AMEX not accepted or surcharge

[Cruiser Elite]

1.5% on ALL cards at Parkroyal MEL Sat night.

 

[Ewing]

1.5% on ALL cards at Parkroyal MEL Sat night.

That's normal in Australia now across a number of chains.

 

[sparoy]

25% discount using Amex from Amex only (not bank issued Amex) at Peking Garden Restaurant in Hong Kong.

 

[prozac]

Harbord Beach Hotel at Freshwater NSW (Sydney) has just started charging 3.3% for Amex. I usually open a tab for all food and alcohol purchases settling up at the end of the night with Amex. Been going there 27 years.

 

[DeKa]

Harbord Beach Hotel at Freshwater NSW (Sydney) has just started charging 3.3% for Amex. I usually open a tab for all food and alcohol purchases settling up at the end of the night with Amex. Been going there 27 years.

Tell them to drop it or you won't return?

 

[prozac]

Tell them to drop it or you won't return?

I think then they might buy me a farewell drink.

It will make me reconsider my restaurant choice, so yes, less business for them from me at least.

I didn't pay it (the surcharge) because I told them they did not indicate their intention at the time of making the contract...there was no display saying Amex incurred a surcharge. This won't work next time.

 

[blackcat20]

Apparently chemist warehouse don't take Amex, but nothing to indicate so. Found out when the transaction was declined and the operator asked if I pressed the wrong button

 

[Flashback]

Apparently chemist warehouse don't tale Amex, but nothing to indicate so. Found out when the transaction was declined and the operator asked if I pressed the wrong button

I don't know how many times I've had that happen here... and I ask "Oh, do you take AMEX?" "AMEX, what's that?" "American Express" "Oh! No, we don't take that".

Geeze.

 

[vet]

Amex just settled litigation by US merchants who basically said Amex was naughty in many ways. Meantime the US Dept of Justice are still litigating the surchages (and the DoJ is looking at the Aus 5k/5t promo where Amex may have unleashed hordes of short term buyers (who were shafted) on shops to make the shops think that Amex cards were preferred over MC and Visa.

 

[DaveB]

Probably old news but impressed with Optus for waiving the 1% surcharge across the full range of credit cards accepted when direct debit set up.

 

[akeno]

Probably old news but impressed with Optus for waiving the 1% surcharge across the full range of credit cards accepted when direct debit set up.

Not just waived for when you setup direct debit. It's also waived when paying by any credit cards manually.

 

[Moopere]

Probably old news but impressed with Optus for waiving the 1% surcharge across the full range of credit cards accepted when direct debit set up.

Kudos to them for sure - though I am fairly certain that the 0.5p/$ for telco's is still in force ... making the transaction still questionable value wise.

 

[DaveB]

I have been paying Optus with either the Select for 1.33x or the Westpac Amex Altitude for 1.5x FF points earn. I have never been able to make a straight Amex cost effective for me other than the Edge for grocery and petrol spend.
.
Optus TV was previously charging me a card processing fee added to the next monthly invoice. Can't be sure for the phone/internet but will check when back in the office next.

 

[cobradave49]

AMEX is simply unpopular in Australia due to high vendor charges. I use it almost exclusively worldwide without problems, in fact seldom need to use VISA outside of Australia.

 

[Moopere]

AMEX is simply unpopular in Australia due to high vendor charges. I use it almost exclusively worldwide without problems, in fact seldom need to use VISA outside of Australia.

Yes I think there is probably something to this. Having said that, there is some weird almost cultural aspect to it as well I think. My trips to MEL see me rarely needing to reach for the VISA, yet SYD is the opposite. PER used to be great for me with Amex, yet seems to be slowly changing to either no acceptance or acceptance with significant surcharge.

 

[Chicken]

AMEX is simply unpopular in Australia due to high vendor charges. I use it almost exclusively worldwide without problems, in fact seldom need to use VISA outside of Australia.

When I was managing a business, the business was paying 1.95% for AmEx with no transaction fee, so it's not that high. Many Visa MasterCard acquirers were charging 2.5% for business & premium cards + per ticket fee, so AmEx is actually not that bad at all.

I think it's just a perception.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

FWIW we currently pay .65% Merch fee for Visa / MC on ALL cards - Prem and non - Amex want 2.2% - we do not have Amex Merch facility.

 

[cobradave49]

When I was managing a business, the business was paying 1.95% for AmEx with no transaction fee, so it's not that high. Many Visa MasterCard acquirers were charging 2.5% for business & premium cards + per ticket fee, so AmEx is actually not that bad at all.

I think it's just a perception.

It's not that simple, each business pays a fee depending on the amount of throughput for that bank. In addition each country has its own banking fees, Australia of course with the highest costs of living in the world, also with the highest bank fees.

 

[Chicken]

FWIW we currently pay .65% Merch fee for Visa / MC on ALL cards - Prem and non - Amex want 2.2% - we do not have Amex Merch facility.

The business I was managing was paying 0.87% for all Visa and MasterCards. AmEx was 2.95%, so I called AmEx, then they offered 1.95% on the condition that we do not charge customers more than what we change for using Visa MC.

 

[seay]

Not just waived for when you setup direct debit. It's also waived when paying by any credit cards manually.

Hmm can someone point to me when the actual start date for this was? I was aware they began waiving merchant fees however like the post before I was under the impression it was only for direct debit set ups, and never bothered to look into it anymore. Looking at my last two bills I am still being charged a merchant fee.