AMEX OptBlue
The smarter, simpler way to accept American Express.
AMEX Direct
When a business maintains a direct relationship with American Express, all aspects of the program are administered directly by AMEX, including pricing, fees, funding timelines, underwriting, chargeback management, customer service, and account support. In this structure, the American Express relationship operates independently from the business’s primary payment processor, meaning the processor does not control or manage the AMEX account terms or servicing. American Express requires merchants processing more than three million dollars annually (updated from one million dollars on April 17, 2026) in American Express volume to maintain a direct relationship, where American Express manages all acceptance and settlement services for their card brand.
AMEX OptBlue
Under the AMEX OptBlue program, the American Express relationship is managed directly through Velocity and our processing platform, creating a more streamlined and efficient experience for your business. Velocity administers the pricing, support, funding, chargeback management, and day-to-day servicing for American Express transactions alongside Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. This structure provides consolidated reporting, simplified reconciliation, unified deposits, and a single point of contact for support and issue resolution, eliminating the need for a separate relationship with American Express. OptBlue is available to businesses processing less than three million dollars annually (updated from one million dollars on April 17, 2026) in American Express volume, after which American Express requires the merchant to transition to a direct AMEX relationship. The annual processing threshold applies at the EIN level, not solely at the individual Merchant ID level.
Rules & Requirements
Participation in the AMEX OptBlue program is subject to American Express rules, card brand regulations, underwriting requirements, and annual processing volume thresholds. Businesses exceeding the applicable annual AMEX volume threshold of three million dollars at the EIN level will be required by American Express to transition from OptBlue into a direct AMEX relationship. Additionally, merchants maintaining a direct relationship with American Express are not eligible for the surcharge program, as American Express does not currently support surcharging within its direct merchant program. Card brand regulations also prohibit merchants from selectively applying surcharges to certain card brands while excluding others, making OptBlue enrollment a requirement for merchants seeking to maintain a compliant surcharge program across supported credit card brands. Pricing is based on the business’s industry category, payment acceptance method, and the amount of each transaction. Unlike Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, American Express transactions are billed using three separate pricing tiers, each with defined lower and upper transaction boundaries, causing every American Express transaction processed to qualify within one of the three applicable tiers.