Credit cards are useful financial tools in today’s day and age. However, with so many banks and brands offering dozens of different cards, it can be confusing to keep track of what is accepted at different stores. American Express, for example, is not universally accepted at all stores despite being a popular credit card.
Trader Joe’s does accept American Express. They also accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards.
Keep reading to find information on which stores accept American Express, as well as details on the ones that don’t.
Do Most Grocery Stores Accept American Express?
Grocery stores are a popular place to use credit cards for payment. Regularly paying off minor expenses is a great way to build credit, and some companies will actually reward card holders with cash back incentives for buying groceries at certain stores. With so many different grocery chains across the US, however, it comes as no surprise that not every card is universally accepted.
Most major grocery stores in the US accept American Express credit cards. However, some smaller and independent grocery stores may not accept American Express.
Examples of grocery chains that accept American Express are:
- ALDI
- Foodtown
- Meijer
- ShopRite
- Trader Joe’s
- Vons
- Whole Foods
- Winn-Dixie
- And more
If you are curious about whether or not a local grocery store accepts American Express, or any other card for that matter, you can always call the store and speak to a staff member. Most employees that answer the phone will know which cards are accepted and which are not.
What Stores Don’t Accept American Express?
Some people who use American Express credit cards may notice that they are accepted at fewer stores compared to Visa or Mastercard. The reason for this is that American Express charges the company higher fees on each transaction compared to Visa or Mastercard. This can make it prohibitively expensive to accept American Express at some stores.
The only major stores that do not accept American Express cards are Loblaw’s Group and Costco Warehouses. Smaller independent grocery stores may also not accept American Express.
Even though Shoppers Drug Mart is part of the Loblaw’s Group, they do still accept American Express cards. All other Loblaw’s brands do not. It is also worth noting that Costco doesn’t accept Visa credit cards, either.
Luckily, most major grocery brands can afford the increased cost, and so American Express is accepted. Stores that do not accept American Express as payment are typically smaller stores that are dealing with narrower margins on their sales co.pared to big name brands.
Does American Express Consider Trader Joe’s a Supermarket?
As mentioned before, some cards offered by American Express and other brands will reward cardholders with cash back incentives when they purchase groceries with their card. This can do a lot to help mitigate food costs, while also building credit by paying off regular minor expenses.
For these incentive programs, the credit card company will typically classify different businesses according to the type of business they have. These classifications determine which stores can be shopped at to gain cash back rewards when using your credit card.
American Express does classify Trader Joe’s as a supermarket. This means that certain cards offered at American Express will earn you cash back when used at Trader Joe’s.
There are a number of cards offered by American Express that can earn cash back at Trader Joe’s, such as the Blue Cash Preferred Card. It is important to read the fine print with any credit card you use, because you could be missing out on cash back or other neat incentives.
Conclusion..
Trader Joe’s is a popular grocery chain that focuses a lot on low prices, high quality, and streamlined customer experience. Accordingly, they accept most major credit cards. There are some cards they do not accept, such as UnionPay, Diner’s Club, or JCB.
If you’re curious about which cards are accepted at your local grocery store, you can always call to ask a staff member which cards are accepted. Most employees will be happy to provide you with info.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask away in the comments section.