AMEX not accepted or surcharge

[lovestotravel]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

LOL, I had the exact opposite experience this last weekend in Berry, NSW. Every shop I went into accepted Amex, from the cafes, to the homewares stores, the coffee shop, everything. I can only guess that as a tourist attraction they'd have to take it, as a significant number of visitors from America would be toting Amex cards.

Well where I went would be your "typical Amex card holder" paradise!

The ski fields in Victoria!

BMW's everywhere but yet Amex not welcome!

 

[pointsjunkie]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Just heard about the 7,500 Membership Rewards Bonus Points if you switch to MBF health insurance and pay with your AMEX - nice one! I wasn't happy with my current health insurer anyway, so I'll be calling MBF tomorrow and getting this deal!

 

[dede]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Just went to pay my South East Water (Victoria) bill online which I usually pay with Amex and noticed that they only list Visa and Mastercard as accepted cards. I duly punched in my Amex number and it was accepted. Maybe they're phasing it out? Anyone know?

 

[pointsjunkie]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Just went to pay my South East Water (Victoria) bill online which I usually pay with Amex and noticed that they only list Visa and Mastercard as accepted cards. I duly punched in my Amex number and it was accepted. Maybe they're phasing it out? Anyone know?

I find that a lot actually, they don't advertise that they accept AMEX but if you try, they do! Very weird, you think they'd just say they accept all credit card! Same as NRMA, they don't list it as a payment option but if you ring the call centre, they let you use your AMEX to pay. Go figure!

 

[JohnK]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Just heard about the 7,500 Membership Rewards Bonus Points if you switch to MBF health insurance and pay with your AMEX - nice one!

What about existing, loyal, MBF customers paying their premium with Amex?

My blood boils when I see these sort of deals....

 

[greenfrog86]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Well where I went would be your "typical Amex card holder" paradise!

The ski fields in Victoria!

BMW's everywhere but yet Amex not welcome!

Funny how experienes differ - went to Mt Hotham a few weekends ago and managed to pay for everything on AMEX. No surcharges and no minimum for transactions...

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Mt Hotham and Mt Buller are fine

Falls Creek and Mt Beauty are not Amex friendly at all!!!

Even the gate entry at Falls Creek they won't accept Amex!

I was tempted just to drive to Hotham!

 

[pointsjunkie]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

What about existing, loyal, MBF customers paying their premium with Amex?

My blood boils when I see these sort of deals....

It's no different to when you buy a piece of clothing etc at full price and then the next week it's 30% off. Businesses are always doing things to attract new customers, that's life!

 

[rwatts]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

A couple of months ago a letter arrived from a local charity soliciting donations. I had previously supported the cause and was considering this once again - naturally using my Amex - when I noticed an asterisk and footnote explaining that a 3% surcharge would be added to donations via Diners and American Express cards.

Now if they had explained that they would receive a smaller nett for donations using those cards then I (and possibly many others) would probably bump up the amount given. Eg., $55 instead of $50. Instead, telling me that a donation - again, say $50 - would incur a $1.50 "surcharge" just put me right off.

I don't have endless funds and there are many other worthwhile charities. I'll support one of them instead.

Richard.

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Interesting that a charity surcharges you for giving them money!

To be brutally honest they should be happy to get anything from a donation!

I spoke to one of the shop owners who recently decided to start accepting Amex, they said they had received pressure from Amex to accept the card, and decided to do it, so as to not turn away customers.

This was one of the establishments that I had reported every few months for about a year or so!

Now if only the other 200 or so establishments would follow that lead!

 

[zzyss]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

A couple of months ago a letter arrived from a local charity soliciting donations. I had previously supported the cause and was considering this once again - naturally using my Amex - when I noticed an asterisk and footnote explaining that a 3% surcharge would be added to donations via Diners and American Express cards.

I thought that somebody mentioned earlier in this thread that the credit card companies don't charge charities (or was that only Visa/Mastercard?)

None of the charities that my wife and I give regularly towards have any credit card surcharges, Amex or otherwise.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Interesting that a charity surcharges you for giving them money!

I agree - it's just pathetic and utterly ridiculous... It goes a little something like this:

Donor: I'd like to give you some of my money, and expect nothing from you in return.
Charity: That's great, but because you want to pay by Amex (or Diners), we'll be requiring even more money from you...

And to zzyss - charities still have to pay for credit card processing, but their rate is considerably lower when compared with other card-not-present merchants (for all cards - not just Visa/MC)... And I can tell you that would be nowhere near 3% (even for Amex & Diners)... (the only exception would be if a charity had a high fraud rate with thieves testing if stolen credit cards were still functional by entering them on their online donation form - as has been reported to occur overseas)

I don't want to go on another of my rants, but I feel one is needed here... In the current global financial situation, more people are seeking help from charities with rising unemployment (not just in Australia), and less people are donating to them. Generally speaking (although I don't want to get into a conversation on the "posh" topic - nor am I implying anything, nor do I want to seem politically incorrect), but *generally* those that hold personal Amex and/or Diners cards tend to be those that are either slightly better off than average, or are extremely good with money management (particularly the charge card users). It is these people who can generally afford to give larger amounts to charities, and many choose to do so. Penalising these kinds of people for giving your non-profit organisation essentially "free" money in an economic situation where less people are likely to give in the first place really is a stupid decision - as there will always be plenty of other organisations that would be thrilled to have the donations sent in their direction, even if the charity has to pay a small percentage in merchant fees - as they're still considerably better off having received the donation.

And that's my rant for the day... lol

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

So another two places that I have been reporting for months and months now accept Amex :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[pointsjunkie]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

So another two places that I have been reporting for months and months now accept Amex :mrgreen::mrgreen:

I am finding this too, how good is it?! AMEX must be listening!

.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

I am finding this too, how good is it?! AMEX must be listening!

I know I just wish Amex would reply to our web submissions like they used to (even if it was just a template/automated response at various times in the process), rather than just sign a business up that someone has suggested and not send anything back lol

Having said that, I've only had to use the MasterCard once since I've been back from Sydney - as everywhere I frequent now accepts Amex (no surcharge)

... Now if they could just sign up Queensland Transport and Brisbane City Council (car rego/license fees and rates respectively), I'll be set As the council now accepts Amex at a couple of its car parking centres in the city, fingers crossed they will add Amex as an option for rates (and other expenses)... eventually...

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Glad to hear other people are having success with new establishments accepting the card as well!

I don't even bother putting my email address down anymore as about 6 months ago I stopped getting the auto-responses saying they are "in discussions" with the establishment to get them to accept the card.

The best way to tell if somewhere not accepts Amex is to look for the blue sticker/signs that Amex seems to put everywhere in new establishments that accept the cards!

:mrgreen:

 

[bambbbam2]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Wasn't there an old rule that if someone suggested a business to accept AMEX, and they ended up accepting a merchant agreement, the nominator would get $100?

I seem to remember this quite clearly,.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Wasn't there an old rule that if someone suggested a business to accept AMEX, and they ended up accepting a merchant agreement, the nominator would get $100?

While such a rule might lead me to overload them with suggestions, I don't remember it.

 

[pointsjunkie]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

Glad to hear other people are having success with new establishments accepting the card as well!

I don't even bother putting my email address down anymore as about 6 months ago I stopped getting the auto-responses saying they are "in discussions" with the establishment to get them to accept the card.

The best way to tell if somewhere not accepts Amex is to look for the blue sticker/signs that Amex seems to put everywhere in new establishments that accept the cards!

:mrgreen:

Haha I guess they are too busy out there signing up merchants to answer our emails now! I'm cool with that I agree, love it when the stickers are up, makes me shop there cause I know I won't have to go through the pain of asking "do you take AMEX" and being hit with a nasty comment or surcharge request!

.

 

[bambbbam2]

Re: AMEX not accepted or surchage

The best way to tell if somewhere not accepts Amex is to look for the blue sticker/signs that Amex seems to put everywhere in new establishments that accept the cards!

:mrgreen:

I'll tell you my amex story.. I was in Parramatta Westfield one day and really needed a haircut. I was flat broke, but did have my AMP Amex.

So this place had the signage & sticker etc.. anyway I get the haircut and I go to pay, so I whip out the Amex.

"Oh!" the guy says.. we don't accept Amex anymore. Of course having no other money, I offer to leave my drivers license - I was heading back to Parra a couple of days later.

So I get back there a few days later and the shop is boarded up! I went down to Centre Management and apparently the owner had skipped out owing lots of rent (and of course had my drivers license)

I got the license re-issued and I think I had to pay a fee, which was not dissimliar to the haircut I didn't pay for.

So the moral of the story is 'Double check if you have no other money on you, even though you see the Amex logo, if you haven't visited that retailer before.'

:evil: