Do you find American Express GC's difficult to use??

goodguy46947

goodguy46947

Member
Does anyone else find American Express Gift Cards difficult to use in stores? When I use GC's I always hand it to the cashier and tell them how much is on the card and whether or not the paperwork that came with the cards says to swipe as a debit or credit. I never have any problem with Visa or Mastercard but something about American Express GC's makes them difficult and all to often they are rejected.

I have a $25 American Express GC ,that I won, and this morning decided to make an early morning run to Walmart to go grocery shopping. Before I left home I called the number for American Express and verified the funds on the card and the card didn't require activation. After the cashier rang up all the groceries I handed her the AMEX card and told her "there's $25 on the gift card". The paperwork with this particular card doesn't say to swipe as a debit or credit and it wouldn't have mattered because as soon as it was swiped it came up as "invalid". The cashier asked what what kind of card it was (as in AMEX, VISA or Mastercard) and when I told her it was American Express she said "I doubt the system will accept it." She swiped the card a total of three times, came up as "invalid" each time, so she gave the card back to me. This is not the first time I've had American Express GC's to swipe as "invalid" and eventually declined.

A few months ago I had a different AMEX GC that also kept swiping as "invalid". That cashier didn't give up as easily and I remember her saying "let me try it this way." I don't know what she did but the card was then accepted. I've also had AMEX cards that the cashier had no problems processing.

Does anyone know if cashiers need to do something different in order for AMEX to be processed properly and accepted??? If so, I'd sure like to know the trick so I can tell the cashier.
 
Are these places that actually take American Express? A lot of places don't take it- remember the old Visa commercials, "Because they don't blah blah blah, and they don't take American Express"? A couple of years ago, I won a $500 AE gift card, and I never had any problems using it at places that took AE.
 
rlsuaso said:
Are these places that actually take American Express? A lot of places don't take it- remember the old Visa commercials, "Because they don't blah blah blah, and they don't take American Express"? A couple of years ago, I won a $500 AE gift card, and I never had any problems using it at places that took AE.
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Today's experience was at Walmart. After I got home I went to their website to saw they sell Visa, Mastercard and AMERICAN EXPRESS Gift Cards. I figure if they sell them they should accept them. I'm starting to think AMEX cards are processed differently than Visa and Mastercard and some cashiers just simply don't know it. If this is the case I wish I knew how AMEX needed to be processed so I can tell the cashier the next time I try to use my card.
 
Was your checkout total more than $25? If so, I am wondering if that might have been the problem, since it might have rejected it because there wasn't enough on the card to cover the entire checkout total.
 
If your total purchase was more than the card amount of $25, I found this information:

Just found this on Walmart site regarding American Express Gift Card:

•When making a purchase for more than the available funds on your Gift Card, ask the merchant if they accept 2 forms of payment. If the merchant agrees, request that they place a specific dollar amount on the other form of payment (e.g., the final transaction amount less the balance of funds available on your Gift Card).
http://www.walmart.com/ip/50-American-Express-Gift-Card-purchase-fee-included/10716274 (Under special usuage instructions)

The clerk might have to process the card differently, If you have more than one payment. Also, I am not sure about Walmart, but I have had some stores that won't accept more than one payment per transaction.

Another suggestion, might be to use it in a self checkout lane. There you can chose the American Express card type on the screen and the self checkout usually automatically comes up asking for another form of payment if the gift card amount is not enough to cover the full amount of your transaction. At least this has been my experience at the self checkouts I have been to when using my gift cards.
 
Yes it was over $25 as is always is with GC's since I always use them to just save $$ off my entire purchase. I always offer the GC's as my first form of payment and tell the cashier how much is on the card. Seems like it shouldn't be rocket science to use AMEX GC's at a place that I know accepts them. Never a problem with Visa or Mastercard and sometimes not a problem with American Express either.

It's so hit and miss as to whether AMEX will be accepted (or should I say processed properly) that I'm becoming very reluctant to even try using them. :hammer:

P.S. Walmart does accept 2 forms of payment and getting AMEX GC's accepted there has been hit and miss for me. Never a problem with Visa or Mastercard as the 1st form of payment. Oddly, there has been times I've used AMEX at Walmart, as first form of payment, without any problems. They must have to do something different with AMEX that they don't have to do with Visa or Mastercard. I just wish I knew what some cashiers do differently so I can tell the next cashier that rejects AMEX how to properly process it. I figure I run a 50% reject rate with AMEX, as first form of payment, at Walmart.
 
I work as a cashier and we have the same problems with American Expess GC. We have to enter the cash part first and then swipe the card.

Bruce
 
goodguy46947 - it's the cashier. Some are trained and some you have to call over the manager and THEN they learn!!! :crazytongue:
 
For the AMEX giftcards I've won I use mine at Target, I swipe it myself like its my credit card then I pay the difference if there is one.
 
Thanks for all your replies!! :wave:

Bruce, when you say the cash part has to be entered before swiping the card do you mean they have to enter the cash value of the card first?


Amy, I agree that the problem seems to be with the cashiers. There must be something a little different that must be done with AMEX gift cards, when it's being used as a partial payment, that different from cards such as Visa and Mastercard. Unfortunately, with my latest bad AMEX experience I couldn't request a manager because the cashier was a manager! I was taken back that she took so little time trying to get the register to accept the card before she gave up and handed the card back to me. What if I needed to use the card because I didn't have enough money on me? Next time I have an AMEX card declined, and I'm positive I will, perhaps I should just hand the purchase back and tell them I don't want it if I can't use my card.


I like winning gift cards since they save money but disappointed when I receive them if they turn out to be AMEX cards. :cry:
 
goodguy46947 - we shop the same :laughing:

I push until they figure it out, since I've usually price checked, couponed, and gone down to the wire on what I've spent, so that card HAS to work!!!

I got a $25 & $50 from camel sweepstakes, and somehow lost the $50 between the house and the store, was I ever steamed!!! :cry:
 
I own a business that accepts credit cards. American Express charges merchants 2 to 3 times as much in processing fees compared to visa and master card, for this reason, many businesses do not accept them.

Every time someone uses a visa or master card in my store is costs me 25 cents plus 1.5 percent of the sale. $10 sales costs me 40 cents. With American Express its 60 cents plus 3.5 percent or 95 cents on a $10 sale.

Do your merchants a favor - USE CASH!! :sunny:
 
I'm a cashier at walmart and all card readers react different but what i do and it always seems to work is

have cashier hit the credit key, swipe your card, you agree(hit ok/yes), you sign just like a credit card
sometimes you have to have cashier type in the amount on card, hit credit key then you sign your name

I hope this works and as far as I know all walmarts except the cards

but never keep cards(the magnetic strips touching it will demagnetize them and they won't read correctly in card readers)

I hope this helps those having issues
 
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