The acceptance rate of American Express (Amex) cards in Thailand is generally low compared to Visa and Mastercard. While some supermarkets and expat-pubs accept Amex, many places do not, leading to frequent rejections for everyday transactions. Users recommend linking Amex to apps like GRAB for broader usability. Overall, it may be more practical to rely on cash or other payment methods, particularly for smaller purchases.
Despite what people say, there is one payment method almost equally accepted in Thailand: QR Code / PromotPay payment (as it is required by law to offer) and every Thai has it / almost everybody uses it. Formerly, this was only available to those who opened a Thai bank account. It is however now also available via the TrueMoney wallet - which is more easy to setup for foreigners as well. And TrueMoney can then be linked with credit cards to top it up. Thus in theory everybody could now pay for almost everything with QR. I am just not sure AMEX (or foreign issued credit cards) are linkable there. Maybe someone could pitch in.
I dont used cars too much, especially out on the street. There is often a service charge and it seems my cards are often use fraudulently. It seems I have to replace them once a year.
If you have the cash - I would recommend using it.
I already got 2 cards blocked after fraud attempts in Thailand. This never happened anywhere before in my life. It helped to put a small sticker on the 3 numbers of the CVV code.
Supermarkets, such as Tops, Big C, Lotus, Villa Market all accept AMEX, and most expat pubs will take it. I haven't found much else. I carry mine as I get extra points for using on airlines, so all my international and domestic flights (Thai Airways accept it) go onto it.
When I arrive in Thailand I put my Amex in my suitcase and leave it until I return home. So few places accept it, it's not worth the space in my wallet.
The ask:thailand community, consisting of multiple Q/A groups with over 100,000 members, powers this platform. It is not an official government resource. Our members actively contribute to this resource, and while we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its complete reliability. Assistance to travelers is provided as a community service.