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Home Why doesn't Estonia use American Express (Amex)?
03 Apr 2023 By PAYCEC
In Estonia, Visa, Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus, and American Express are widely accepted in tourist areas, ATMs, shops, and restaurants. Because American Express is the least widely used provider, it's always a good idea to have an alternate form of payment on hand if this is your primary card.
Estonia is a European Union member with strict rules regarding payment processing fees. The EU Payments Package imposes a new regulatory burden on AMEX's licensing operations. Due to new regulations, American Express no longer competes with Visa and MasterCard regarding bank cooperation. As a result, all licenses with its existing EU partners have been terminated, and Amex cards issued under independent operators are no longer valid in all European Union countries.
Different fees can frequently make or break a deal for a merchant. As a result, many merchants refuse to accept American Express. The interchange fee charged by American Express Estonia is too high.
Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while American Express charges between 1.43% and 3.3%. While this may not be a significant difference, it can create difficulties for smaller businesses. Sometimes that extra 1% or so isn't worth the potential profit. Even large retailers who make hundreds of thousands of dollars per day could lose money if they have to pay Amex fees all the time.
Businesses consider many factors when deciding whether or not to accept American Express. It frequently includes information about the company's size, markups, and daily transaction volume. When merchants refuse to accept American Express, they usually rely on their customers to have a Visa, debit card, or cash on hand.
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