Your American Express transactions occur in one of three ways:

1. Card transaction, with the Cardmember present.
2. Card transaction, with the Cardmember not present (such as via mail, telephone, or the Internet).
3. Our Travellers Cheques.

The quickest way to accept our Cards is electronically. Our electronic authorisation and submission helps to speed up our payments to you. Contact your service provider or bank to request ‘American Express enablement’ on your EFTPOS terminal or acceptance product.

Now you’re set up, let’s look at the different kinds of transactions you will encounter.

Traditional magnetic strip and Chip cards (either PIN or Signature) are in circulation for both American Express and other card issuers around the world. So you’re likely to see a mix of different card types and should welcome all of them equally.

It’s important that you check the validity of the Card during a transaction and make sure it hasn’t been visually altered or tampered with. Then follow these simple steps:

Magnetic Strip Cards – without a Chip

• Swipe the Card.
• If the magnetic strip is unreadable, you can key in the transaction manually and take an imprint of the Card to validate its presence.
• Your EFTPOS terminal will automatically call American Express and respond with an Authorisation Code, an ‘Approve’, a ‘Decline’ or a ‘Call Issuer’ message.
• If you receive a ‘Call Issuer’ message, please call our Customer Care Professionals on 0800 800 855 – option 1 (24 hours, daily).
• Always ensure you compare the signature on the receipt to the one on the back of the Card. If they do not match, refuse the transaction.

Cards with a Chip

• Place the Card in the ‘Chip’ reader of your EFTPOS terminal.
• Follow the prompts on the terminal display to process the transaction.
• If the transaction is approved, return the Card and provide the Cardmember with a copy of their transaction receipt.
• If the Chip transaction fails, follow the Swipe Card Procedure detailed above.
• If the Chip transaction is declined, you should refuse the transaction.
• If you receive a ‘Call Issuer’ message please call our Customer Care Professionals on 0800 800 855 – option 1 (24 hours, daily).