AMEX not accepted or surcharge

[seay]

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

In store they don't take Amex however online they do with no additional surcharges.

 

[ric_melb]

Ate at the Locanda restaurant at Rydges Melbourne last night. Bill comes in an Amex folder, but surcharge on Amex is 3.5% compared to 1.5% for Mastercard and Visa.
They do have a cheek using an Amex folder with a surcharge as steep as that. Feedback given to Amex.

 

[cobradave49]

Ate at the Locanda restaurant at Rydges Melbourne last night. Bill comes in an Amex folder, but surcharge on Amex is 3.5% compared to 1.5% for Mastercard and Visa.
They do have a cheek using an Amex folder with a surcharge as steep as that. Feedback given to Amex.

What happened to the new law restricting merchants to charging no more surcharge than they pay to their CC bank ?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Rydges canberra lakeside an absurd 3.5% on amex. Pathetic for a large chain like that. otoh the independent Hadleys hotel Hobart no surcharge at all!

 

[markis10]

What happened to the new law restricting merchants to charging no more surcharge than they pay to their CC bank ?

No such law, the charge is restricted to the reasonable cost of acceptance and is not limited to the merchant fee.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

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.

Well it is preferred by many of us...as long as there is no surcharge

 

[cobradave49]

Well it is preferred by many of us...as long as there is no surcharge

And why not rip retail customers off when you have one of the highest retail charges and lowest levels of competition in the world ?

 

[ethernet]

After the Target CC scams in the USA - there is good reason to avoid using CC's.

Visa and MC should average 0.9% 1.2-1.4 if turnover low. (but also cheat with 3% + foreign currency conversion).
With Amex, and if you have small turnover the merchant can be hit with 10% fees. So 3.5 is fairish rate.
Now if there is fraud or chargebacks - the merchants gets hit up. Plus the cost of the terminal, and the time to process the transaction and walk back the docket. I would hate to imagine what Diners is. Any place that takes these cards is either
charging too much - or they have struck a 'preference' agreement - I cant see BIG W paying more than 1%

In Bankstown and Fairfield, many efficient shops now only take CASH - no credit cards. Some will take direct electronic deposit -think smartphone enabled set.

CCs used to think 'How else will your customers pay?' With smartphones and new apps, that may change.

 

[cobradave49]

After the Target CC scams in the USA - there is good reason to avoid using CC's.

Visa and MC should average 0.9% 1.2-1.4 if turnover low. (but also cheat with 3% + foreign currency conversion).
With Amex, and if you have small turnover the merchant can be hit with 10% fees. So 3.5 is fairish rate.
Now if there is fraud or chargebacks - the merchants gets hit up. Plus the cost of the terminal, and the time to process the transaction and walk back the docket. I would hate to imagine what Diners is. Any place that takes these cards is either
charging too much - or they have struck a 'preference' agreement - I cant see BIG W paying more than 1%

In Bankstown and Fairfield, many efficient shops now only take CASH - no credit cards. Some will take direct electronic deposit -think smartphone enabled set.

CCs used to think 'How else will your customers pay?' With smartphones and new apps, that may change.

Are you kidding, this area of Sydney has been known for 60 years to be a cash haven for non other than tax avoidance purposes, long before CC existed !

 

[Flashback]

RyanAir now accept AMEX

While it's technically a surcharge (only 2 pounds or so in total for 2 people), Visa/MC is the same cost, so ... !

 

[vet]

(but also cheat with .... foreign currency conversion).

Foreign Govts are fining corporations for fixing fx rates on cards (and generally, eg LIBOR): some traders claim they were instructed by people higher in the food chain to massage fx and interest rates around the time, in 2010, Obama implemented a promise - first made in early 2008 as Amex rolled out massive rewards while approaching merchants with dubious Terms - to create an Interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.


and at a time the DoJ was starting to look into a case against Amex over terms with merchants. Payouts during investigations to stop reports might be looked at atm.

I've also heard that Amex's overseas operations are nervous about Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations viz a viz bonii paid out in Australia for purposes that may be questioned. Amex globally has a lot riding on the case in Court in the US atm, and other cases where Amex staf were jailed for aiding payments of bribes to the likes of Nestor Morales, and if bonii were paid out in Oz to stop complaints - potentially Amex has to refund every cent the card was used for thereafter if perchance the payout of bonii was for certain questionable purposes thus turning a legal card into a funnel for paying Valuable Benefits. (Amex may say points have no monetary consideration but their Annual Reports should kerbillions of liability sitting in gtheir books. Go figure).

There's lots riding on Amex's attempts to remove surcharges and abolish min spends while recruiting merchants long-term as Amex unleashed a tidal wave of shopping with short-term promises of masive rewards with "no limits" and no minimum spend. And of course, Amex stockholders are told "but we were being nice and can't see why the feds are chasing us".

Their whole business strategy re Surcharging could be due for a rethink if the DoJ wins. (incidentally Visa and MC chose not to fight the DoJ).

PS Bernie Madoff's P.A 'knew nothing" but the jury was just shown her Silver Bentley and a $6.5m condo she wanted to buy. She certainly knew her pay packet was pretty good.

 

[DeKa]

Woolworths weren't accepting Amex today - some outage I guess. They kept making announcements about it, and asking people to pay with another method.

Luckily I was using Wish cards for payment.

 

[edman]

---

BBQ Galore in Coffs Harbour don't take Amex despite BBQ Galore having a promotion with Amex for $50 cashback. This combined with amongst the worst customer service I've ever experienced made it a pretty easy decision to walk out, they even had the Weber and all the accessories ready to go at the counter.

 

[vet]

Amex settled up with a group of angry merchants in supermarket groups and chains of pharmacys: I think Amex was ordered to pay over $100m to them and nearly $30m in legals. Te US Govt and about 15 States think the deal was against the laws that shape their international operations too. I should dig out the 'no surcharge, no min spend, no offer better deals to Visa/Mcard people' contracts they were hawking when they unleashed the, eg, 5000 points for 5 ($1) transactions promos. I wonder if they're expiring and if merchants became annoyed with induced to sign up by a illusory wave of shoppers on a short term gold rush. Or merchants just think 'I'm not signing that deal again'.

 

[wxxnxs]

I popped up to RM Williams store and bought a pair of jeans today, and was told there is 2% surcharge for Amex since oct 2013. My first reaction in mind was what's going on? Australian icon brand even starts this as well? I think one day, all of merchants will put surcharge on AMEX and AMEX will not be welcomed in this country anymore. Very bad decision on RM Williams :evil:

 

[prozac]

I popped up to RM Williams store and bought a pair of jeans today, and was told there is 2% surcharge for Amex since oct 2013. My first reaction in mind was what's going on? Australian icon brand eve stars this as well? I think one day, all of merchants will put surcharge on AMEX and AMEX will not be welcomed in this country anymore. Very bad decision on RM Williams :evil:

I am also an RM customer. This is not welcome news.

 

[cove]

Nothing like a Melbourne weekend of dining out at restaurants to get hit up with Amex surcharges. The Langham and Rosetta both had 1.65% surcharge when their prices do not exactly start off in the low end of meals and drinks. I cannot understand why they cannot include it in their prices so a $60 amount becomes $61.

 

[lovestotravel]

Dinner the other night in Port Melbourne, VIC

The Roti Man - Good staff, busy, nice interior and food was 9/10

ANZ sign on the door Visa/Mastercard/Eftpos

The bill came in the nice black American Express folio ready to put your credit card in! I placed my Amex in there and then was told they don't accept Amex........ Went to the counter to pay via another card and there was an Amex sticker or two and a massive stack of black Amex folios used for customer's bills to be placed into.

I asked again that I'd like to pay via Amex as the folio's have the Amex logo on them and was told NO sorry with a laugh..

Have reported to Amex

 

[lovestotravel]

http://www.takeamex.com.au/

Is the new site to report a business that doesn't accept Amex and/or surcharges for it, a much better site!

 

[zzyss]

On that note, I just pre-ordered a "Coin" (long story - just go to the website, http://onlycoin.com). It will be interesting to see how many merchants I will be able to "trick" into accepting Amex as if it were Visa/Master since the card is pretty much unmarked... although of course there's the risk some might not take it at all and think it's a skimmer or something.

(btw if you're interested in getting one too, help a brother out: onlycoin.com/?referral=uadawAPc)

These are not too far away. I wonder, if I stick a Mastercard or Visa logo on the front of it but have it set to Amex, how many places would accept it without surcharge? (Just a thought... I'm guessing it'd probably amount to some kind of financial fraud.)