American Express is the card of choice for a disproportionate number of high-spending US and European travellers. Business travellers, older tourists, guests booking premium rooms and multi-day packages are the people most likely to pull out an American Express card at checkout. They're also the people most likely to spend more per stay, tip well, and leave detailed reviews.

However, a lot of tourism businesses in Africa, Asia, and Latin America struggle to accept it.

American Express operates on its own payment network, separate from Visa and Mastercard. This means that even if a hotel has a card terminal or a payment platform, it doesn't automatically support American Express - the processor needs a specific agreement with the American Express network, which many don't have.

The result is a payment declined at the moment a guest is trying to pay, which is an uncomfortable situation for everyone. The guest assumes something is wrong with their card. The hotel has to explain it doesn't accept American Express and ask for a different card, which the guest may or may not have. Some guests leave, some pay with a card they'd rather not use.

Stripe technically supports American Express, but in practice a significant number of American Express transactions decline when processed through Stripe accounts in South America, Africa, and Asia. Hotels that set up Stripe expecting it to handle all card types often discover this the hard way - usually when a guest in front of them can't get a payment through.

American Express charges higher processing fees than Visa and Mastercard, and some hotel owners assume this makes it not worth supporting. In practice, the guests most likely to pay with American Express are spending enough per booking that the difference in processing fee is not material. Turning away a guest spending $500 over three nights because you don't accept their card is a much larger cost than the fraction of a percent difference in processing fees.

Tab accepts American Express at the same rate as Visa and Mastercard - 2.9% for in-person payments, 2.9% plus $1 for advance bookings. There's no separate setup required and no higher fee for American Express transactions. If you're in a market where your current payment provider doesn't support it, or you're seeing declines you can't explain, it's worth checking whether American Express is actually being processed or just appearing to be supported.