Wow. This thread was dead for nearly 12 years until unearthed recently. Where do people find these? I mean, do people search and then say, "Hmm, 352 results, I wonder what the LAST one is. I'm'a click over to page 24 in the list here...."

Anyway... My answer today about Amex is the same as it was in 2005. It's a minor pain when a business doesn't take Amex. Knowing that Amex doesn't have the same acceptance as Visa/MC I always carry at least one of the others in my wallet. At worst I miss out on whatever category bonus I want to earn on an Amex and must settle instead for a lesser bonus on my #2 choice card.

I get that this can be more of a nuisance for some people. For example, if I were traveling on business with instructions to use a company Amex card, using a personal Visa/MC could add an extra step or two to the expense claims process. I could well see choosing a different restaurant-- assuming an alternative that takes Amex is nearby-- to avoid the difficulty.