How to boost your Amex spend by using PayPal for online purchases

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Trying to buy some trainers for my son from the Decathlon website on Friday, I was reminded of an interesting trick which you can use at retailers which do not take American Express.

This assumes that you are keen to push up your Amex spend to hit a bonus or voucher target.

Here is the payment page of the Decathlon website:

How to boost your Amex spend by using PayPal for online purchases

You will see that there is no American Express logo. However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot use an Amex card.

Look elsewhere on the payment page and you will see the the Paypal logo.

PayPal DOES let you use American Express.

This is what comes up – it opens my Paypal account, which has a BA Amex card linked to it, and I can use it:

You do not even need a PayPal account to pay with PayPal. You can click on the ‘Pay with PayPal’ link and enter your card details directly. That said, it makes sense to open an account and link your American Express card as you do not need to remember your card details when paying in the future.

There are no extra fees for using PayPal with retailers.

Note that some retailers manage to block PayPal from showing the American Express option if they do not accept Amex themselves so this is not always a solution. In the majority of cases, as with Decathlon, it will work just fine.

The only thing worth noting is that you lose some of your consumer protection if the retailer goes bust if you pay with PayPal. This is because you do not have a direct contract with the retailer. PayPal does have its own reimbursement scheme called PayPal Buyer Protection which may cover you but it is not legally enshrined.

Next time you pay a retailer who does not accept Amex but does take PayPal, click through to PayPal instead.

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Category

American Express Gold card, American Express Platinum card, British Airways American Express

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

martin says:

4 Apr4 April 03:41

Although I have used this route many times and still do .
It can be a real uphill battle to get your money back if paypal decide to reject your claim based on there own preset terms..
The key one I’ve encountered is that if Hermes throw a parcel over your fence or even leave on your door step..
Then paypal will decide on the sellers favour as the tracking shows as delivered..
The only way you’ll be your money back is to use dirty tactics..
Erico1875 says:

4 Apr4 April 03:49

You can load £1000 on to Monzo (MasterCard) every 180 days using Amex/Paypoint via COOP etc.
This is my preferred method for non Amex retailers
- SammyJ says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 08:56
  
  Does this incur extra fees as a cash advance? Wasn’t aware you could still load cash in to Monzo since it became a bank rather than prepay, I’ll definitely need to look in to this!
  - JPa says:
    
    4 Apr4 April 11:50
    
    £1 each load and max of £300 each load
    - JPa says:
      
      4 Apr4 April 11:51
      
      Just a normal shop spend.
gordon says:

4 Apr4 April 05:19

I mentioned this in the forum a couple of weeks ago when I spoke to my Amex business agent and they suggested this option. But as rob mentioned back then in the forum and in this article the retailer can block an Amex payment through PayPal.
Colin says:

4 Apr4 April 05:33

Tut tut Rob, you missed the opportunity to point out that there is a new Barclaycard which would avoid this problem 🙂
- Ls says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 06:46
  
  Hah!
- Qrfan says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 06:48
  
  Yep and I only had to scroll past 4 dedicated Barclaycard articles to get to this one, so easily missed!
  - Ls says:
    
    4 Apr4 April 06:49
    
    I am so glad I am not the only one feeling a little over-BC’d.
    - Colin says:
      
      4 Apr4 April 06:53
      
      To be fair, it’s a good deal for us and I assume Rob so can’t blame him. was all tongue in cheek
    - Ian M says:
      
      4 Apr4 April 07:30
      
      Headforbarclays
  - Rob says:
    
    4 Apr4 April 08:37
    
    We’re done after today 🙂
    
    We won’t mention it for at least a fortnight, promise!
    - Billy says:
      
      4 Apr4 April 08:57
      
      We still need the article on the MasterCard world elite rewards programme. Very keen to see what that’s about.
      - LS says:
        
        4 Apr4 April 08:58
        
        Agreed! Even if the answer is the Barclaycard offers none of these benefits!
      - Polly says:
        
        4 Apr4 April 09:56
        
        Yes, the biggest one being do they offer lounge entry..that would be an even bigger game changer.. feel that’s the biggest obstacle for us atm, as our WE fee free time may end in July.
        Saw a lady turned away from PRG lounge Wednesday, claiming she had entry on her card. Lounge dragon said, no you don’t. As no logo on it. I guested her in, total stranger… but people had guested me in at Galleries before, so felt for her.
BuildBackBetter says:

4 Apr4 April 06:22

PayPal almost always sides with the retailer.
Simple, they get money from retailers, not a surprise.
- WendyJ says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 07:39
  
  In my experience I have raised disputes on 3 or 4 occasions as a buyer and always been upheld and refunded. I think it’s probably equal. If you talk to sellers they believe PP always finds in favour if the buyer. Buyers believe they predominantly find in favour if the sellers.
  
  At the end of the day only use it for amounts you’re willing to risk.
Ls says:

4 Apr4 April 06:48

I think, especially if you use PayPal without logging in, section 75 still applies. This is because money goes straight to the retailer without any other option of crediting your account, for example. It is akin to clicking on eg Worldpay and using them. The FOS released guidance on this.
- Ls says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 06:51
  
  (Which is why your comment saying log in is poorly placed)
- JDB says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 08:09
  
  The case to which I think you are referring is only when PayPal is acting as the payments processor (when Amex will usually be taken anyway) not when you use PayPal by clicking on/selecting the logo. There is increasing acceptance of Amex from small suppliers as many of the new integrated payments processors charge the same flat fee for all cards, so for the retailer Amex has the same cost as a debit card and no longer requires a separate merchant agreement with Amex.
  - LS says:
    
    4 Apr4 April 08:49
    
    No – this case had the option of paying ‘directly’ by card (which in reality used a third party (not PayPal) for this ‘direct’ patment). Very few merchants will process their credit cards in house. The fact a third party is used (eg worldpay, sage etc), does not break S75 protection
- Alan says:
  
  4 Apr4 April 08:11
  
  That doesn’t sound correct to be – any definitive evidence?
  - LS says:
    
    4 Apr4 April 08:47
    
    There is a distinction between PayPal as an ‘online wallet’ and as an online ‘payment processor’. By logging in, you allow them to claim they are topping up your PayPal account, which is then used to send money to the merchant. By not logging in, paypal are not a ‘wallet’ and merely a ‘payment processor’, which IS covered.
    
    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/01/lloyds-bank-ordered-to-settle-two-year-section-75-claim-involving-paypal/
Maurits Kalff says:

4 Apr4 April 07:15

I have paid for a huge (£19000) medical bill with PayPal, and it worked.
Mikeact says:

4 Apr4 April 07:40

Struggling to see the problem…without actually buying anything…going on their homepage…at the bottom shows PayPal Klarna as well M’card and Visa.