New Amex Shop Small program - earn 3 bonus points per $1 year-round

Out of curiosity, in the past, has anyone succeeded in registering and using an Australian card in a foreign Shop Small promotion? Not much use right now but could be handy to know as travel comes back, especially when dining or having drinks out (as that seems to be a good chunk of the SS merchants).
 
I am finding that a lot of my local businesses either don't accept Amex or charge fees for using it. Does paying via Apple Pay (using the linked Amex card) get around this?
 
I am finding that a lot of my local businesses either don't accept Amex or charge fees for using it. Does paying via Apple Pay (using the linked Amex card) get around this?
No. But buying discounted theperfectgiftcards, coles mastercards or similar when they are available would.
 
No it doesn't - the transaction will decline if the merchant facility doesn't accept Amex.
True, but I also came across a situation (in Sydney) that the shop (a restaurant) put up a sign stating Amex not accepted but then the ApplePay went through. We (the cashier and I) did not dig deep but the general understanding is that there was a merchant agreement with Amex (so it is on the system) but just the management chose not to process Amex transactions to save on merchant fees. I used Amex for the Delicious Month and Shop Small offers.
 
True, but I also came across a situation (in Sydney) that the shop (a restaurant) put up a sign stating Amex not accepted but then the ApplePay went through. We (the cashier and I) did not dig deep but the general understanding is that there was a merchant agreement with Amex (so it is on the system) but just the management chose not to process Amex transactions to save on merchant fees. I used Amex for the Delicious Month and Shop Small offers.

Oh that's interesting. This situation would make sense if they're set up with Amex but just turned it off / refuse to accept it on the POS

I'll have to try it with a place that declined my Amex card the other day and report back.
 
Of none of the suggestion above work, there is always the option of respecting the merchant decision of not taking Amex, and using another form of payment...
 
Only 38611 points to go!
Only two months later and a mechanics charge today will see me hit the cap I am pretty sure. Luckily I saved the offer to my Platinum Reserve as well, so can have another crack at it ;)
Also one of the Car shops stopped taking Amex a while ago - apparently :)
My local Bridgestone allowed me to pay with amex a month ago, so I took a second car there this month and they tried to say I couldn't pay using amex and did I have another card. I only came back due to the first happy find so was not going to get talked into lower points earning and lied through my teeth that my other card was maxed out, so they let me use amex again, but I'm not entirely sure whether it was just the franchisee trying to avoid costs that he's obliged to deal with or another issue.

Also in my area is a McDonald's that doesn't take amex on any of their machines, despite displaying the amex logo on the machines. I have a feeling the franchisee has again balked at a fee and turned off the ability to take amex. I'm pretty sure every McDonald's in Australia takes amex. Either way, I found a work around, by using the national app and then picking up when I get to the store, I can use amex. Not shop small though, understandably!
 
Wait McDonald’s counts as shop small?
No I was just tacking on my experience of a national chain that is meant to take amex at all locations, but then turns it off or asks you not to use it. I actually go out of my way to use the "mymaccas" app and pickup when getting to that store alone now, as I know whoever owns the store is trying to be dodgy.

Bridgestone is interesting though, as it's also a national chain, but qualified for shop small as it's a franchisee-based business (same as McDonald's I figure though). However, I was just relaying my experience that on a second visit to my local store that they asked me not to pay by amex... and I wonder if they are one of the businesses that amex Australia advertises as accepted at all locations and they were doing the dodgy by asking me not to pay with them. It would be like going to Woolworths and the cashier asking if you could pay with a MasterCard instead. Something doesn't sound right. Entirely offtopic now though ;)
 
No I was just tacking on my experience of a national chain that is meant to take amex at all locations, but then turns it off or asks you not to use it. I actually go out of my way to use the "mymaccas" app and pickup when getting to that store alone now, as I know whoever owns the store is trying to be dodgy.

Bridgestone is interesting though, as it's also a national chain, but qualified for shop small as it's a franchisee-based business (same as McDonald's I figure though). However, I was just relaying my experience that on a second visit to my local store that they asked me not to pay by amex... and I wonder if they are one of the businesses that amex Australia advertises as accepted at all locations and they were doing the dodgy by asking me not to pay with them. It would be like going to Woolworths and the cashier asking if you could pay with a MasterCard instead. Something doesn't sound right. Entirely offtopic now though ;)
There's a Priceline pharmac_ near me that doesn't take Amex (but used to, when it was an Amcal). But Priceline used to have a cobrand deal on the Platinum Edge, including bonus points if you used the card applied for through their channel, so I think it's pretty poor that head office isn't enforcing Amex acceptance.
 
Also in my area is a McDonald's that doesn't take amex on any of their machines, despite displaying the amex logo on the machines. I have a feeling the franchisee has again balked at a fee and turned off the ability to take amex. I'm pretty sure every McDonald's in Australia takes amex. Either way, I found a work around, by using the national app and then picking up when I get to the store, I can use amex. Not shop small though, understandably!
I would reach out to McDonald's HQ on this. I would imagine their franchise agreements (which include the payment app and the consistent terminals at all locations) mandate that a local franchisee can't disable a standard payment channel.
 
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