Our online tools provide you with a faster and simpler way to manage your merchant account. You can update the business address or contact details, such as your email address, for your account - whenever it's convenient.Create your account today

Prevent fraud

Protecting your business against fraud

At American Express, your security is our top priority. So, we do everything in our power to protect and support your business against all types of fraud. For more information see our useful guide here

When you're taking transactions over the phone or online, we support you with two free to use services to help protect your business against fraud:

Addressed Verification Services (AVS) allows you to check a Card member's billing address and postcode against the details we have on record
Enhanced Authorisation (EA) lets you base authorisation on more comprehensive criteria by taking into account extra details like Card member IP, email addresses and shipping information

For more information, please call us on 0800 032 7216

Avoid disputes

Preventing disputes before they happen

Occasionally, Card members may question transactions that appear on their statements. To avoid disputed charges and possible chargebacks to your merchant account, we recommend the following:

Work with us to ensure your trading name appears correctly on all statements
Always keep records of all sales, and itemise transactions
Always obtain an Authorization Approval code
Provide as much information as possible if Card members enquire
Do not re-swipe Cards until the terminal says so
Never split charges
If you make an error, call us immediately on 0800 032 7216 so we can help.

BACK

Before your first transaction, test your terminal to make sure it's working properly and you're able to accept American Express Cards.

You will need to complete a test transaction, however this won't affect your end of day reconciliation and we won't credit or debit the amount that you enter.

We have instructions for a range of terminals. Simply locate the one you need, download the PDF, go to the "test transaction" section and follow the steps. If the test transaction doesn't work you will need to complete the earlier step(s) shown in the guide.

If your terminal isn't listed here or if you need any further help, please call us on 0800 032 7216

In order to view PDF documents, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer, tablet or mobile device.

VeriFone and VeriFone VX EVO

BACK

You might take card payments from customers in a number ways: in person, online, over the phone or by mail order.

It's important that you and your employees can recognise an American Express Card when presented with one. Even though there are several different types of Card, 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.

BACK

For all In Person Charges, the Card must be presented and 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.

BACK

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 after 9pm will be processed on the following working day
Transactions submitted on non-working 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
If your point of sale terminal requires manual reconciliation, please ensure this is completed correctly otherwise payment may be subject to delay
If you use a third party submission processor and have experienced an unexpected delay in receiving your payment, please check with your processor prior to contacting American Express. Any delay associated with your processor may impact when you receive your payment.

BACK

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 which is a percentage of the 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 also on paper statements too.