Wondering if ATMs and places like restaurants shops in Costa Rica easily take American Express or its better to get a Visa or Mastercard
I only used my Amex once on the trip and that was at the Marriott in San José. Everywhere else I used my Mastercard with no problem. Restaurants, surf rentals, even gas stations all preferred Visa or Mastercard. One shop even offered a discount if I paid with Visa. My advice is simple - bring your Amex if you like the perks, but do not expect it to be widely accepted outside of tourist hotels and resorts.
During my trip to Costa Rica in May, I tried my Amex at a pharmacy in Heredia and it got declined even though I had credit available. The cashier said their machine didn’t support Amex. I had much better luck using my DBS Visa debit card. I’d say bring Amex if you want to use it for hotel points or travel benefits, but rely on Visa or Mastercard for daily spending.
I used my American Express card successfully at some higher-end hotels and one nice restaurant in Tamarindo, but in general, it was hit or miss. Small cafes, stores, and grocery chains like Mega Super usually didn’t take it. Visa worked almost everywhere and my Revolut Mastercard had no problems at all. If Amex is your only card, I’d bring a backup to avoid awkward moments at checkout.
I took my Amex Gold card to Costa Rica thinking it would be accepted everywhere just like back home. Big mistake. Most restaurants in San José either didn’t accept it or gave me a weird look when I handed it over. Ended up switching to my Chase Visa card and had no issues after that. Definitely recommend using Visa or Mastercard instead. Even large hotels preferred those over Amex.