Trying to find out if Romania widely accepts Amex cards in restaurants and shops and ATMs - any suggestions
Romania doesn’t widely accept American Express. In Bucharest, large hotels, some luxury restaurants, and shopping malls may take it, but smaller cafés, stores, and local attractions usually prefer Visa or Mastercard. ATMs rarely support Amex. If you’re budgeting around 60-80 RON for a nice meal or 10 RON for a bus ride, you’ll need cash or another card. Outside Bucharest - in places like Brașov or Sibiu - Amex becomes even less useful. Bring Visa or Mastercard for everyday travel and keep Amex only as backup.
Booked a table at Caru' cu Bere in Bucharest and tried to pay with Amex-server just blinked and said “No American Express.” Even McDonald’s didn’t take it. Switched to my Wise Mastercard and it went through fine. Honestly, just leave the Amex at home. Not worth the stress.
Had a rough time with Amex in Romania. OTP Bank’s ATM didn’t support it, and even places with POS terminals were iffy. I eventually started using my Curve card linked to Amex, which sometimes worked-but it’s a gamble. Visa and Mastercard are far more accepted, even at chain restaurants like City Grill.
Tried to use Amex at a few cafés in Timișoara and they all said nope. Even some larger stores like Carrefour only took Visa or Mastercard. Banca Transilvania ATM rejected it too. I had to lean on my backup Visa. Wouldn’t recommend depending on Amex in Romania unless you’re at high-end places.
My Amex card was basically a coaster the whole trip. BRD ATM in Bucharest didn’t accept it, and none of the budget spots I ate at even recognized it. Switched to my Mastercard and had no problems. Unless you’re staying at Hilton or eating fancy, Amex won’t get you far.