Welcome to the American Express Network

You’ll take card payments from customers using different methods varying from in person, or online, over the phone or by mail order using physical or virtual systems.

It's important that you and your employees recognise an American Express Card when presented. There are several different card products, each one has the following security features:

Card account numbers begin with "34" or "37" and consist of 15 digits in a four-six-five formation. The digits are embossed.

Card Identifier Digits (CID) is a four-digit security code printed on the front of the Card, above the account number.

Learn more about Payment Security.

For all In Person Charges, the Card must be presented; you must follow the Card acceptance steps outlined in your Terms and Conditions for Card Acceptance; and obtain an authorisation.

You must not accept a Card that is visibly altered or damaged, or presented by anyone other than the Card member (Cards are not transferable), and if a transaction is declined, you must notify the Card member immediately.

If you do business online, over the phone or by mail order, you can find procedures for Card Not Present Charges in your Terms and Conditions for Card Acceptance.

The number of working days before you receive payment will depend on your individual payment plan. Please refer to your Terms and Conditions for Card Acceptance for details. To avoid any delay in receiving your payment, you should follow these guidelines:

Transactions submitted on non-business days such as Bank Holidays or weekends will be processed on the next working day. Please remember to exclude Bank Holidays and weekends when calculating when you expect to receive your payment

It is recommended to print a manual end of day reconciliation to avoid transactions storing in your terminal and delaying payment (if your terminal prints a report overnight, a manual print it no required)

If you use a third-party submission processor and have experienced an unexpected delay in receiving your payment, please check w ith your processor prior to contacting American Express. Any delay associated with your processor may impact when you receive your payment.

The easiest way to do this is by managing your merchant account online and get notifications when your e-statement is ready to be viewed, however we understand that some merchants prefer to receive paper copies of their statements instead.

Your statement will show the transactions you have submitted to us and the payments we have processed directly into your designated bank account.

Just to remind you, the Discount Rate is the amount we charge your business for accepting the Card which is a percentage of t he face amount of the transaction on the Card. This is applied to all payments or purchases made using an American Express Card.

Your Discount Rate can be found in the application form accompanying your Terms and Conditions for Card Acceptance, or alternatively in your agreement confirmation letter where applicable. If you've registered your merchant account online, you'll find your Discount Rate is shown here and on paper statements too.