[Anonymous]

[TheCount]

Can anybody tell me why the American Express UK booking engine won’t let one book to Nairobi, Entebbe or Dar es Salaam? I asked them but they won’t say. If the reasons are high card fraud or concerns about security/terrorism, why would they allow booking to Mombasa, Kenya, whose downtown area/North Coast is on the FCO “Essential Travel Only” list, but not to NBO which is not?

[LuganoPirate]

I can’t answer your question directly The Count, but we had some friends staying with us in S. Africa last week, and his Amex was declined everywhere. He called them and they told him they automatically block cards for use in many African countries due to fraud, but if they know which countries you will be visiting, they will unblock it.

Hope that’s of some help.

[TheCount]

Not sure, LuganoPirate. I hold two Amex cards, one British, one Swiss and they both work fine in ATMs in Kenya. I use them for hotel bills too. I still don’t see why booking a flight to Mombasa is OK but Nairobi is verboten!

[Author]

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