Where Is American Express Accepted in Canada and Quebec?

Q: Where to use American Express cards in Quebec?

In many more stores than you think! Usually, the big brands or chains 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 Amex-accepting stores in your neighbourhood, on the American Express website.

To the point Want to know where American Express credit cards are accepted in Canada and Quebec? Here's our answer!

Where Are American Express Cards Accepted in Canada and Quebec? American Express and Paypal American Express and Gift Cards

Bottom Line Frequently Asked Questions About American Express Cards in Canada

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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).

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.

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.

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
The Source
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.

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, Sunwing
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.

Some people have reported that St-Hubert deliveries and take-out orders don’t earn 5X points, and the same is true of McDonald’s mobile orders. To get around this problem, you can buy gift cards from these restaurants in grocery stores (see below).

Major Retailers That Accept American Express Cards

The main retailers accepting American Express Cards in Canada and/or Quebec are:

Hudson’s Bay
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.

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 2,500-point monthly welcome bonus after $500 in purchases).

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 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.