American Express has expanded its global network to over 190 million merchant locations, more than doubling its international acceptance over the last four years.
This aggressive growth directly challenges rivals Visa and Mastercard, narrowing the historic gap in international scale and merchant coverage.
To boost transaction volume and revenue, American Express is strategically expanding merchant acceptance where its card members spend most frequently.
Anna Marrs, AmEx Group President of Global Merchant and Network Services, explained that the company targets major travel destinations like Barcelona, Hong Kong, Paris, and Sicily, as well as high-traffic event hubs like Mexico City and Melbourne.
By additionally focusing on high-spend everyday categories like restaurants, AmEx ensures customers can use their cards more often, which directly drives increased spending and business growth.
Driven by a growing base of younger, internationally minded cardholders, American Express saw its quarterly billed business climb 9% to $455.8 billion, pushing total revenue up 10% to $19.6 billion.
To capture more of this demographic’s global spending, the company is scaling up its network footprint through strategic collaborations with global payment platforms, local acquirers, and licensed partners.
Group President Anna Marrs emphasized that AmEx views global expansion as an ongoing priority, stating that it will continue to aggressively pursue new market opportunities and coverage gains.
