B&Q will now accept American Express cards

Just in time for a Bank Holiday weekend full of DIY, American Express has announced that B&Q will now accept its cards.

A reader tipped us off about this last week after seeing a sign in his local store, but forgot to take a photograph. Rhys and I both headed down to our respective local B&Q stores looking for evidence but couldn’t find any. The rumours were true, however.

For years, B&Q was the company we always mentioned as the exception when discussing ‘who accepts American Express?’. If you were ultra-dedicated, you would go to Tesco or another retailer to buy B&Q gift cards with your American Express card, but this wasn’t exactly ideal or practical for most people.

I’m not sure who the biggest hold-out is now. Aldi and Lidl both take American Express. Costa Coffee seems to have pulled back from its decision to stop taking American Express this month, as the ‘no more Amex’ signs quietly disappeared.

For clarity, I am not sure of the exact day that this kicks in. It will definitely be in place before the Bank Holiday weekend but it might not be working today.

Based on what we’ve seen when Amex has brought other major partners on board, we may see a cashback offer popping up to encourage cardholders to visit and to show B&Q it is getting a return on its investment.

If you will now spend more time in B&Q, remember to join B&Q Club. You receive reward vouchers based on your spending and all new members receive a £5 discount voucher, valid on a £30 purchase.

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