Setting Up an American Express Merchant Account
What an American Express merchant account is, whether your business needs a separate one, and what processor pages say about taking Amex cards.
A customer pulls out an Amex card, and you want your setup to be able to take it. A merchant account is what lets a business accept card payments, and the question here is whether Amex needs its own. This page covers what it is, whether you need a second one, and what processor pages say about Amex.
What an American Express merchant account is
A merchant account is a type of bank account that lets a business accept card payments. Authorize.net's pricing page describes it that way. The account holds funds from card transactions and deposits them into your business bank account. Authorize.net's page also says it works like a credit line. The business can take payments and issue refunds through it.
An American Express merchant account is that same setup, opened so you can also take Amex cards. That is why the question of a separate account comes up so often. For a fuller picture of the general setup, read what a merchant account means and how a credit card merchant account works.
Do you need a separate account to accept American Express?
The pages quoted here do not describe a separate Amex account. Square's and Authorize.net's pages list American Express among the cards they accept.
Square's pricing page says you can accept every major card, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, all for the same processing fees. There is no separate Amex signup buried in that list. The account you open with Square covers the Amex card along with the rest.
Authorize.net's page says it accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, and Diners Club credit and debit cards. Authorize.net's pricing page does say you must have a merchant account in order to accept credit cards.
If you already have a merchant account, Authorize.net's page says its Gateway Only plan connects Authorize.net to an existing merchant account without replacing it.
Processors that accept American Express cards
Here is what each company's own page states about the cards it takes.
Square's pricing page says you can accept American Express cards for the same processing fees as other major cards.
Authorize.net's page says its gateway takes credit cards, debit cards, and eChecks. American Express is on its list of credit cards.
Stripe's pricing page says you can accept widely used credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, and digital wallets for online payments. It does not name the card brands one by one on that line.
Shopify's pricing page says Shopify charges a small fee to let you accept major credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard in your store. It does not name American Express on that line.
If you are comparing processors, this site has pages on Clover vs Square vs Stripe and Square vs Stripe for small business. Neither page picks a winner. They lay out what each company says about itself.
What processor pages say about American Express fees
The fee pages here give you a way to check what Amex cards cost against other cards for your own sales.
Square's pricing page addresses this point directly. It says you can accept American Express cards for the same processing fees as other major cards. On Square's pricing page, the Amex card costs the same as the other major cards it lists.
Stripe's pricing page lists rates by how the payment happens, not by card brand. Its standard online rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards. In-person card payments cost 2.7% + 5¢. The page does not break out an Amex rate apart from those.
Shopify's pricing page lists in-person card rates of 2.6% + 10¢ and online standard card rates of 2.9% + 30¢. Those lines do not name Amex apart.
To compare with the Visa side, see Visa credit card processing fees. Visa's page says merchants negotiate and pay a merchant discount to their financial institution.
Published rates move, so check each company's own page before you sign. The numbers above are what those pages said when this site read them.
How to get set up to take American Express
The practical path runs through your processor's signup, not a separate Amex office.
First, open your merchant account. Authorize.net's pricing page says an underwriter looks at your industry, processing history, personal credit, and business creditworthiness when you apply for a merchant account. Have those details ready. The steps are laid out in how to set up a merchant account and the merchant account process.
Second, confirm Amex is included when you sign up. Ask the provider directly whether the account takes Amex cards, and what those cards cost on your plan. Square's pricing page answers that question in writing for Square.
If you already take cards and only lack Amex, call your provider. Authorize.net's page says a representative will help you get started by phone. You can also reach them online with a quick form.
Where to read more on this site
The pages below cover the pieces around this one.
For the account itself, start with choosing a merchant account provider. For costs, read merchant account fees and merchant account charges.
In short, the Square and Authorize.net pages quoted here list American Express with the other cards they accept. Sign up with a processor, confirm the Amex card is included, and check what it costs on that processor's plan. That covers the whole question.