Frequently Asked Questions

Displaying American Express signage on storefronts, websites, or at the point of sale can help you attract the Cardmembers eager to spend at businesses like yours.

Yes! All sigange materials are provided free of charge.

You can visit americanexpress.ca/signage to browse signage options and place an order directly through the website. Or if you prefer, you can place orders over the phone by calling the Merchant Services team at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST).

You can order up to 50 pieces of signage at a time.

Signage materials are delivered directly to you, between 9am and 5pm EST from Monday to Friday. From the date your order is placed, it will take approximately 5 working days for the materials to reach you. Please be sure to provide accurate business mailing address and contact details with your order.

All signage deliveries must be made to a local business address.

Your 10-digit American Express Merchant Number begins with the digits '93' and can be located on the top left-hand side of your paper and/or online statements.

You can update select account information online by registering for an online account at americanexpress.ca/merchantregister. You can also contact the Merchant Services team any time you need to make changes to your account by calling 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST).

Yes. If you find you want to cancel this service, you can do so by contacting 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST). Please note that cancelling your Internet service through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will not automatically cancel your enrollment to view payments online.

Simply call the Merchant Services team at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST). We can walk you through the necessary steps and help you get set up.

The standard timeframe for payment is 3 days. However 1-day, 15-day and 30-day payment plans are also available if you prefer. Please note this is dependent on your agreed payment plan. Feel free to contact us if you'd like to verify which payment plan you are currently on, or if you'd like to discuss other payment frequencies that may be available to your business.

With Net pay, your fees will be deducted up front, per transaction. If you choose Gross pay, fees will be accumulated and deducted only once at the end of each billing cycle.

With Gross Pay, some restrictions apply.

Registering for an online merchant account allows you quick and easy access to your account so you can view payments, track submissions and settlements, manage disputes and even download your financial information into spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft^® Excel. Sign up now for an online account.

Yes. Your online account can be set up to view and manage multiple business locations, as well as designate affiliate offices and headquarters. Simply call the Merchant Services team at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST).

You can reset your password by going to americanexpress.ca/merchant, clicking on 'Forgot ID or Password', and following the prompts on screen. Or if you prefer, you can call for phone assistance at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST).

Once you've signed up for Online Merchant Services, your financial information will be provided online only, and you will no longer receive paper statements or be charged the monthly paper statement fee.

In your browser, go to the 'File' menu and choose 'Print Preview'. You will be able to change page settings to ensure proper printing here.

Payments from American Express are generally posted to your account on the 3^rd business day from the time you submit your transactions. However, please note this is dependent on your agreed payment plan. If you have online banking, you can also check your bank account to see when deposits are being made.

Please contact your terminal provider for information on accepting American Express Cards.

You can call the 24-Hour Authorizations line at 1-800-268-9824.
They will ask you for the following information in order to authorize the transaction:
• Your 10 digit Merchant Number
• The Cardmember's Card Number
• The amount being charged.

Chip Cards (also known as EMV Cards) have built-in micro-processor Chips that store Card data securely, making them difficult to be copied or altered. As an additional measure of security, customers with Chip Cards need to use a PIN number instead of their signature in order to complete a transaction.

Yes. American Express Chip and PIN Cards are already being accepted at many merchant locations across Canada.

Chip and PIN can reduce Card fraud as it is more difficult for Chip Cards to be altered or copied.

Chip and PIN technology does not however, have the same impact on 'Card Not Present' environments such as online, mail order and telephone order.

Choosing not to implement Chip and PIN enabled terminals does increase your liability for fraud on Card Present charges. By upgrading your terminal to accept American Express Chip Cards, you can mitigate your risk of fraud related Chargebacks. Details about American Express' Fraud Liability Shift Policy, effective since October 31, 2012, are available in the Merchant Operating Manual.

Contact your processor or terminal provider and they will work with you to upgrade your terminal. Be sure to request American Express requirements are included in your terminal upgrade.

It is important for your employees to be aware that both Chip & PIN and Magstripe Cards may be presented at your business, and that they are familiar with the processing procedures for all Card types. By consulting with your terminal provider for specific details, you can determine your own training requirements.

Yes, however the costs differ depending on your current Terminal set up. If your Processor supplies your Terminal, they may just change your device. If you own your own Terminal and decide to invest in Chip and PIN technology, the cost will vary depending on the type of device that you are using.

No, there is no impact on your Discount Rate as a result of the technology used to process Chip and PIN transactions.

Not all countries are moving to Chip and PIN, so you should expect to see both Chip & PIN and Magstripe Cards at your business. If you are presented with a Card without Chip, just swipe the Card's magstripe and the terminal will prompt you for a signature. There may also be some Cards in circulation with Chips but no PINs, and for these Cards the terminal will also prompt you for a signature once you've inserted the Chip into the reader.

Please ask the Cardmember to contact American Express by calling the number on the back of their Card. We can help them to reset their PIN.

Any transaction where the customer is not present (ie: telephone, online or mail order) is not affected by the introduction of Chip and PIN, and all types of Cards can be used for these transactions.

By using radio-frequency technology to perform transactions, all it takes is a simple tap for the Card and reader to exchange secure payment information. In order to work however, both the Card and the terminal must be Contactless-enabled.

Not necessarily. Many of the Contactless terminals out there are already pre-certified for American Express Contactless payments.

Get in touch with your processor terminal provider to find out if your terminal is certified with American Express requirements, and to learn what solutions they can offer you if not.

Although there are various different Gift Card designs, all American Express Pre-Paid Cards will have the American Express Blue Box logo on the front - along with the word "prepaid" or some similar designation. Please note that American Express Gift Cards are never embossed.

Processing American Express Gift Cards is not much different than processing regular American Express Cards.

Just follow your standard Card acceptance procedures, and:
1. Confirm the Card's available balance before authorizing a transaction
2. Authorize a charge within the Card's available balance. If you attempt to authorize more than what's available, your authorization will be declined.
3. If the available balance is not enough to cover the charge, do a split transaction and request payment of the remaining amount using another form of payment.

Yes. As long as the customer has the Gift Card with them, they can receive a credit for returned merchandise. However, just like a normal credit card, the credited funds will only become available to the customer 3-7 business days after we receive the settlement from you.

No. Customers are not able to "stop payment" or "lodge a billing dispute" with American Express with regards to the quality of goods/services purchased on a Gift Card. They would be insutructed to address these questions or concerns directly with you.

A Debit Balance is the outstanding amount on your American Express Account due to any of the following reasons:

If your transactions are insufficient to collect on your outstanding amounts, you will receive a Debit Balance Letter notifying you of the outstanding balance 15, 30 and 45 days after it is reflected on your Account.

There are 2 ways you can do so:

1. You can set up a Debit Electronic Funds Transfer for your Account by signing a Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement (PAD) and sending it to our banking department with a copy of a void cheque. Please feel free to call Merchant Services for more information at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8- 8pm).
2. You can make out a cheque payable to "Amex Bank of Canada", ensure your Merchant number is written on the cheque, and send to:
Amex Bank of Canada
PO Box 3204 STN F,
Toronto, ON M1W 3W7

A Dispute is an inquiry made by a Cardmember, when they don't recognize a charge made to their Card, and are looking for information to clarify the transacation.

A Chargeback is when the amount of a Disputed transaction is debited from your Account, and credited back to the Cardmember.

An inquiry letter lets you know that a Cardmember has raised a question about a Charge at your business and specifies the documents we require from you to support the Charge. If you receive an Inquiry Letter, please be sure to respond fully before the reply-by-date given.

View the Helpful Tips to Reducing Disputes Guide for detailed information.

You can visit our Disputes webpage, or if you prefer, you can call Merchant Services at 1-800-268-9877 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 8pm EST).

Credit Card Fraud come in many forms, such as stolen or counterfeit cards, and happens when someone maliciously or deceiptfully uses credit card information for profit or gain.

Unfortunately, it is likely that you will encounter fraud attempts at some point. In order to avoid Chargebacks related to fraudulent charges, it is important for your front line staff to learn and understand how to recognize signs of potential fraud.

The security of your business is top priority! Please take the time to read the Fraud section of our website, in order to educate yourself about credit card Fraud and learn how to recognize the signs of potential fraud.

The Data Security Operating Policy is an American Express policy, first implemented in 2002, with which all Merchants, processors, and service providers that store, process or transmit American Express Cardmember information must comply. The latest version of this policy has been modified to reflect current business conditions, provides additional requirements to help safeguard Cardmember information, and aligns with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI Standard). The PCI Data Security Standard sets out a common set of technical requirements for safeguarding sensitive payment data applicable across the industry.

Yes. The Data Security Operating Policy applies to all Merchants and service providers that process, store, or transmit American Express Cardmember information. It's requirements apply to all of your equipment, systems, and networks on which this information is processed, stored, or transmitted.

The Data Security Operating Policy applies to all your equipment, systems, and networks on which Cardmember Information is stored, processed, or transmitted.

The Data Security Operating Policy is a sound business practice and a requirement of American Express. Compromised data negatively impacts consumers, Merchants, and Card issuers. Even one incident can severely damage your reputation and its ability to effectively conduct business. Addressing this threat by implementing the Data Security Operating Policy helps improve customer trust in your business. American Express knows that you share our concern and requires, as part of your responsibilities, that you comply with the data security provisions in your American Express Card Acceptance Agreement ("Agreement") and the Data Security Operating Policy.

Please refer to Data Security Operating Policy Section 4, Merchants Not Compliant with PCI DSS, for detailed information pertaining to this situation.

The PCI Data Security Standard is the technical foundation for the Data Security Operating Policy, allowing you to comply with one set of data security standards for all payment brands. The Data Security Operating Policy defines the Merchant levels, validation requirements and deadlines. Each payment Card network defines its own Merchant levels, validation requirements and deadlines.

If you have an outward-facing and active IP address, then you must have a scan performed. Any outward-facing and active IP addresses that are associated with the network in which Card processing occurs are in scope for scanning.

American Express will be notifying you of your compliance status. If you have submitted acceptable documents, no further action will be required until the next quarterly network scan is due.

American Express has retained Trustwave to administer our Data Security Compliance Program. Trustwave is a leading provider of information security and compliance management solutions to Merchants and service providers. Please contact them with any questions via email at AmericanExpressCompliance@trustwave.com or call at 1-866-659-9016.

You can view the Data Security Operating Policy here.