Sportsbooks That Take American Express

American Express is the first choice of millions of people in the USA any time they want to pay for something, and it’s a great way to top up your favorite sportsbook account.

Sportsbooks these days accept all kinds of novel payment methods including e-wallets, prepaid cards, Bitcoin, gift cards, and more – but sometimes the most familiar options are the best. Depositing via American Express at your sportsbook works in exactly the same way as any other online payment.

On this page, we’ve got everything you need to know about how to use your AMEX credit or debit card at online sportsbooks. We cover:

• Which Sportsbooks Accept American Express
• American Express Processing Fees
• Depositing and Withdrawing
• Bonuses with American Express
• Advantages and Disadvantages, and More

American Express helps to make placing bets online simple, fast and easy. If you decide it’s the deposit method for you, we can even help you find the perfect sportsbook.

If you want to hook up a different payment method to your sportsbook of choice or find out which ones take the payment method you prefer, then check out our other payment-specific guides!

• Sportsbooks that take Google Pay
• Sportsbooks that take Mastercard
• Sportsbooks that take Neteller
• PayPal Sports Betting Sites
• Sportsbooks that take Netspend
• Sportsbooks that take Prepaid Gift Cards
• Sportsbooks that take Venmo
• Sportsbooks that take Skrill
• Sportsbooks that take Visa
• Sportsbooks that take Visa Prepaid Cards
• Even more information on sportsbook payment methods

Which Sportsbooks Accept American Express?

The acceptance rate of American Express is not quite as high as other major credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. This is largely due to the higher merchant fees charged by AMEX, which makes betting companies more reluctant to accept payments. It’s also worth noting that some sports betting sites accept standard deposits but not from certain types of cards – like AMEX Corporate Travel Cards.

Nevertheless, there are still a healthy number of sites out there that will allow you to deposit using American Express, and for those that do the process is very easy.

The peace of mind that comes from knowing you can log into your betting account and deposit using your credit card in just a few seconds makes online betting with American Express very convenient.

Choosing which AMEX site to go for is a tricky choice. Fortunately, we can help with that. Below you can find a list of excellent online sportsbooks that accept American Express. Check out our reviews and find the perfect bookmaker for you.

Best Sportsbooks that Take American Express

American Express is one of the largest credit card companies in the world, and as such, most sportsbooks will accept payments from them. With that in mind check out this table of the best sportsbooks that take American Express.

Does DraftKings Accept American Express?

Yes. DraftKings accepts American Express as a deposit method, however, only for deposits to DraftKings Fantasy. 

Does FanDuel Accept American Express?

No. Unfortunately FanDuel does not accept American Express payments. However, you can still use American Express through PayPal on FanDuel. For more details regarding FanDuel have a look at our complete FanDuel review. 

American Express Processing Fees

Credit cards like American Express are consistently among the cheapest ways to deposit funds in your sportsbook. In fact, the vast majority of betting companies don’t charge users a thing for depositing with American Express.

We can’t guarantee that’s the case for 100% of books out there, but it’s certainly true for most of them. Free deposits mean the only fees you need to be aware of are whatever standard fees your bank charges for having the card – something which isn’t even affected by your sportsbook.

Unfortunately, the policy of offering free deposits is often the very thing that discourages companies from allowing AMEX deposits – since it means they need to cover the fees. As we’ll come on to, withdrawals via American Express are much less widely available, and more likely to come with a small withdrawal fee.

Every sportsbook processes withdrawals differently, and many of them impose a small cashout fee regardless of what method you choose. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s something to be aware of.

Depositing with American Express

Sports bettors love to use American Express to deposit because it’s a process they’ve probably done a hundred times before. The steps you’ll take to get money into your sports betting account are just the same as when you buy any kind of product or service online.

From the cashier section of your sportsbook, choose the deposit option and then look for American Express. You’ll need to type in your card details, including your CVV code and expiry date. Then, just type in how much you want to deposit and click confirm.

The sportsbook processes the transaction instantly, and you can start betting with your money right away. All in all, when you take into account the frequency with which we use our bank cards every day, American Express is just about the easiest way to deposit.

Withdrawing with American Express

It’s rare to be able to withdraw from your sportsbook directly to your American Express card. In practical terms, this means you usually need to source an alternative payout method – whether it’s via e-wallet, bank transfer, paper check, or another service.

Furthermore, this is something we strongly recommend you think about BEFORE you deposit. There’s nothing more frustrating than winning a big bet and then running into unexpected issues with cashouts. If withdrawals to AMEX are available, the process will be very simple and similar to how you deposit.

What if American Express is not Supported?

If you run into a sportsbook you love but doesn’t accept American Express, either for deposits or withdrawals, don’t worry. You have other options, which still let you deposit using your AMEX card- in a roundabout way.

E-wallets like Neteller and Skrill act as an intermediary service between your card and your bank that can come in handy when making your first deposit for online sports betting. All you need to do is create an account with one of these companies, deposit some money into your e-wallet using your American Express card, and then transfer the money from your e-wallet to your sportsbook account.

It might sound rather convoluted but the truth is the whole process is very straightforward – even if it does take a little more effort than a direct credit card deposit. If you need to use American Express to place a bet and your sportsbook doesn’t accept it as a payment option, this is your best bet.

American Express Processing Times

Deposits with American Express are very fast. That goes for deposits directly into your sportsbook, and deposits into an e-wallet. So even if you are using an intermediary service, you should be able to get money from your American Express card and into your sportsbook in a matter of minutes. If you’re looking for a deposit method that lets you start betting as soon as possible, AMEX is a good option when making your first deposit to U.S. Sportsbooks.

Withdrawal times vary, depending on the sportsbook and on the payment method. To withdraw using American Express – especially if you’re doing so via an intermediary – you can realistically expect a delay for a couple of business days.

For deposits, AMEX is typically one of the fastest. For withdrawals, it’s certainly not the slowest option even if you might find slightly quicker alternatives.

American Express Sign Up Bonuses

Once you’ve decided on an American Express sportsbook, it’s time to turn your attention to your welcome bonus. Every sportsbook will have some kind of bonus or promo for new members, it’s a big consideration before you take the plunge and create an account. We also have guides for state-specific bonuses such as the best sportsbook bonuses in NJ, as well as the best NFL bonuses, and the best NBA bonuses! No matter what your need is we have you covered!

Normally, you can expect to receive some bonus cash once you’ve made your AMEX deposit – often a 100% boost on however much you spend! You can use the bonus cash to bet however you want, just like regular money. However, you will need to complete certain wagering requirements before you can withdraw it.

We strongly recommend taking the time to research deposit bonuses before deciding on a sportsbook.

Advantages of American Express

American Express ticks a lot of boxes for the best sportsbooks online. Here are our biggest advantages:

• If the option is available, AMEX is a great option for its convenience and familiarity of use. The company handles almost a quarter of the national credit card transactions in the United States on an average year. That’s a lot of payments, online and offline, and millions of people feel comfortable making fast and easy cash transfers with American Express.
• As well as being familiar and easy to use, American Express is very fast. Your payments are processed pretty much instantly, which means that you never need to hang around once you decide to place a bet – you can sign in, make a deposit and get your bet placed all in a couple of minutes.
• Re-loads are very easy. Once you’ve deposited once with AMEX, your sportsbook saves your details so you can make follow up deposits even more quickly. Deposit limits with American Express tend to be quite relaxed too.
• Accepting American Express payments is a sign of a safe and high-quality sportsbook. AMEX pays attention to how users spend their money, and blocks online payments to companies it suspects might not be safe or legal. If American Express is happy to process your payment, it means it trusts your sportsbook – and so can you.

Disadvantages of American Express

No payment method is perfect. Here are a couple of ways we think American Express doesn’t quite match up to other options.

• Compared with other credit and debit cards – like Visa and Mastercard – American Express is not quite as widely accepted. Intermediary e-wallet services are a way around this, and although they are easy to use it does mean a couple of extra steps.
• You’ll probably need to find an alternative method to withdraw your winnings.
• Even though American Express only lets its users make payments to trusted merchants, some bettors still prefer not to have a transaction with a sportsbook appear on their bank statements. Again, e-wallets are a good solution in this case.

Safe and Secure Payments With American Express

Using American Express to fund your betting account is fast and simple. Millions of sports bettors in the USA and around the world make AMEX payments every day, and there aren’t many more efficient ways of getting money into your betting site.

It’s true that the acceptance rate is slightly lower than Visa or Mastercard.

However, American Express’ attention to its user’s safety and security is arguably even higher than those other credit card companies – in fact, if your payment is processed it’s a sign your sportsbook is a secure and legitimate site.

Check out our list of AMEX sportsbooks above to find some of the best places to play, and don’t forget to sign up with our links to get your bonus.