Where Are American Express Cards Accepted in Canada and Quebec?
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Where Are American Express Cards Accepted in Canada and Quebec?
In Canada, two institutions issue American Express credit cards:
American Express cards are consistently rated among the best credit card offers in Canada. However, they have a reputation for not being accepted by many stores.
This may have been true a few years ago, but since then American Express has been progressively catching up with its rivals.
In Canada and Quebec, many businesses accept American Express credit cards, including small merchants thanks to the Shop Small initiative. Since 2023, almost all IGA grocery stores accept American Express!
Grocery Stores That Accept American Express Cards
The main grocery and convenience stores that accept American Express credit cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- IGA
- Voilà by IGA
- Metro and Metro Plus
- Adonis Market
- Super C
- Première Moisson
- Marché Richelieu
- Couche-Tard
- Circle K
- 7-Eleven
- Safeway and Farm Boy
- Sobeys
- Whole Foods Market
- Food Basics
- FreshCo
- Save-On-Foods
- TooGoodToGo, FoodHero, FlashFood
- Walmart
As of 2023, all IGA grocery stores should accept American Express, as Scotiabank has implemented its Scene+ program with its American Express cards. However, some IGA owners are still reluctant.
In the grocery and convenience stores mentioned above, for example, you could use the American Express Cobalt® Card to earn 5 points per dollar.
In our experience, only the Thibeault Family Metro Plus stores in the Laurentians refuse American Express cards (Thibeault Family Metro Plus St-Jérôme, St-Antoine, Blainville and Prévost).
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Drugstores That Accept American Express Cards
The main drugstores accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Jean Coutu
- Uniprix, Uniprix Santé and Uniprix Clinique
- Familiprix
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- London Drugs
- Rexall
At these pharmacies, for example, you could use the American Express® Gold Rewards Card to earn 2 points per dollar.
- Annual fee
- $250
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,020Total$1,020Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,020
- Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months
- Up to 60,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Gas Stations That Accept American Express Cards
The main gas stations accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Petro-Canada
- Shell
- Esso
- Ultramar
- Couche-Tard
- Irving Oil
- Fast Gas Plus
- Bluewave Energy
- 7-Eleven
- A few Petrole Harnois
At these service stations, for example, you could use the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card to earn 3 points per dollar.
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$500Total$500Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $500
- Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months
- Up to 50,000 points
- Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
on Scotiabank's website
Electronic and Office Supply Stores That Accept American Express Cards
The major electronics and office supply stores accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Staples
- Apple
- Dell
- Lenovo
- Computers Canada
- Best Buy
- Indigo Chapters
- Newegg.ca
Hotels That Accept American Express Cards
The main hotels accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
At Marriott hotels, for example, you could use the Marriott Bonvoy American Express®* Card to earn 5 points per dollar.
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600Plus $100 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Other Travel Merchants or Places That Accept American Express
The main travel-related businesses that accept American Express credit cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Via Rail
- Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet, Flair Airlines
- Agoda, Expedia, Hotels.com and Booking.com
Restaurants and Food Delivery Services That Accept Amex
The major restaurants, cafés or food delivery services accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Tim Hortons
- Starbucks, Second Cup and Café Dépôt
- Ben Jerry’s
- McDonald’s, Burger King, Five Guys and AW
- La Voie Maltée, Chez Lionel, Kitchen 73
- La Cage et Barbies Resto Bar Gril
- Les 3 Brasseurs and Restaurant Normandin
- Poulet Rouge, St-Hubert, Swiss Chalet, Rotisserie Fusée and Le Coq Rôti
- Ben Florentine, Cora, Petino’s and Eggspectation
- Yuzu Sushi, Thai Express, Thai Zone
- Mikes, La Belle Province and Pizza Salvatoré
- Chez Ashton, Queues de Castor / Beavertails
- CopperBranch
- Uber Eats
- SkipTheDishes
- Cook It, Hello Fresh and GoodFood
In these restaurants, cafés and home delivery services you could, for example, use the American Express Cobalt® Card to earn 5 points per dollar.
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Major Retailers That Accept American Express Cards
The main retailers accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:
- Ikea
- Canac (since September 2024)
- Lowe’s, Patrick Morin, Home Hardware and Canadian Tire
- Michael’s
- Home Depot, Rona and Réno-Dépôt
- Apple Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+
- Amazon
- Michael Kors
- Dollarama
- Sports aux Puces
- Walmart and Wayfair
- Yellow
- DeSerres
- Marshall’s, Winners and Homesense
- Aldo
- Globo
- Gamestop
- Ardène
- HM
- Sunglass Hut
- SAQ, LCBO and Beer Store
- Uniqlo
- Canadian Tire
- Circuit Électrique (charging station) and Canada Post
- Laboratoire Biron, Imagix, Medvue
- And much more!
At these retailers, for example, you could use the SimplyCash™ Preferred from American Express to earn 2% cash back.
- Annual fee
- $119.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$200Total$200Plus $50 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $200
- Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months
- Up to $250 cash back
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
American Express and Paypal
When you shop online, American Express is rarely not accepted. However, it can happen.
Find out if the business accepts Paypal! If so, you may be able to use your American Express card via Paypal.
American Express and Gift Cards
You can buy gift cards at Rakuten.ca, for stores like Maxi and Provigo that don’t accept American Express.
You can then use your American Express card indirectly in these shops with gift cards. Please note, however, that your purchase on Rakuten.ca will be charged at your card’s base rate (and not at the multiplied rate used for groceries).
This trick comes in handy when you need to unlock a welcome bonus (such as the American Express Cobalt® Card’s welcome bonus: 1,250 points for each month you spend $750, up to 15,000 points in the first year).
Bottom Line
As you can see, American Express credit cards are accepted in more places than you might think!
Certainly there are still retailers who do not yet accept American Express credit cards. It will also depend on your location (in remote regions vs in a large city) and your consumption habits.
However, American Express credit cards offer the most rewards: changing a few habits could save you a lot of money and even bring you closer to your dream trip!
Frequently Asked Questions About American Express Cards in Canada
Which credit card maximizes your everyday savings?
For recurring spending (groceries, online purchases, restaurants), a cash back credit card makes a real difference. Use our credit card comparator to filter through 200+ Canadian offers, or browse the best credit cards in Canada, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team. If you are looking for an American Express card, our top pick remains the American Express Cobalt Card, which earns up to 5x points on dining and groceries.
Which Store Accepts American Express in Canada?
American Express cards are accepted at many retailers in Canada: grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies and restaurants. Find the list above on this page.
Which Grocery Stores Accept American Express Cards in Canada?
American Express cards are accepted at many grocery stores in Canada:
- IGA
- Voilà by IGA
- Subway
- Metro Plus
- Adonis Market
- Super C
- Première Moisson
- Marché Richelieu
- Giant Tiger
- Couche-Tard
- Circle K
- 7-Eleven
- Safeway and Farm Boy
- Sobeys
- Whole Foods Market
- Food Basics
- FreshCo
- Save-On-Foods
- TooGoodToGo, FoodHero, FlashFood
- Walmart
Does IGA accept the Amex Cobalt card?
The vast majority of IGA grocery stores accept Amex cards. Some may not offer it, or may only offer it in the self-serve section. Test it at your favourite IGA.
To find out if your IGA is on the list, check out the map of Amex-accepting stores on the American Express website.
Does Canac accept American Express cards?
Canac now accepts Amex cards. Take a look at the map of businesses that accept Amex in your neighborhood, on the American Express website.
Does Maxi accept American Express cards?
No. Take a look at the map of businesses that accept Amex in your neighborhood, on the American Express website.
Where to use American Express cards in Quebec
In more stores than you might think! Usually, large brand or chain stores accept it. Grocery stores like Super C, Adonis, Metro and IGA accept it, as do gas stations like Shell, Esso, Petro-Canada and Ultramar.
Take a look at the map of businesses that accept Amex in your neighborhood, on the American Express website.