Originally Posted by
dgwright99
It's not just the higher rate. Amex seem to take the side of the cardholder on chargebacks almost every time, and I suspect that this may play a role also.
I have had a couple of "card declined" claims over the years on my amex, where when I called Amex said that they had received no attempt to charge, and certainly had not declined. In each case I left a tip of $1 (I find this sends a stronger message than not tipping at all).
Just a note: wait staff are not responsible for restaurant policy. Punishing them by depriving them of their income doesn't send a message to anyone. By all means, tell the manager that you won't be back to their restaurant, and why, but don't make innocent wait staff suffer.