american express

[tuscan]

just been patts again stayed in 3 different hotels lk empress / lk res / lek villa /

all great places to stay very nice hotels and nice staff,

just one problem for me though was not one hotel would take amex!!!

is it just the very big hotels that take amex or do you guys know any that do,

i always just walk in and pay hotel direct,

luck for me had atm cards and just enough cash saved.

 

    regards tuscan

[Draca]

oh crap!! lol

 

fuck... i'm gonna stay at LK empress and i primarily use AMEX.... shit...

 

 

maybe should switch to Dusit D2....

[kash buc]

AMEX is my main card here in the states. But I have found thet very few places, except the high end hotels, restaurants take the AMEX card. I had to get a cash advance once and found even the banks/currency exchange places didn't take AMEX

 

The best advice would be to keep an AMEX in your wallet as a backup but make sure you have a VISA or Mastercard as your main Credit Card

[FROST MEDIC999]

Yeah AE is not as accepted as they would have is think.

 

Can always take cash out the ATM mind and pay that way

 

Ghosty

[Daddee]

just been patts again stayed in 3 different hotels lk empress / lk res / lek villa /

all great places to stay very nice hotels and nice staff,

just one problem for me though was not one hotel would take amex!!!

is it just the very big hotels that take amex or do you guys know any that do,

i always just walk in and pay hotel direct,

luck for me had atm cards and just enough cash saved.

 

    regards tuscan

as a vendor, I chose to quit using amex because of their policies and fees.  don't like them and understand exactly why other people don't either.  incredibly unfair to the merchants sometimes.

[Hellbender]

You can buy pre-paid visa card through your Amax back home and use it where ever you like..

 

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/prepaid-card-online.html

[Luv2Phuket]

You can buy pre-paid visa card through your Amax back home and use it where ever you like..

 

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/prepaid-card-online.html

 

Be careful - some prepaid cards from here in the U.S. will not work internationally.

 

AMEX charges some pretty high fees, not only to merchants but with regard to foreign transactions, as well.

 

Maybe consider getting a Visa or Mastercard for traveling?  If so, I would look for one that does NOT charge a foreign transaction fee.

[Hellbender]

Be careful - some prepaid cards from here in the U.S. will not work internationally.

 

AMEX charges some pretty high fees, not only to merchants but with regard to foreign transactions, as well.

 

Maybe consider getting a Visa or Mastercard for traveling?  If so, I would look for one that does NOT charge a foreign transaction fee.

 

 

You have to make  sure you buy the right Pre paid card and once you have the Visa card than it's all Visa charges for foreign transactions 

[tuscan]

thanks for comments...one good thing when i used my Amex to borrow some cash from atm they charged me less than Hsbc did to take from my own bank account!!!!!!!!! 

just got a mastercard come though yesterday so will take that as well on my next trip 

thanks again tuscan

[Pakwaan]

Throughout Asia (with the exception of Singapore) you will find that Amex is either not accepted, or not preferred. I guess it's to do with the high charges for merchants. Often if you offer Amex they will ask if you have another card, even when they display the Amex sign. I have even had them say things like the Amex machine is broken, do you have Visa?

[Otho]

Yes, the merchants won't use it because Amex charges them more than any other card issuer. It might have changed but it used to be at least 1% more on each pruchase.

 

In a previous lifetime I used to do consultancy work for Amex and it was a huge problem for them - it's called "merchant attrition."  Especially galling because a customer or cardholder is actually at the point of purchase, eager to spend, and the merchant switches them to Visa or whatever.

 

It was suggested to them more than once, by many more than just me, that if they sat down and estimated how much they must be losing that way, they'd probably realise that they would make more money if they pegged their fees to the other cards or even, God help us, undercut them by 0.5%. But they simply would not have it.

 Their problem. But if you're travelling in East Asia, make sure Amex isn't your only payment possibility or you will definitely have a aproblem too.

[sinbad5]

Yes, the merchants won't use it because Amex charges them more than any other card issuer. It might have changed but it used to be at least 1% more on each pruchase.

 

In a previous lifetime I used to do consultancy work for Amex and it was a huge problem for them - it's called "merchant attrition."  Especially galling because a customer or cardholder is actually at the point of purchase, eager to spend, and the merchant switches them to Visa or whatever.

 

It was suggested to them more than once, by many more than just me, that if they sat down and estimated how much they must be losing that way, they'd probably realise that they would make more money if they pegged their fees to the other cards or even, God help us, undercut them by 0.5%. But they simply would not have it.

 Their problem. But if you're travelling in East Asia, make sure Amex isn't your only payment possibility or you will definitely have a aproblem too.

It's a funny business model they have, being so uncompetitive with MC and Visa in that respect. I can only imagine they make it up somehow through rewards partnership programs that encourage customers to keep pushing their product on merchants . Almost everyone who has a Amex has another card too.

[Pattaya_Brian]

I stopped accepting AMEX as a merchant years ago because of the high fees and a few other stunts.

 

My thoughts were, if a person's credit is good enough to get an AMEX card, then surely they hold a Visa or Mastercard.

[Daddee]

I stopped accepting AMEX as a merchant years ago because of the high fees and a few other stunts.

 

My thoughts were, if a person's credit is good enough to get an AMEX card, then surely they hold a Visa or Mastercard.

its how they treat a merchant during disputes that drove us to drop amex...

 

one in particular, we had already refunded the customer his money in full, he was a total prick and filed a complaint, the fucking amex company froze a bunch of money up and tied it up for at least a month, even though we had proof positive we had refunded the money before the complaint...

 

very distasteful doing business with amex as a merchant...

 

would never do business with them again, and don't use their cards either.

[Rudsy]

just been patts again stayed in 3 different hotels lk empress / lk res / lek villa /

all great places to stay very nice hotels and nice staff,

just one problem for me though was not one hotel would take amex!!!

is it just the very big hotels that take amex or do you guys know any that do,

i always just walk in and pay hotel direct,

luck for me had atm cards and just enough cash saved.

 

    regards tuscan

Its the same in the UK , a lot of business's will not take Amex...something to do with the excessive percentage Amex takes

from the merchant...more than other cards like Visa and MasterCard.

[graduateapply]

AMEX have ridicious charges, so its probably for the best. I think Dianaa hotel uses Amex, but dont quote me.

[brownlegs]

It's too expensive for them to process I think

[moondoggie]

AMX is just too expensive for most business. I have traveled around the world and found Visa, or MC, debt, or charge, to work almost everywhere. While my very exclusive Gold AMX to be worthless....looks really neat however.

[Luv2Phuket]

its how they treat a merchant during disputes that drove us to drop amex...

 

one in particular, we had already refunded the customer his money in full, he was a total prick and filed a complaint, the fucking amex company froze a bunch of money up and tied it up for at least a month, even though we had proof positive we had refunded the money before the complaint...

 

very distasteful doing business with amex as a merchant...

 

would never do business with them again, and don't use their cards either.

 

There is another side to that coin, though -- if you are their customer, they seem to go the extra mile for you if there is a problem.

 

I had an issue with a rental car company screwing me once (we tanked up the car before the 20 minute drive to the airport, and they charged me something like $60 because it wasn't "full").  I had charged to to a Mastercard and they were absolutely useless in getting anything done for me.  I think AMEX would have at least frozen the charge and looked at the stuff I submitted (the receipt from the gas station and approximate mileage to the airport).

 

All of that said, from the merchant's perspective, I agree with you 100%, and I assume that's why so few businesses in Thailand take it.

[Daddee]

There is another side to that coin, though -- if you are their customer, they seem to go the extra mile for you if there is a problem.

 

I had an issue with a rental car company screwing me once (we tanked up the car before the 20 minute drive to the airport, and they charged me something like $60 because it wasn't "full").  I had charged to to a Mastercard and they were absolutely useless in getting anything done for me.  I think AMEX would have at least frozen the charge and looked at the stuff I submitted (the receipt from the gas station and approximate mileage to the airport).

 

All of that said, from the merchant's perspective, I agree with you 100%, and I assume that's why so few businesses in Thailand take it.

totally agree, and not just Thailand, all over the world merchants are saying to amex, "fuck me?, no, fuck you!"....

 

they were so out of line with us with this one chargeback, I don't recall the specifics of what they did, but I do know we immediately took care of the customer, who then filed a complaint with amex anyway, and it tied up all our money for quite some time...  was totally unfair.

[Kurt Belyeu]

The Chase United mileage plus card offers no foreign transaction charges...

 

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/05/22/chase-enhances-the-united-mileageplus-explorer-car/

 

Cheers,

 

Kurt

[trader4691]

Be careful - some prepaid cards from here in the U.S. will not work internationally.

 

AMEX charges some pretty high fees, not only to merchants but with regard to foreign transactions, as well.

 

Maybe consider getting a Visa or Mastercard for traveling?  If so, I would look for one that does NOT charge a foreign transaction fee.

 

Capital One Visa in the States has no international transaction fees, and always gives an excellent exchange rate. I use my Capital One Visa exclusively here in Thailand.

[roadracer]

My Amex Platinum (along with the $7,500 a year Centurion) charges no FTF. Other US-issued Amex cards charge 2.7% for foriegn transactions. I've found that Amex is almost universally accepted in places that take credit cards in South Korea, and to a lesser extent, but still widely accepted, Philippines. Elsewhere in Asia, it's a crapshoot. For that purpose I have two Capital One cards and two Penfed cards for backup. A lot of issuers are seeing the light, and now are jumping on the no foreign transaction fee bandwagon.

[Draca]

I'm using AMEX platinum too, i find it to be a very good card.. but hotels aren't really that big a bother to me!! i always pay hotels in advance, and through the internet booking i do they accept AMEX of course.

 

i'm still stunned that LK group doesn't accept AMEX.. since i need to extend my stay at the LK Empress seems i have to use my MC platinum instead, which i don't really like to use unless i have to.

 

i'm looking at maybe changing hotel to dusit d2, but i heard someone complain about the AC and beds there.

[PBRHotelier]

As a previous hotel owner, the reason I did not take AMEX was their fees were almost double that of VISA and MC until you reached a very high user level.  That is why small to mid-size hotels do not accept it.  Also their refund and dispute resolution process is very complicated.