American Express statistics

American Express (Amex) launched one of the first credit cards in the world in 1958, with a focus on travel and entertainment. It now has a total market capitalisation of US$184.12 billion, as of September 2024.

How many people have American Express cards?

• $1.68 trillion was spent on Amex cards in 2023 (billed business and transactions).
• Worldwide spending on Amex-issued credit cards totalled $1,460 billion in 2023.
• The total number of Amex cards in use was over 140 million cards in 2023 (80.2 million Amex-issued credit cards and 61 million cards issued by third parties).

Where is American Express popular?

Amex has reported that the following countries and regions "represent a significant portion of our billed business outside of the United States".

• UK
• The European Union
• Australia
• Japan
• Canada
• Mexico

How many Australians pay with American Express?

RBA data shows American Express made up 9.5% of credit and charge card purchase transactions in July 2024, by number of purchases.

While Mastercard and Visa have the biggest share of transactions, American Express punches above its weight in terms of the value of each purchase.

According to the RBA data, Amex transactions are worth 22.4% of the total value of credit and charge card purchases.

American Express acceptance in Australia

American Express isn't as widely accepted as Mastercard or Visa in Australia but it is accepted at most major retail stores, as well as other service providers. It also proactively increases its acceptance, with over 180,000 new merchant locations added in 2023.

Some of the major businesses and brands that accept American Express in Australia include:

Popular businesses that don't accept American Express

• ALDI
• Aussie Broadband
• Bonza
• Costco
• The Coffee Club
• Terry White Chemmart online (individual stores can accept Amex)

Government services

American Express is one of the major credit card brands that allows you to earn points for spending with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and other Australian government agencies.

But not all government agencies accept American Express payments. Here are some examples of popular government-related services that do and don't take Amex.

What about council rates?

Finder research has found that the payment methods accepted by local government councils also vary. For example, the City of Sydney accepts American Express payments while the City of Melbourne does not. Contact your local council to find out if it accepts Amex.

How many airport lounges does American Express have?

American Express has its own network of over 40 Centurion Lounges around the world. This includes 2 in Australia:

• The Centurion Lounge at Sydney International Airport
• The Centurion Lounge at Melbourne International Airport

American Express also has cards that offer Qantas or Virgin Australia lounge passes, similar to some other frequent flyer credit cards on the market in Australia.

How do Mastercard and Visa credit card costs compare?

While Amex has the biggest range for its annual fees, this is largely because of the high fees on the American Express Platinum Card and Amex Platinum Business Card ($1,450 and $1,750 respectively). The rest of its range has annual fees similar to other brands on the market.

The interest rates and foreign transaction fees on Mastercard and Visa credit cards are also similar. In fact, there are some credit cards with higher purchase interest rates than Amex, which currently go up to around 27%.

But Amex cards do typically have higher surcharges when businesses choose to pass on this cost, with the RBA reporting average merchant fees of 0.89% for Mastercard and 0.9% for Visa. That's around 45 basis points lower than the average merchant fee for Amex (1.35%).

Complaints and customer satisfaction

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) tracks customer complaints raised by financial firms. In the credit cards category, Amex had the 4th highest number of complaints in the second half of 2023.

But a lot of Australians would still recommend Amex to their friends. Amex received a highly commended in the customer service category at the 2024 Finder Credit Card Customer Satisfaction Awards. 97% of customers rated it trustworthy/reliable.

The number of American Express employees

• Australia and New Zealand: Over 1,500 employees
• UK: Over 5,000 employees
• Global total 2022–23: 77,300 employees

Written by

Amy Bradney-George

Journalist

Amy is an experienced journalist with over 16 years of experience, contributing to major publications like Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, and ABC News Australia. Specialising in personal finance, she frequently appeared in media outlets and on radio. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University and earned RG146 certifications in Tier 1 Generic Knowledge and Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products, ensuring her expertise is grounded in current financial regulations. Amy was Finder's Senior Writer for Credit Cards from 2016 to 2024. See full bio

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Co-written by

Richard Whitten

Money Editor

Richard Whitten is Finder’s Money Editor, with over seven years of experience in home loans, property and personal finance. His insights appear in top media outlets like Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine, and the Herald Sun, and he frequently offers expert commentary on television and radio, helping Australians navigate mortgages and property ownership. Richard holds multiple industry certifications, including a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking (RG 206) and Tier 1 and Tier 2 certifications (RG 146), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Communications from Deakin University. See full bio

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Richard has written 601 Finder guides across topics including:

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