Is American Express (Amex) accepted in Saudi Arabia?

I traveled around Jeddah in May and was surprised that many shops still didn’t take Amex. It worked at places like Red Sea Mall and upscale cafes in Al Rawdah but failed at smaller restaurants and grocery stores. My Emirates NBD Amex card was rejected at an ATM attached to an Al Rajhi Bank branch. I had to withdraw cash using my Visa debit card from my bank in the UAE instead. The staff at my hotel even warned me that most local businesses use Mada machines that default to Visa or Mastercard. Amex is okay for luxury purchases and hotels but not reliable for day to day spending.

I flew into Dammam in June and stayed in Khobar for a week. Used my Amex Platinum from Canada with mixed results. Worked at the InterContinental Hotel and at Virgin Megastore without any issues but got declined at a petrol station and at a pharmacy. I later learned from my colleague that many Saudi merchants don’t want to pay the higher Amex processing fees. I ended up using my TD Bank Visa for most purchases. Even when Amex was accepted some terminals were slower to process. Definitely bring a Visa or Mastercard along if you’re traveling in Saudi Arabia especially if you plan to use local businesses or smaller service providers

I was on a religious visit in Madinah and Mecca earlier this year and while my Amex worked at a few large hotels and branded stores like H&M and Panda Hypermarket I had a lot of issues using it in taxis smaller cafes and local markets. I stayed near the Haram in Mecca and tried to use it at a shawarma shop and they told me flat out no Amex. I switched to my Wise Mastercard and it went through everywhere. Also found that most POS machines in Saudi Arabia are optimized for Mada Visa and Mastercard. I recommend bringing a backup that’s not American Express if you want a smooth experience especially outside major cities.

Just got back from a business trip to Riyadh last month and my American Express card worked most of the time but not everywhere. At big international hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott and shopping malls like Al Nakheel Mall it was accepted with no issue. Also worked fine at Starbucks and Carrefour. But when I tried to pay for dinner at a local restaurant in the Diplomatic Quarter they said they only take Mada cards or Visa and Mastercard. Even the self-service kiosks at King Khalid Airport accepted only Visa and Mada. I had to switch to my HSBC Mastercard for most daily expenses. If you’re traveling around Saudi Arabia I’d strongly suggest carrying a backup Visa or Mastercard just in case.