. Your customers are getting used to being able to use Amex to purchase their essentials, and pick up points along the way. For American Express® Cardmembers, it can be a jarring experience to have their payment method of choice refused — which is just one of the reasons why Zeller terminals, tap to pay and payment links all accept Amex® Card payments. 

Keep reading to learn more about Amex, and why accepting Amex payments can be beneficial for your business.

Who is Amex?

American Express — or Amex, as it is more commonly referred to — is a financial services company similar to Mastercard and Visa. Amex provides a wide range of payment products and solutions, including their famous credit and charge cards, merchant services, and business payment tools.

Amex payments account for a smaller share of the total payment pool when compared to other cards. That said, American Express Cardmembers spend on average 3.4x more compared to the average UK credit and charge card*

Using a payment terminal that enables you to offer your customers the option to use their American Express Card could give your business’ bottom line a boost.

Understanding the credit card network

There are three major networks within the credit card industry in the UK: Visa and Mastercard and Amex. 

While Amex’s share of the market isn’t as large as Visa or Mastercard, American Express’ coverage in the UK is steadily growing. More places than ever before now accept Amex, including major retailers, high‑street chains, and popular online services such as Amazon UK, and Airbnb.

So much so that the question is increasingly changing from which businesses do accept Amex, to which don’t? 

Why is American Express so popular?

There’s a reason why many businesses have made the switch to accept American Express in recent years: the premium customer base who spend more, more often.When these Cardmembers use their Amex® Card, they earn, receive and experience more. Amex® Cardmembers can receive pre-sale ticket access, complimentary hotel stays, retail offers and exclusive experiences. It’s this dynamic that underpins the appeal for merchants. A premium customer base drives meaningful value at checkout, while Cardmembers benefit from a richer payment experience, with rewards and experiences that extend well beyond everyday spending.

Amex Cardmembers expect to use their Card wherever they work, live or travel - and earn rewards for their spend. It’s easy to see why Cardmembers reach for their American Express Card, and are disappointed when they cannot use it to make a purchase.

Do merchants have to accept American Express?

Accepting Amex is a choice. It’s completely up to you which payment methods you accept at your business. However, the customer’s convenience and preference should always be considered — especially when points earned from payments translate to even more rewards for the customer. 

You could open your business up to a wealth of new repeat customers if you accept American Express, and your competitor next door doesn’t. If you do choose to accept Amex, you can still keep your transaction costs at a minimum by opting for the right payment terminal. When you choose a Zeller card machine, for example, it enables you to accept American Express cards by default, without the need of any additional action. 

How much does it cost to accept Amex via Zeller Terminal?

Taking payments with Zeller Terminal is simple, and so are the transaction fees. Tapped, dipped or swiped payments incur a fee of 1.99%. When customers make a purchase over the phone, that fee is 2.49% — these transactions incur a higher security risk, as the merchant is unable to verify the cardholder’s identity in person.

Zeller Terminal is yours to own outright, which means no costly rental fees. There are no hidden charges or ongoing fees, either.

Now that you know the benefits of diversifying your card acceptance to include Amex, keep up with the latest Zeller updates and announcements by subscribing to the Zeller Business Blog newsletter below.