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Yes. Accepting American Express is a commercial choice, not a legal requirement, so a business can decide not to take Amex or to stop accepting it. The trade-off is that you may turn away customers who prefer to pay with Amex, including some business and corporate cardholders. Whether it is worth it depends on how many of your customers use Amex and what it costs you to accept. American Express is not covered by the RBA surcharging changes, so if you do accept it, confirm your current Amex pricing and surcharge position with your payment provider.
Last updated: 2 July 2026
There is no law that requires an Australian business to accept American Express. Which cards you take is a commercial decision, and plenty of businesses accept Visa and Mastercard but not Amex, usually because Amex has historically cost more to accept. You can choose not to sign up for Amex, or you can stop accepting it, subject to any notice terms in your merchant agreement. If you do stop, make sure your signage, website and checkout reflect the cards you actually take so customers are not surprised at the till.
The reason many businesses keep Amex despite the cost is the customer. Amex cardholders skew toward business, corporate and higher-spend segments, and some will simply pay another way while others may take their spend elsewhere. Refusing Amex saves you its acceptance cost but can cost you sales, so the sensible question is how much of your turnover actually comes through Amex. If it is a meaningful share, dropping it may cost more than it saves; if it is negligible, the maths can point the other way. Costs and customer mix vary by business, so weigh it against your own numbers.
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Before dropping Amex to save on cost, it is worth checking whether a better overall rate solves the problem instead. From 1 October 2026 surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa will no longer be permitted, and American Express is not covered by that RBA change, though providers including Tyro and Eway have said they will remove Amex surcharging on 1 October 2026, and Eway reports Amex has announced its own change from that date, so confirm the Amex position with your payment provider. Once card costs can no longer be passed on, your rate is the lever that remains. Comparing your rate across all card types, including Amex, can lower what you pay without turning customers away, with MerchantRates partner rates as low as 0.89% for those who qualify.
Sources: RBA Conclusions Paper media release (mr-26-10) · ACCC card surcharges guidance · Eway: RBA reform response · Tyro: surcharge ban confirmed.
Information current as at 2 July 2026.
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