AmEx Surpasses 190M Global Merchant Locations

AmEx has made significant strides in expanding its global reach by increasing credit card acceptance to over 190 million merchant locations worldwide, according to a recent announcement. This represents more than double the number of accepted locations outside the US compared to four years ago.

The expansion aims to bridge a long-standing gap between AmEx and rival card networks Visa and Mastercard, which have historically had broader international acceptance and greater scale in key markets.

Anna Marrs, group president, global merchant and network services at AmEx, stated that the company focused on strengthening acceptance in popular travel destinations such as Barcelona, Hong Kong, Paris, and Sicily. They also targeted other categories like restaurants that drive card-member spending.

The push comes as AmEx seeks to capture a greater share of international spending from younger customers, who have become an increasingly important part of its user base.