American Express

What an American Express Deposit Is

American Express is both a card network and the issuer of its own cards. Its own pages state that it introduced a charge card in the 1950s, and that it manages relationships with the millions of merchants around the world that accept American Express. In its home market it states that American Express is accepted at 99% of places in the U.S. that accept credit cards, a figure its page attributes to a February 2022 Nilson Report.

Credit Cards, Charge Cards and the Great Britain Ban

American Express issues more than one kind of card, and its own United Kingdom help centre draws the line between them: a Credit Card gives a set credit limit, while a Charge Card balance must be paid in full every month. The distinction matters, because the Gambling Commission's prohibition in Great Britain is written in terms of credit cards. The Commission introduced the ban on 14 April 2020; its guidance for the public states that gambling businesses must not accept credit card payments for gambling; and it states that the ban extends to payments for gambling made by credit card through any money service business, such as an e-wallet. An American Express credit card held in Great Britain sits inside that wording, and routing it through a wallet does not take it outside. A charge card is a different product, and the Commission's wording names credit cards, so nothing is claimed about charge cards here.

Acceptance Is the Casino's Choice

Whether a particular casino offers American Express at its cashier is that casino's own commercial decision rather than a property of the payment method. In Great Britain the prior question is the Commission's, and it is settled: a licensee there cannot accept a credit card for gambling at all.

Fees and Timings

No fee and no timing is stated here. American Express's own consumer-education page states that credit card issuers may treat lottery ticket purchases or gambling transactions as cash advances, which is a statement about issuers in general and not about how American Express treats any particular transaction. A cardholder should read the terms of their own account.