American Express is Now Accepted at More Than 190 Million Merchant Locations Worldwide; Acceptance Outside the U.S. Has More Than Doubled in Last Four Years

American Express cards have been accepted at 99% of U.S. places taking credit cards since the end of 2019.

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09/28/2026 - 08:00 AM

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- American Express today announced that its Cards are now accepted at more than 190 million Merchant locations worldwide¹, an increase of approximately 20 million locations this year. The number of Amex-accepting Merchant locations outside the U.S. has more than doubled over the last four years. This growth reflects ongoing momentum in the company's global acceptance strategy, driven by key partnerships, targeted expansion in the places Card Members live, work, and travel, and continued innovation in how customers pay.

“This milestone reflects decades of investment in expanding our global network so we can serve more Merchants around the world and connect them with our high-spending Card Members,” said Anna Marrs, Group President, Global Merchant & Network Services, American Express.

Marrs continued, “Our approach is very deliberate: we’re focused on adding acceptance in the cities and categories where our Card Members want to spend. By combining our own acquiring capabilities with strong bank, fintech, and payment facilitator partnerships, we’re able to reach and serve more Merchants of all sizes—helping them grow their businesses while giving Card Members more places to confidently use Amex around the world.”

Expanding through partnerships

American Express continues to deepen relationships with global payment platforms, payment facilitators, licensed partners, and local acquirers to expand acceptance at scale. This includes relationships with major global partners such as Adyen as well as regional and local partners, including Mercado Pago in Mexico and Argentina and Dojo in the UK. American Express is also expanding how Card Members can pay through digital wallets and other digital payment capabilities—for example, through partnerships such as Alipay in China.

Building scale in priority cities

American Express is strengthening acceptance in locations where Card Members spend their time, making significant progress over the past year in priority cities around the world, including travel destinations like Barcelona, Hong Kong, Paris, and Sicily. More broadly, since 2021, the company has seen significant gains, including strong acceptance growth across the Caribbean, doubling locations in Canada, Japan, and Mexico, tripling locations across Europe, including in the UK and France, and quadrupling locations in Singapore. The company has also built strong coverage in cities that draw Card Members for major global sporting events, such as Melbourne, Mexico City, and Vancouver.

Growing in the categories Card Members value

American Express is increasing acceptance in categories that are an important part of Card Members’ everyday spending and travel experiences. Since 2021, the company has delivered double-digit growth in international restaurant acceptance, while American Express Cards are also accepted across all major European airlines and the vast majority of 4- and 5-star hotels globally. In addition, American Express is now accepted at an estimated 800 or more transit authorities worldwide², including major transit networks in Beijing, London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, and Toronto.

For Merchants, this expanding network provides greater access to American Express’ premium, high-spending customer base. Average annual spending on American Express Cards in the U.S. is three times that of cards on other networks.³ For Card Members, it means more opportunities to use their Cards at home and while traveling. This international growth builds on American Express’ virtual parity acceptance in the U.S., where Amex has been accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards since the end of 2019.⁴

Read More

Recent announcements on American Express Merchant acceptance:

American Express Expands Card Acceptance in Thailand Through New Partnerships with Local Banks (August 20, 2026)
Japan: American Express Launches “Tap to Ride & Earn Points” Campaign (July 30, 2026)
American Express Middle East and Network International enter into a first-of-its-kind strategic partnership to significantly expand merchant acceptance in the UAE (June 29, 2026)
Trenitalia En France Accepte Désormais Les Paiements Par Carte American Express (June 25, 2026)
American Express Cardmembers Can Now Tap and Ride on More Transit Systems Across Canada (May 28, 2026)
American Express Expands Acceptance Across Popular Canadian Restaurant Chains (May 13, 2026)

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS

American Express (NYSE: AXP) is a global payments and premium lifestyle brand powered by technology. Our colleagues around the world back our customers with differentiated products, services, and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Founded in 1850 and headquartered in New York, American Express’ brand is built on trust, security, service, and a rich history of delivering innovation and Membership value for our customers. We seek to provide the world’s best customer experience every day to a broad range of consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, and large corporations, and we build and manage relationships with millions of merchants across our global network.

For more information about American Express, visit americanexpress.com, americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/, and ir.americanexpress.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties, contain words such as “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “aim,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “continue” and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those described in American Express’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and its other reports filed with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

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¹ Locations in force (LIF) estimate as of July 2026, including an estimated 80 million Merchants that accept American Express in China and Brazil (including through digital wallets). LIF represents proprietary and partner acquired Merchant locations where the Merchant is enabled to accept American Express. LIF estimates incorporate data provided to us by certain third parties and include Merchants that accept American Express through payment facilitators and digital wallets.

² Estimate based on an internal analysis of American Express transaction activity from January 1 through July 31, 2026 across transit agencies selected based on qualifying criteria. Results are based on available data as of July 31, 2026, and include proprietary and partner acquired merchant locations where the merchant is enabled to accept American Express.

³ 2025 American Express average worldwide network volumes per card vs. weighted average of credit/charge spend per card for Visa and Mastercard in 2025.

⁴ Nilson Report, February 2026.