American Express has embarked on a bold new strategy which will see acceptance of American Express skyrocket across Australia. Called OptBlue, the new merchant acquiring program will see thousands of small merchants onboarded to the American Express Network through two of Australia’s leading merchant acquirers, Fiserv and Tyro Payments, who are first-to-market with the new program.
With OptBlue, small businesses will be able to process American Express transactions at a competitive rate to the other card schemes, with both acquirers providing a one-stop-shop servicing solution for all card types including a single statement and settlement process, plus a single onboarding journey and servicing contact.
Stacey Rylands, Vice President of Merchant Acquisition for American Express Australia and New Zealand, says: “Enabling American Express Card Members to use their Cards in more places has been a top priority for some time and we have made incredible gains across industries and key locations. The launch of OptBlue in Australia is set to supercharge the scale of our merchant Network and once and for all help put an end to the question: ‘do you accept Amex?’ at the checkout.”
“Not only is it a win for American Express Card Members, but for thousands of additional small businesses across the country set to benefit from Amex Card Members who on average, spend 3.4 times more annually than non-Card Members and 2.4 times more per purchase. At a time when small businesses are facing significant economic pressure, every high spending customer through their doors is a huge win.”
Other key facts about American Express acceptance in Australia
- 2 in 3 Amex Card Members say that it is important that businesses accept American Express.
- Over 1 in 3 Amex Card Members say that credit card acceptance is one of the top 3 reasons for choosing to shop at a new business.
- 65% of Amex Card Members say they typically look on the checkout page to see whether American Express is accepted.
- 48% of Amex Card Members say they tend to abandon in-store purchases if they can’t see that American Express is accepted. 46% for online purchases.
- 71% of Amex Card Members say they are more likely to return a business that accepts American Express.
