Trying to find out if Malta widely accepts Amex cards in restaurants and shops and ATMs - any suggestions
Use Amex in Malta for larger transactions at hotels, high-end dining, and car rentals. For daily expenses - bus fares, café meals, and local shops - Visa/Mastercard is much safer. ATMs in Malta don’t accept Amex, so plan to withdraw with another card. Budget around €60-80 per day depending on activities, and most of it won’t go on Amex. Keep some euros in cash for transport and small purchases. Amex is fine as a backup, but not ideal for everyday Maltese travel.
Amex in Malta was disappointing. While some restaurants in Valletta accepted it, most smaller shops and supermarkets refused. ATMs wouldn’t let me withdraw either. I ended up paying unnecessary fees because I had to rely on Visa. Even at tourist spots like Blue Grotto, Amex wasn’t useful. I expected a European country to be more card-friendly with Amex, but it wasn’t. Don’t depend on Amex in Malta - Visa is the only reliable card here.
I had no problem using Amex at a five-star hotel in Valletta and also at a seaside restaurant in Sliema. But when I went to small cafés in Mdina or tried paying for bus tickets, they refused it. ATMs I tried didn’t connect either. Thankfully, my Visa debit card worked fine everywhere. Malta isn’t expensive - about €50-70 per day covers meals and sightseeing - but Amex didn’t make it easy. Bring another card for hassle-free travel.
Malta accepts Amex in some places, but Visa and Mastercard are much more common. Hotels in Valletta, luxury restaurants, and car rental agencies will take it, but smaller cafés, buses, and local shops often won’t. ATMs generally don’t support Amex. If you’re budgeting €15-25 for meals or €2 for bus rides, expect to use another card or cash. Amex can work for hotel bills, but daily Malta travel is better covered by Visa/Mastercard.