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system
why are american express cards are not as popular as visa or mastercard?
user
i have a merchant account and accept visa, mastercard, and discover but not amex. i don't take amex because they want me to go through another approval process (on top of what was required to get merchant status) and their fees are a percent or two higher than the other cards. this doesn't sound like a lot - but for a business that grosses $1m per year, an extra 2 percentage points is $20k. i don't gross $1m, but the additional cost for me to take amex would still use the word "thousand" and i don't see any reason to jump through extra hoops and fill out more forms for the privilege of giving extra money away. i haven't found anyone yet who wanted to pay me with amex who can't pay me with another card or a check instead.
assistant