Amex-Amazon combo card flies out of Apple Pay
Since Monday, the "Amazon Business Prime American Express Card" can no longer be used with Apple's payment service. Allegedly because of Apple itself.
Paying with Apple Pay - here via Apple Watch.
(Image: Shutterstock/Jacob Lund)
Apple Pay here, then gone again: Customers of Amazon's business American Express credit card may have been surprised this week that contactless payment via iPhone or Apple Watch (or via Safari browser on the Mac) was deactivated. Although American Express officially announced this by email on July 8, 2024, the email is unlikely to have reached everyone affected. The reasoning is also questionable to say the least.
Private customers never had Apple Pay with Amazon
Amazon has been offering the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card for several years. It is linked to an account with the business Amazon store. The card offers a number of benefits, including an extended payment term. The standard features previously included Apple Pay - a novelty for Amazon Germany, as the e-commerce giant's now discontinued private customer credit card, the Visa card in cooperation with Berlin-based LBB, never received Apple Pay. But now the contactless pleasure is over.
The explanatory email from American Express stated that due to the "Apple Pay guidelines for co-branded credit cards" (sic!), it would no longer be possible to add Apple Pay as a payment method in the future. "This decision was made by Apple", the credit card issuer continued. American Express did not provide any further details on what these guidelines should be, and Apple itself did not comment to iPhone-Ticker.de, which was the first medium to report on the case.
Long-standing partner Amex - co-branding possible elsewhere
American Express is a long-standing partner of Apple's payment service. Amex cards were accepted by Apple Pay in Germany right from the start. The justification that there are problems with the guidelines seems confusing, as co-branded cards have been supported within Apple Pay for years. These include the Lufthansa Miles & More credit card, for example. For business customers, the end of support is very annoying, as this costs convenience in everyday business life. They now have to carry the physical card with them again.
According to Caschy's blog, the Amazon Amex cards in France and Italy are also affected by this process. In addition to the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card, the Amazon Business American Express Card (i.e. without "Prime" in the name) no longer supports Apple Pay in Germany.
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