Is American Express Accepted in Hong Kong? Convenience, Tips, & Reality

As someone whose first credit card was an American Express, it has sat comfortably at the forefront of the inside of my wallet ever since. The fact that over 99% of merchants in the United States accept Amex, along with the unparalleled travel perks (and points), stellar customer service, and exclusive access to lounges and other experiences definitely contributed to this as well.

However, after moving back to Hong Kong in 2020, I learned that one of the most recognizable credit card brands in the world actually might need to take a back seat in my wallet due to the lack of acceptance at restaurants, cafes, shops, and other establishments. 

While American Express has enjoyed a presence in Hong Kong for several decades now, even offering dedicated personal, corporate, and branded Amex cards tailored to Hong Kong residents, I estimate that less than 50% of all merchants in Hong Kong accept American Express. 

While most major mid-range and fine-dining restaurants, hotels, department stores, shopping malls, and bars in Hong Kong accept American Express, it still hasn’t achieved credit card ubiquity amongst businesses like Visa and Mastercard.  

Below, I’ll provide a breakdown of the common spots that accept American Express in Hong Kong along with where it definitely is not accepted. 

Acceptance of American Express in Hong Kong

At its core, American Express is not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard in Hong Kong (among other countries) due to higher merchant fees. For example, both Visa and Mastercard charge merchants processing fees ranging from 1.5% to 2.5%, while American Express charges anywhere from 2.5% to 3.5%. 

In Hong Kong’s already faltering food and beverage and consumer landscape, this can make or break a business.

And, with the ubiquitousness of Hong Kong’s reusable, contactless stored value card the ‘Octopus card’, especially for smaller transactions, it just doesn’t make as much sense for smaller, local businesses, restaurants, or other establishments to integrate Amex payments into their point of sale systems.

A general rule of thumb is that any major food, beverage, retail establishment, or business in Hong Kong that caters to an international audience or boasts a global presence will almost certainly accept American Express cards.

Starting Point: While it isn’t the most reliable tool (and seems to severely underestimate the number of establishments that accept Amex), I recommend checking out the American Express Store & Retailer Checker as a starting point.

Restaurants, Cafes, & Bars

All major fast-food restaurants, most mid-range and high-end restaurants, and most bars accept Amex in Hong Kong. However, it is not commonly accepted at mom-and-pop joints, local restaurants like dai pai dongs, cha chaan tengs, and dim sum restaurants – as these are primarily “cash only” establishments.

I estimate roughly 50-60% of all major restaurants, cafes, and bars in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) accept American Express. However, the farther away from Central or Tsim Sha Tsui you go, the less likely it is the business you patronize will accept AE. However, some food and beverage establishments may just catch you off guard in Central and TST by not accepting Amex. 

For example, I am an ardent supporter of the Black Sheep Restaurant Group and find that several of their restaurants don’t actually accept AE. Further, some of my favorite Korean BBQ and pocha spots in the city (ex. Busan Night and Mr. Korea) don’t accept Amex, which means I always make sure I have a Visa credit card with me when slugging soju and makgeolli. 

One thing that I semi-frequently do to determine if a restaurant, bar, or cafe accepts American Express is check their OpenRice or Google My Business profile. OpenRice is Hong Kong’s most popular online dining guide and platform and is by far the most reliable when it comes to listing the credit cards and other forms of payment that dining establishments accept, so this is always my recommended starting point.  

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you want to put your AMEX to the test, make sure to check out my posts breaking down the best burgers in Hong Kong along with my guide to the top pizza restaurants in Hong Kong. 

Supermarkets

All major supermarkets like ParkNShop, Wellcome, Market Place, CitySuper, and Fusion accept American Express in Hong Kong. Not only is American Express accepted at all major supermarkets, but there are often promotions with your AE card to earn double the membership points per HK$1 spent. 

However, smaller and independent Hong Kong supermarkets don’t consistently accept Amex due to the higher processing fees, so I always recommend bringing cash, your Octopus card, or another credit card (Visa or Mastercard) when shopping at one of these establishments.

Convenience Stores

Next to restaurants, convenience stores are undoubtedly the second most popular spot where I use my credit card in Hong Kong. Oftentimes, it’s far easier to use my credit card when there’s a huge line behind me than it is to pull out cash. 

For some reason, American Express is accepted at both Circle K and 7-11. The only note I’d make about using Amex at 7-11 is that I’ve run into issues with the dedicated terminal not working at more than a handful of places – this may be more purely anecdotal than anything.

You’ll find that Amex is also accepted at popular beauty chains and personal care product stores like Mannings and Watsons (I use my Amex to load up on floss and ointment for my big toe when I inevitably stub it on the Castle Steps). 

Food Delivery Apps

This is an important one for me as you can probably guess from my portly frame that I order a fair amount of delivery. Both major delivery apps FoodPanda and Deliveroo accept American Express in Hong Kong. 

As for Keeta, the new Chinese delivery app that has burst onto the food delivery scene, I can’t vouch for this, so please let me know in the comments!

This can be an especially effective way to order from restaurants or cafes that don’t accept American Express at their brick-and-mortar location.  

Major Shopping Malls & Department Stores

Amex is widely accepted at major shopping malls and department stores in Hong Kong, including IFC (Central), Harbour City (Tsim Sha Tsui), Popcorn (Tseung Kwan O), and Times Square (Causeway Bay). 

Popular international brands and chains like Zara, Marks & Spencer, H&M, Decathlon, Polo, and Canada Goose make it convenient for shoppers who want to rack up points with their respective Amex cards. 

Gas Stations

In the U.S., you can find me cruising around in my whip on the reg. This is primarily because I live in the boondocks and it takes, on average, 20-30 minutes to get anywhere (by car). So, a large weekly/monthly expenditure for this Big Body is gas. It’s also one of the best ways to accrue credit card points due to countless credit card providers offering extra points back on petrol. 

My father drives in Hong Kong and let me know that Amex is accepted at all major gas stations, including Caltex, Esso, PetroChina, and Shell. 

Hotels 

During my Hong Kong tenure, I have yet to encounter a hotel in Hong Kong that doesn’t accept American Express – that includes budget, mid-range, and high-end hotels. This is because hotels, of course, typically cater to a foreign audience 

And, if by some chance you do encounter a hotel that doesn’t accept AE, consider booking your stay via Agoda, Klook, Booking.com, or another major online platform – as they all accept American Express.

The only spots where it may be difficult to book accommodation with Amex are at select, smaller hostels and/or budget or boutique hotels with a minimal presence on popular online booking platforms. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re looking for a budget-friendly hotel in the city, make sure to check out my comprehensive post breaking down the best affordable hotels in Hong Kong (all personally tested by me for more than two weeks). 

Airlines & Travel Agencies

All major airlines like Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines, along with travel agencies like Wing On accept American Express. However, many local and smaller Hong Kong travel agencies require a direct bank transfer or only accept Visa or Mastercard. 

Taxis & Ride-Hailing Services

As I mentioned in my post about tipping in Hong Kong, taxis are cash only, so using a credit card isn’t even on the table to begin with.

Uber is an American company so it should be no surprise that they accept American Express. Simply plug in your card details to link it to your account and enjoy earning points on travel as you book rides. 

Local Mom-and-Pop Shops

Simply put, most local mom-and-mom shops and traditional Cantonese restaurants don’t accept Visa credit cards, let alone American Express. These are primarily ‘cash only’ establishments. 

However, the one form of digital payment they may accept is ‘Octopus’, as this ‘add value’ value digital payment card in Hong Kong is ubiquitous, so I definitely recommend always making sure your Octopus card is “topped up” with several hundred HKD (just in case). 

Markets & Street Vendors

This goes somewhat hand-in-hand with the above local mom-and-pop shops but wet markets and other street vendors operate via cold hard cash. You would be hard-pressed to find any street vendor that accepts credit cards let alone one with 2.5% to 3.5% transaction fees. 

As the Wu-Tang Clan says, “Cash rules everything around me,” and this couldn’t be any truer with local markets and street vendors in Hong Kong. 

The Verdict: American Express is Accepted in Hong Kong But Not Ubiquitous

While AMEX is not as widely accepted as both Visa and Mastercard when it comes to credit cards in Hong Kong, it can still be found at a considerable number of businesses in Hong Kong. However, it’s always important to anticipate the worst and always have a (a) Visa or Mastercard, (b) Octopus card, or (c) Hong Kong Dollars as a backup. 

Also, consider installing a popular payment app on your phone like PayMe or linking your American Express credit card to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, or another mobile payment app for greater compatibility with point-of-sale systems (ex. Even if Amex isn’t traditionally accepted there). 

I always make sure to bring multiple credit cards with me wherever I go in Hong Kong, as it isn’t unheard of for one of my cards to run into issues(like the time a Saudi Arabian man was charging random mobile data packages for USD 3 every couple minutes). 

Another life-saver recommendation that has served me well in my travels (if you’re American) is to open a Charles Schwab checking account. This allows you to withdraw HKD from your account and avoid ALL fees – you’re reimbursed for all ATM and transaction fees.

I personally use an American Express Gold Card as I’m a hungry hungry hippo and it gives me back 4x points on restaurants worldwide. It was also a much better card when I was home in the U.S. as the 4x points also extended to American supermarkets. 

If you have any questions about traveling to Hong Kong or using your credit card, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me in the comments or via email (info@palealetravel.com). 

Swipe well everyone,

Big Body