Trying to find out if Montenegro widely accepts Amex cards in restaurants and shops and ATMs - any suggestions
Traveling in Montenegro in April and asked locals in Budva about Amex. They said Visa was “always welcome,” Mastercard most of the time, and Amex “if you’re fancy enough.” I used it at a few touristy restaurants around Sveti Stefan and it went through thanks to the sticker on their terminal. Another traveler on a forum echoed that “Amex is accepted in many spots in Athens but when wanting to shop local it’s mostly Visa/Master”. . No luck at ATMs though - didn’t see any Amex-friendly machines yet.
Stayed in a villa and paid the host using Amex via Stripe when booking. In places like Herceg Novi and Bar, larger hotels and official tour operators welcome Amex. However, cafes and buses ask for cash or visa/mastercard. Official tourism guidance even lists Amex as accepted in Montenegro across hotels, bars, gas stations, and grocery stores . My takeaway: use Amex when you see the logo, but carry Visa or Mastercard and euros as backup.
Just back from Podgorica, where I tried paying with Amex at grocery chains like Voli and Idea. Surprisingly it worked at the checkout terminals, but some smaller bakeries and markets turned me away, saying “only Visa or Mastercard.” ATMs? I’ve never seen one dispense cash to Amex-just Visa/Mastercard/Plus. So card payments in shops are hit or miss, cash is still essential.
I spent a month traveling through Budva and Kotor in May and used my Amex Gold at hotels like Hotel Budva and several upscale restaurants. While Visa and Mastercard were definitely more common, I didn’t have any issues in cafes, souvenir shops, or restaurants near the waterfront. Smaller convenience stores usually accepted just Visa and Mastercard though. If you rely only on Amex, keep a backup card handy.