Who Does/Does Not Accept Amex? (2024)

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Galstonian Posts: 1,292 Forumite

13 July 2004 at 2:09PM edited 28 September 2016 at 2:06PM in Credit cards

Official Insert:

Hi, we have a more recent list of which organisations accept Amex on our main site: Amex Acceptance.

Back to Galstonian's original thread..

The new and hopefully improved version of this thread. !Apologies to the red/green colour blind among us but these made most sense to differentiate between do/don't. !Any comments, corrections etc.. please let me know.

If someone posts that a retailer accepts and someone else that they do not I'm putting them in both lists until told otherwise (e.g. Gap)

American Express have a policy of not signing up online gambling sites so it is very likely that NO ONLINE CASINOS ACCEPT AMEX. !I've listed "gambling online" in not accepted rather than keep adding individual sites and casinos.

If you want to request a retailer is added you can ask Amex to contact them using this form

Retailers that DO accept Amex:

Accessorize
Agnes b stores (clothing shops located in London & Oxford) !
Air SouthWest (Air travel for Plymouth and surrounds) https://www.airsouthwest.com
Allders
All Thread
Amazon Amazon.co.uk
AOL
Argos
Asda
Ask Pizza
Ath Leisure/Active Venture Menswear
B&Q
BHS
Blacks (outdoor shops)
Books Etc
Boots Opticians
Booths
BP !
Brewers Fayre
British Airways
Buckleigh of London (men's bespoke tailoring) https://www.buckleighoflondon.com
Burtons
cameras2u https://www.cameras2u.com
Camper
Capital Pub Company (London based pubs with real ale) https://www.capitalpubcompany.com
Caravan Club
CD Wow
Centre Parcs (Longleat)
Childrens World
Co-op (might)
Cotswold Outdoor (Outdoor clothing) https://www.cotswold-outdoor.com
CPC Components
Crowne Plaza
Dabs (for your computer needs) https://www.shop.bt.com
Debenhams
Diesel
Dorothy Perkins
Dragon-i (Thai/Chinese restaurant in Glasgow) https://www.dragon-i.co.uk
Early Learning Centre
Easyjet
Ebookers (plus a 1.5% surcharge)
Esso
Exodus
Expedia
Firebox (gadgets & gifts) https://www.firebox.com
Fopp
Gabriel Court Hotel (in south Devon) https://www.gabrielcourthotel.co.uk
Gap
Gecko Travel (appears to adventure travel type holidays) https://www.geckotravel.com
GNER
H&M Hennes
H.Samuel
HPC Gears
Halfords (might)
Harlem (based in Westbourne Grove) https://www.harlemsoulfood.com
Harrods
HMV
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Express
Homebase
Iceland
Ikea (Sweden but not the UK??!)
Intercontinental
Intercontinental Hotels (i.e. Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental)
J.D. Sports
Jessops Cameras (might)
Jet
LA Fitness (Gym and sports club) https://www.lafitness.co.uk
Laura Ashley
Leisure & Entertainment
Liberty
Londen Underground (soon)
Maison Bleu (international cuisine in Edinburgh) https://www.partnersite.co.uk
Maplins
Majestic Wine Warehouse
Marks & Spencer
Milestone
Mothercare
Mongolian Barbeque
Morrisons
Murco
Museum of Rugby & Twickenham Stadium Tours https://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/
Neils Restaurant (fish & shellfish in Sidmouth, Devon) https://www.neilsrestaurant.com
Next
Novotel
Orange
Outfits
Paypal (Ebay) (but surcharges and billing in USD may naegate any cashback earned)
Pizza Express
Pizza Hut
Q8
Qjump
Restaurants - Amex are introducing a website for restaurant bookings - for more details visit livebookings.co.uk/amex
Roxton Bailey Robinson Worldwide (holidays & travel) https://www.rbrww.com
RS Components
Safeway !
Sainsburys
Saltbar (Whisky and c0cktail bar plus diner in London) https://www.saltbar.com
Selfridges
Shell
Simple Web Hosting
Somerfield
Sports Soccer
Starbucks
Tesco
Texaco
Total
Thameslink
The Inn On The Green (in Cookham Dean) https://www.theinnonthegreen.com
The Rugby Store Twickenham (for everything rugby) https://www.rfu.com
TK Maxx
ToyRus
UCI Cinemas
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Rail
W.H. Smith
WAGN
Waitrose
WH Smith
Wills Burgundy (fine wines) https://www.wills-burgundy.com !
World Expeditions (as in the title I presume) https://www.worldexpeditions.com

Amex also have a web page listing "new" retailers accepting their cards though I have no idea how often this is updated.
Details here: http://home3.americanexpress.com/uk/newtoamex/new/categories.asp

Retailers that DO NOT accept Amex:

Allen Ford UK Ltd
Benny Dee (adult toys) https://www.bennydee.co.uk !(I guess that won't do nicely sir <G>)
Boots
British Holidays
British Telecom (for bill payments)
Budgens
CitizenCard (ID card scheme)
Condoms Direct https://www.condomsdirect.com
Confetti (online wedding supply shop)
Co-op (might)
Cutty Sark (ship shop)
Deichmann Shoes UK
Dunelm Mill Soft Furnishings
Evans Cycles
Explore Worldwide
Freak Emporium (record collectors shop and online store)
Gambling online (AmEx policy is not to encourage gambling)
Game
Halfords (might)
Harrow Borough Council
Holland and Barrett
Ikea (but they do in Sweden, though that seems a long way to go for cheap furniture)
Jessops Cameras (might)
JJB Sports (soon)
John Lewis (though Waitrose do)
Kwik Save
La Redoute
London transport
Nandos Spicy Chicken Restaurant
Novotech
play.com playusa.com
Powergen
Snappy snaps
Ster Century Cinema
Superdrug
Tesco.net (but Tesco's do)
Timpsons
Totenham Hotspur online store
Tradex
UK Passport Office
Wickes
Wilkinsons
Woolworths

Martin recently contacted Amex and got this reply:

Dear Martin,

The Card is widely accepted on the high street and in restaurants as well as all major petrol stations, major national supermarkets, train operators and
lots more.

However, there were a couple of names on the list of NON accepting merchants,that actually do accept :

Jessops
Halfords

In addition, we sign up merchants every day, so a couple that will begin accepting Amex very soon include:

JJB Sports and London Underground

There is one merchant listed that we are unfortunately prohibited from signing. That's Blue Square, it's a gambling site, and we have a global policy of not
signing up these sites.

Hope this helps,

«1234567…95»

MSE_Martin Posts: 8,272 Money Saving Expert

22 July 2004 at 4:31PM

Just to add to the above the following is a list of 50 High Street big names which accept amex (as supplied by amex press office)
Kingfisher (B&Q & Screwfix Direct)
Argos
Homebase
Dixons Stores Group (Dixons, Currys, PCWorld, The Link)
WH Smith
HMV Group (HMV & Waterstones)
Carphone Warehouse
Habitat
Comet
MFI (incl Ethan Allen)
Halfords
Virgin Entertainment Group
Lloyds Chemist
Arcadia Group (Top Shop, Top Man, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, Wallis)
NEXT
BAA, World Duty Free
GAP
Office World
Rubicon (Principles & Warehouse, Racing Green)
Moss Bros Group
Clarks
M W Group (Mappin & Webb / Watches of Switzerland)
Berry Bros & Rudd
Goldsmiths
Joseph
JD Sports
Sports World (ex Sports Soccer … incl Lillywhites)
Asda
Tesco
Sainsbury's
WM Morrisons / Safeway
Waitrose
First Quench / Thresher Group (Victoria Wine, Threshers, Bottoms Up etc)
Oddbins
Direct Wines / Laithwaites (= Sunday Times Wine Club, Bordeaux Direct etc)
Majestic Wine Warehouses
Somerfield
Iceland
Co-op Wholesale Society
BP
Esso
Shell
Texaco
TotalFinaElf
Jet
Murco
Q8
Gulf
Marks & Spencer
Harrods
Selfridges
Harvey Nichols
Debenhams
House of Fraser
Toys R Us
Bhs
Heals
Hamleys
River Island
Allders
Fenwicks/Bentalls
Karen Millen
Monsoon
Ralph Lauren
Russell & Bromley Ltd
T K MAXX
Jessops
Thomas Pink Ltd
Zara
French Connection
Jigsaw
Austin Reed
Mothercare
Laura Ashley
Body Shop
Whittards

Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
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MSE_Martin Posts: 8,272 Money Saving Expert

23 July 2004 at 3:22PM

and more - major online retailers according to Amex itself
AOL
Dell.co.uk
Lastminute.com
Admiral Insurance
Elephant.co.uk
Diamond Insurance
Direct Line Insurance
Green Flag
RAC
Applestore.com/uk
DABS.com
Expedia.co.uk
CDWOW.com
sonystyle.co.uk
CTshirts.co.uk
Figleaves.com
Virgin Wines
empiredirect.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Phones 4U
Orange
Discovery Stores
3
O2
Virgin Mobile
Vodafone
T-Mobile

Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.
Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 000
ffacoffipawb Posts: 3,593 Forumite

23 July 2004 at 10:44PM

Just to add to the above the following is a list of 50 High Street big names which accept amex (as supplied by amex press office)
Blah Blah Blah
Asda
Blah Blah Blah
My Amex Blue has been rejected by Asda 4 times in the last fortnight. However, it works everywhere else okay - Tesco, Somerfield, Shell, ..........
I had to use More THh>n instead.
Cashiers unsure if Amex still accepted by Asda.
TREVORCOLMAN Posts: 1,001 Forumite

23 July 2004 at 11:33PM

Amex is NOT accepted at Iceland on line - I have tried several times.
Trev
>:(

I am NOT a mortgage & insurance adviser - or anything to do with finance, that was put on by the new system I dont know why?!

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pksaraf Posts: 204 Forumite

24 July 2004 at 12:10AM

lastminute.com only accepts AMEX if the deal offerer actually accepts AMEX, otherwise not.
scattycat_3 Posts: 509 Forumite

24 July 2004 at 2:11AM

Brian, could be cos Asda have gone chip'n'pin.
Ok at the ones I use, (Sheel country ) even in the card operated petrol pumps.
Scat

Moi....?
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Views I express are mine alone, and not official ones of MoneySavingExpert.com
isasmurf Posts: 1,999 Forumite

24 July 2004 at 2:27AM

That could be the reason why. I stopped using Amex at Asda because I get sick of explaining to them I didn't have a PIN for my Amex, but I'll be going there sometime over the weekend - probably - so I might see if I can use it.
isasmurf Posts: 1,999 Forumite

24 July 2004 at 6:32PM

Cashiers unsure if Amex still accepted by Asda.
OK, just got back from Asda's. I successfully paid by Amex, so it's still accepted. In fact, I didn't have to tell the cashier that it wasn't chip'n pin. He swiped it automatically.
pin Posts: 4,265 Forumite

25 July 2004 at 10:35PM

Would like to add internet hi fi's direct (https://www.internethifisdirect.co.uk) don't accept Amex

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" - Mahatma Gandhi
ffacoffipawb Posts: 3,593 Forumite

26 July 2004 at 11:58PM

Brian, could be cos Asda have gone chip'n'pin.
Ok at the ones I use, (Sheel country ) even in the card operated petrol pumps.
Scat
It gets rejected by the Chip 'n' Pin machine at Asda, and by their traditional machine (which accepts my More Than card).
My Amex card is fine as I still use it where I can, eg Shell, Currys etc. Definitely something amiss at Asda.
It Asda be.