AmEx and Discover are Different
Unlike other major card companies, these two open a line of credit directly with the customer. Visa and MasterCard actually issue their lines of credit through the banks that advertise for them. Discover and American Express used to deposit funds separately from your payment processor’s batches of Visa/MasterCard transactions, but now payment processors can process and fund all 4 major card types. If you accept American Express and Discover, you can avoid unnecessary fees, and gain customer loyalty of two major card brands.
Customer Loyalty
When you walk by a shop that has a rival of your favorite sports team in the window, you’re probably less likely to walk in. This is how it works for your customers when they don’t see that you accept American Express and Discover. If a customer is a loyal Discover or American Express cardmember, and you only have Visa/MasterCard stickers in your store window, they’ve likely lost interest. By not accepting Discover and American Express, you’re losing customers. Consider these facts:
- “33% of Discover primary cardmembers whose card was rejected have a lower opinion of the merchant”
- “51% of Discover primary cardmembers have not returned to a merchant where their card was rejected”
Accepting Discover Makes You Stand Out
Another reason to accept Discover is it will give you a competitive edge. Discover has millions of loyal card members and it allows you to serve more international travelers, including Divers Club International, JCB, UnionPay, BCcard, and DinaCard members. By accepting Discover, you’ll be able to tap into this market of cardholders. 
Accept American Express at the Same Rates
- Myth: Accepting American Express Cards costs more than other card brands.
- Fact: In most cases, accepting American Express cards will cost the merchant the same amount as other Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Rewards cards.
Not accepting American Express is one of the biggest mistakes a merchant can make. American Express cardholders on average spend 2 times as much each month on their cards. Plus, the average purchase size of their cardholders is 20% larger than that of the other card brands. American Express card members frequently spend on travel, tourism, restaurants, retail, and business to business transactions. It’s also the card of choice for most affluent Americans.
Process with PayFrog
If you chose PayFrog for your payment processing, you can accept everything! You won’t have to neglect cardholders because we process all card brands at the same rate. At the same affordable price, you can accept American Express and Discover like one of the big-name companies! Everywhere a customer goes, they want to see their card brand in the window because it gives them a sense of safety and belonging. Check out how affordable it is to accept Discover and American Express!
