Is American Express reached the same way as Visa and Mastercard?

Not always. American Express historically works as a three-party network, where it is both issuer and acquirer and holds the cardholder and merchant relationships itself. It also partners with banks and acquirers in many markets. An operator checks, market by market, whether its acquirers support it.

Three-party versus four-party

Visa and Mastercard are four-party networks: banks issue cards and banks acquire merchants, with the network in the middle. American Express historically runs a three-party model, issuing cards and acquiring merchants itself. A merchant signs a contract with American Express, and the acquirer that handles Visa and Mastercard may not be involved.

Where it varies

• In many markets, American Express partners with banks and acquirers that issue or acquire on its behalf, so it can be reached through them.
• In others, the merchant needs a direct agreement, with its own pricing and settlement.
• Some acquirers offer "American Express aggregation" for small merchants, with a single contract and settlement.

For operators

The question is answered market by market: does our acquirer support American Express here, under which model, and what does the merchant need to sign? The platform should present American Express like any other method, activated per merchant, with its settlement reconciled separately where it arrives separately. Merchants that serve business travelers or premium customers ask for it, so knowing the answer in advance saves onboarding time.