American Express, Access Bank plan to broaden card usage in Nigeria

Access Bank Plc has joined forces with American Express to broaden the acceptance and usage of American Express cards in Nigeria. Mr. Robert Giles, Senior Banking Advisor Retail Banking, Access Bank said this in a statement in Lagos. Giles said the partnership would enable American Express Cardholders to use their cards at a wider range of merchant locations in Nigeria for tourism, business, or private visit. He said international American Express cardholders would also be able to withdraw cash from Access Bank ATMs.

“This announcement places Access Bank as the first full-service bank to acquire merchants who will accept American Express Card payments in the country. Local merchants will now have the option to accept American Express through Access Bank, thereby not only encouraging increased merchant business activity but also offering traveling American Express Cardholders the opportunity to transact using their preferred method of payment. This new partnership will broaden the acceptance of American Express payments via Access Bank as well as Access Bank ATMs and eCommerce websites nationwide,” Giles said.

He added that Access Bank merchants who embraced American Express cards would benefit from an additional high-spending customer base. “We are proud to be partnering with American Express to bring some of the best payment solutions in the world to Nigeria. This is great news for Nigerian businesses and will help bring foreign exchange inflows into the country. We value the confidence that American Express has placed in us to significantly enhance the payment experience in our market,” he said. Vivi Galani, Vice President EMEA Network Partnerships for American Express, said the company was pleased with the partnership to expand its presence in Nigeria.

“We are pleased to be partnering Access Bank to continue to expand the presence of American Express in Nigeria, which is an important location for our traveling cardholders and a fast-growing market for commerce. This agreement will give international card members even more locations to use their cards in Nigeria, whether they are traveling for business or leisure, and this will be particularly important as international travel resumes. For local merchants, it provides the opportunity to capture more business from global cardholders visiting the country,” Galani said.