> On the consumer side, I tend to see Amex as not widely accepted. Especially drops when traveling.

I’ve found the main difference being cash only venues versus card+cash accepted.

I just got back from Japan and traveled to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kawaguchiko, Miyajima, and it was somewhat rare to find a business that accepted cards but didn’t accept Amex, much to my surprise!