American Express Credit Cards

American Express is the country’s largest credit card issuer by purchase volume and the fourth largest payment network in terms of cards in circulation. Those facts alone indicate it’s pretty popular. But if you need any more convincing, American Express also ranked second among all major credit card companies in JD Power’s 2016 customer satisfaction survey.

American Express does have its fair share of faults, however. For starters, nearly all American Express credit cards are for people with good or excellent credit. So you’ll have to choose another issuer if you have a lower score. What’s more, Amex cards aren’t nearly as widely accepted – both in the U.S. and abroad – as cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks.

With all of that being said, we recommend basing your credit card decision primarily on approval requirements and the terms you will receive, rather than the issuer or network. In other words, instead of looking for the best American Express card, try to find the best overall credit card for your needs.

American Express cards can be used at approximately 8 million merchant locations in the United States as well as at millions of additional locations in more than 160 countries around the world, according to data from Amex and The Nilson Report. You can find places that accept Amex in a given area using the company’s Vicinity tool.

No, American Express is not accepted everywhere. Amex cards can be used at 4.5 million merchants in the U.S. and in 160+ countries abroad. Visa and Mastercard, in contrast, can be used at 8+ million merchants in the U.S. and 200+ countries.

That’s a big reason why American Express ranks 9th out of the 10 largest credit card issuers for international travelers, according to a 2017 WalletHub report.