Like many payment providers in Canada, GuestyPay does not support American Express (Amex) cards by default. This means that without an extra step, your guests won't be able to pay using Amex.
You can accept Amex through GuestyPay by obtaining a direct merchant account with American Express. Once you have your Amex Merchant ID (MID), we'll connect it to your GuestyPay account.
If you do not have a direct Amex MID, Amex payments cannot be processed through GuestyPay. Guests can still pay with Visa, Mastercard, and other supported cards.
Enable Amex With a Direct MID in GuestyPay
Follow the steps below to start accepting Amex payments.
Step 1: Apply for a Direct Amex MID
Apply for an Amex merchant account directly with American Express. Guesty cannot apply on your behalf.
Start your application here: Apply to Accept American Express Directly.
During the application process, Amex typically requests the following information:
- Legal/Corporate business name
- DBA (Doing Business As) name
- Business address
- Federal tax ID
- Bank routing and account number
- Significant owner’s details (address, date of birth, or SSN)
- Signed DocuSign package sent by Amex
Step 2: Complete the Amex review
Amex may ask for supplemental documents, depending on your setup and volume. Once your application is approved, Amex will issue your Amex MID.
Step 3: Send us your Amex MID
Once you receive your Amex MID, send it to the GuestyPay Payments Team. We will connect it to your GuestyPay account so you can start accepting Amex immediately.
What to expect after your MID is connected
Once your direct Amex MID is active, here is what happens:
Amex transactions will be routed to your Amex MID. GuestyPay will pass the transaction to Amex for processing.
Guesty does not charge processing fees on Amex. Amex will charge its own processing fees. Guesty only applies a small Transaction Fee (known in your pricing plan as the Amex direct account gateway fee: $0.30 CAD) per Amex payment to enable and route the transaction.
Amex transactions will appear in your GuestyPay reports. You'll also receive monthly Amex statements directly from Amex.
Amex deposits funds directly to your bank account. These payments are not included in your GuestyPay payout batches because Amex settles funds straight to you. To account for this, GuestyPay applies an Amex Direct Settlement Deduction Fee, which offsets the Amex transaction amount in your settlements.
Chargebacks for Amex will not appear in Guesty or GuestyPay. Amex manages chargebacks directly: You receive dispute notifications from Amex and handle chargebacks directly with them.
We recommend recording chargebacks manually inside the Guesty reservation for accurate financial tracking.