At gas stations like Exxon, Shell, Gulf, and Murphy USA, you can use an American Express card. Some stores might not accept American Express because the cards cost more than other credit cards because they give customers extra benefits.
Most supermarkets, some U.S. department stores like J.C. Penney and Sears, and some drug stores like Walgreens and Rite Aid also accept American Express. Even though the card may be accepted at other stores, you may not get rewards for purchases made there. Last but not least, some stores don’t take American Express.
Local stores may accept American Express, but because Visa and MasterCard have lower fees, they are more likely to prefer those cards. Visa and MasterCard have lower fees than other credit card companies because they don’t make the cards themselves. Instead, they act as a middleman between the card company and the card user. They work with many banks and institutions to process these transactions. Instead, American Express makes its own cards and accounts, making it a closed system. This way, the company makes more money off of sales and can offer more to customers without having to negotiate as much with other banks. However, merchants have to pay more for these benefits.
