Card networks · Payment methods
American Express for online stores: acceptance, SafeKey and disputes
Checked
American Express works for Stripe accounts in every supported country except Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, and Stripe lists its cardholders as global except India. Amex supports 3D Secure, branded American Express SafeKey, and works in Apple Pay and Google Pay. Amex often starts with an inquiry, a request for information, before a formal dispute; answering it quickly can close the case without a dispute fee.
- Stripe seller countries
- All except Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand and the UAE
- Cardholders
- Global, except India (per Stripe)
- 3D Secure brand
- American Express SafeKey
- Wallets
- Apple Pay and Google Pay supported
- Disputes
- Often preceded by an inquiry
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC checkout takes American Express by default in the card form, wallets and subscriptions, unless the store owner refuses Amex under Settings, Payments, Payment methods, Cards, in which case shoppers see a plain message asking for another card.
Inquiries: answer them
Stripe says American Express and Discover use the inquiry phase most often. During an inquiry the bank asks what the charge was for, often because the shopper does not recognise the descriptor. A full refund or clear evidence closes it with no dispute fee. Ignoring it can turn it into a chargeback you cannot win.
Who can take Amex
If your Stripe account is in Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand or the UAE, Amex is not available on Stripe. For India-based businesses Stripe keeps a separate support note on Amex card support.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Amex need a separate merchant account on Stripe?
- No. Stripe lists American Express among the brands you can accept without extra configuration, in the countries where it is offered.
- What happens if a shopper ignores an Amex SafeKey check?
- If the bank requires authentication and it fails, Stripe marks the payment as needing a new payment method and the shopper can try again or use another card.
Sources
- Cards: supported card brands — Stripe
- How disputes work — Stripe
- 3D Secure authentication — Stripe
Related
- Visa — The most widely accepted card network; works for Stripe sellers in every country.
- Mastercard — Global card network; works for Stripe sellers everywhere, with its own chargeback programs.
- Discover — US-born network in Discover Global Network; Stripe sellers in the US, Canada, Japan, UK and most of Europe.
- Diners Club — Charge and credit card brand in Discover Global Network; same Stripe seller countries as Discover.
- JCB — Japan's card network; Stripe sellers in Asia-Pacific, North America, the UK and Europe can take it.
- UnionPay — China's card network; Stripe sellers in Asia-Pacific, North America, the UK and Europe can take it.
- Cartes Bancaires — France's local debit network; most cards are co-badged with Visa or Mastercard.
- eftpos — Australia's local debit network; online only on cards co-branded with Visa or Mastercard.