auh2o

It blows my mind that anyone would choose food based on what credit card the place takes (unless they don't take any). Even for business expenses. So sad.

oklAAhoma

Obviously you don't approve of that line of reasoning, but why exactly does that make it *sad*?

derpelikan

i have several cards which earn double points etc. so if i earn the same amount of miles than i dont care to pay with my visa etc.

but i agree that amex should lower they fees, as they are way too high.

dp

Jeeves

I always have a back up or two. I would never make a restaurant decision based on the what credit cards they take. My biggest fear is they won't take any credit cards at all. I am really surprised by all the hard core AMEX people out there.

What other decisions does everyone make based on the your credit card.

whiteknuckles

I said that I "tend to avoid" restaurants that don't take Amex, not that I flatly refuse to eat at any of them. I see it as somewhat of an indication that the restaurant is not very customer service oriented which often spills over into the overall dining experience. I know some restaurants may view the situation as "Amex charges too much of a percentage" instead of thinking: "There may be some customers who won't dine here at all if we don't accept the card they have in their wallet/purse". If I find that a restaurant has SIGNIFICANTLY better food and service than its competitors, then I will eat there even if they don't accept any credit cards. I have rarely found this to be the case, however.

andrewsheehan

I agree, to me not taking Amex leaves me with the impression of "cheapness" as others have said. I try to put 100% of my expenses on Amex for the points, and the convenience spending on one card, makes it easy to keep track of everything. I will most definentaly avoid any business that does not accept Amex unless I absolutely have to buy something there.

Having said that I would be curious to know what exactly Amex charges, as compared to VISA/MC? Are we talking tenths of a percent or whole percents?

I think still its one of those things, where you spend money to make money...

leipsic83

I also agree. Not accepting AMEX appears "cheap" to me. Since acceptance of AMEX is common in McDonalds, I would like to think it would be accepted in much finer establishments.

KevAZ

I applaud any business that doesn't accept AMEX, I hate AMEX with every cell in my body.

I've been stuck with them three times over the past 25 yrs as a corporate card and I break the rules every time; with all of the AMEX billing problems I've had over the years, it isn't worth the personal time fixing their problems. If more businesses would refuse AMEX, perhaps more corporations would consider moving to a VISA or MC Corporate Card program.

gsilliman

Whiteknuckles said: "I said that I "tend to avoid" restaurants that don't take Amex ... I see it as somewhat of an indication that the restaurant is not very customer service oriented which often spills over into the overall dining experience."

One of the reasons I started this thread is that I sense some people are beginning to draw an exactly opposite conclusion about a restaurant that doesn't take Amex -- "they're putting all of their money into the food".

I have wondered if the rise in this perception follows the recent decline in I-dine, especially at better, independent restaurants.

whiteknuckles

I'm wondering where you found these people who think not taking Amex translates into higher quality food. Is there a thread on this somewhere? And I don't know why you would compare Amex to I-Dine.....I'll bet most people other than rabid frequent flyers have never even heard of I-Dine, but I think you'd be hard pressed to locate someone who doesn't know what an American Express Card is. Even I'm not kooky enough to avoid a restaurant because they don't participate in I-Dine, but I HAVE gone to some restaurants that I wasn't even aware of before, simply because I learned that I could earn a few miles there. Now, I've heard a few merchants complain over the years that Amex charges a higher percentage than Visa or MasterCard. I don't know what the difference is, but let's say that it's 2% more for each transaction. If someone charges a $100 tab to Amex, it would cost you $2 more than if they had used Visa/MC. Now, if I walk up to the door of your restaurant and decide not to enter at all because I see that you only take Visa/MC, how much have you lost? I guess you'll never know.

KevAZ

My guess is that you've lost a potential customer that doesn't give jacksquat about service since AMEX has no clue what service is.

Miles? I am no mileage nut..... I don't and will not carry a card that markets to me on airline miles. I want an accurate statement on time. AMEX consistently cannot provide that. I consistently will go out of my way to spend my hard earned dollars with vendors that refuse to accept AMEX.



AMEX?

whiteknuckles

There's no doubt that some people don't like Amex. There's even a website called amexsucks.com. Do I care? Not really.

nimeta

In Europe it is much more common that Amex (& Diners) are not accepted, and most Amex holders carry MC and Visa and aren't so bothered.

My Amex is Sterling denominated, yet I only typically spend 20-30 days a year in the UK. Amex adds 2.75% surcharge on the currency rate for any non sterling transactions. Add that to the 3% - 4% they charge the retailer and you can see why it pays both me and the retailer if I get out my Visa card instead!!

gsilliman

Reply to Whiteknuckles' comments:

1. I observe that our customers have multiple cards, and they are very aware of what ancillary benefits come with them, and they often have a personal pecking order figured out that allows them to rank cards that can't be directly compared depending on the transaction -- e.g. my Corporate Amex with membership rewards vs. my Starwood Amex vs. my GM Mastercard vs. my Aadvantage Visa. Anyone with I-Dine knows very well how that fits in the mix.

2. I have observed a perception that in any one market, the very best restaurants don't take I-Dine. Especially true in a market that has a strong presence from independent operators -- e.g. NYC, Boston. Again, the thread was started because I've wondered if a similar point of view was driving the trend of some (generally stronger) independent restaurants in this area not taking Amex. I specifically have NOT seen any revolt of the type you describe -- a "Boston Tea Party" protest against Amex's high merchant discount. In that type of action, merchants were thought to be trying to influence Amex. In this current trend, I'm wondering if, instead, merchants view Amex as being just irrelevant, given that 100% of guests are carrying a substitute payment method -- Visa/MC.

Your vehement stance about the value of your Amex is not unexpected, but what I'm trying to discern is whether such consumers are in decline, and strongly worded web posts aside, whether the card really does drive their behavior, to the exclusion of any other alternatives. If they didn't have a richer points offering, I wonder what loyalty Amex could command for the everyday transaction.

KevAZ

I have to laugh at your arrogance. Given your earlier comments, you appear to believe that carrying a low service card somehow makes you "above the crowd."

My view is 180 degrees from yours - my feeling is that anyone who feels that AMEX is a good company, hasn't lived life well. Otherwise you would know that many of us are snickering at the wannabees that believe AMEX makes them something special.