American Express Payment Gateway review
A focused gateway for merchants accepting Amex, with checkout, routing and recurring payments.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
American Express Payment Gateway handles e-commerce and virtual-terminal payments for merchants that accept American Express cards. It is aimed at small and midsize businesses that want hosted checkout or an online API, plus a way to take orders by phone, email or chat. The gateway also supports Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, PayPal and Maestro, and recurring merchant-authorized payments through agreements. Its scope is payment acceptance and related tools rather than a broad commerce platform.
The U.S. monthly plans pair transaction allowances with per-transaction overage charges. The 100 monthly transactions plan costs $20 per month, charges $0.12 for each additional transaction and has a $99 one-time setup fee. The 350 monthly transactions plan costs $25 per month, with $0.11 per additional transaction and a $175 setup fee. The 1000 monthly transactions plan costs $55 per month, with $0.08 per additional transaction and a $250 setup fee. All three include Hosted Checkout, a virtual terminal, Online API and Accertify Fraud Protection Essential. Merchants should compare expected volume with both the allowance and setup cost.
Its practical appeal is the combination of hosted checkout, virtual-terminal sales, reporting, tokenization and fraud management, alongside routing through more than 50 acquiring banks or processors. PCI DSS compliance and phone and email support are listed. The gateway supports recurring payments and 120 currencies. This is a fit for merchants already able to accept American Express who need these payment channels and features. Businesses that cannot accept Amex should look elsewhere, as should buyers seeking a broader offering than the payment functions described here.
American Express Payment Gateway pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Hosted checkout and a virtual terminal cover online and remote orders.
- Routes payments through more than 50 acquiring banks or processors.
- Supports tokenization, recurring payments and Accertify fraud protection.
- Where it doesn't
- Purchase is limited to merchants that accept American Express cards.
- Monthly plans have transaction allowances and per-transaction overage fees.
- Each listed plan also has a one-time setup fee.
American Express Payment Gateway fact sheet, pricing and score →
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