Back in 2021, there was an important change in how Bill Pay processes payments made with an American Express credit card. You can now only pay vendors from the American Express list of pre-approved industries:
- Education
- Government
- Utilities
- Membership Club
- Professional Services
- Business Services
- Inventory/ Wholesale
- Construction/ Logistics
How this affects your payments
You’ll be asked to choose your vendor’s industry when you pay with your American Express card. You’ll only need to do this once per vendor and don’t need to select your own industry.
If your vendor's industry is not on the permitted industries list, you won’t be able to complete the payment with American Express. You can choose an alternative payment method - either a non-American Express card or bank transfer (ACH).
Full breakdown of permitted industries:
|
Permitted Industries |
|
|
Education |
Childcare Service Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools Elementary & Secondary Schools Schools & Educational Services Correspondence Schools Dance Hall / Studios / Schools Business & Secretarial Schools Trade & Vocational Schools |
|
Government |
Fine Tax Payment Court Costs Government Service |
|
Utilities |
Utilities |
|
Membership Club |
Membership Club |
|
Professional Services |
Accounting & Auditing Legal Service Secretarial Support Employment Agency Testing Laboratory Credit Reporting Equipment Rental Truck Rental Misc. Repair Shop Video Production Membership Orgs Professional Service |
|
Business Services |
Welding Service Architect & Engineer Information Retrieval Cleaning/Janitorial Exterminate/Disinfect Security Service Copy/Reproduction Computer Programming Office Furniture Commercial Photo/Art Computer Maintenance Photo Finishing |
|
Inventory/Wholesale |
Paints & Varnishes Florists' Supplies Books & Newspapers Petroleum Products Commercial Footwear Commercial Clothing Office Equipment Auto Supplies & Parts Computers & Equipment Durable Goods Office Supplies Misc. Vehicle Dealer |
|
Construction/ Logistics |
General Contractor Carpentry Contractor Roofing & Siding Electrical Contractor Concrete Work Masonry/Tile/Insulate Misc. Contractor Glass/Paint/Wallpaper Hardware Equipment Chemicals Metal Service Center Heating/Plumbing/Ac Lumber/Building Misc. Cleaning Product Freight & Moving Commercial Equipment Plumbing/Heating Industrial Supply |