Chile Forum

Is American express widely used in Chile?

I'm not sure if it's widely used but it's definitely widely accepted. I used it for 2 years while I was living there.

not seen it much outside of Santiago. You definitely don't want to get caught with just AE card in some small town. Visa is most common, followed by master card.

We've used American Express mostly without problems for almost 10 years. At first, department stores made you go to a certain checkout and Lider wasn't certain what to do. That's all changed. Their foreign currency exchange rate is fair and I believe they also charge a f/c fee similar to Mastercard or Visa.
When we arrive at SCL and hop into our rental car, our first stop it at the gas station. Within an hour, I will receive a call from AMEX asking if the charge is valid. I assure them it is and tell them how long we will be in Chile (something I should do before we fly) and say goodbye as the call costs about two bucks a minute.
At a few restaurants we have been told by the waiter the card was rejected because we had no credit. Well, we were able to work out everything, including a long talk with the waiter and the owner. I have a funny story about unsophisticated store clerks but that's for another time.
Just remember if they ask "Quotas"? say no. You don't want the bill to appear in parts for the next two years with interest.

Thanks for all of your answers!

Zenth wrote:...
When we arrive at SCL and hop into our rental car, our first stop it at the gas station. Within an hour, I will receive a call from AMEX asking if the charge is valid.

So you don't call AMEX before you leave and tell them where you are going so they don't cut you off at the knees while you are traveling?

Of course the nice folks at Citi Cards/Visa may cut you off anyway even if you have told them repeatedly exactly where and when you will be traveling.