Complain about a product or service

American Express

Corporate Card

Randy of Dayton, OH September 12, 2009

This is the e-mail I sent to American Express, it explains everything: My wife was just told that American Express refuses to accept her payment prior to her due date. Yes, you read that correctly. The result is that AE will then be able to raise her interest rate. I think a few lawyers would absolutely love to get ahold of this information for a very LARGE class action lawsuit. A credit card company that blatantly refuses a payment so they can raise a customers interest rate. Sounds like a great story for NBC's Dateline, and a monster image damaging statement for American Express.

A "policy" that American Express has states that if you make an online payment, you can not under any circumstance make another payment for 24 hours. My wife accidentily typed in "20.00" rather than "200.00". As soon as she got the confirmation for the incorrect amount, she attempted to make a second payment for the additional 180.00. That was refused. So she called into customer service which again REFUSED to take a payment.

Now remember, this is still all before the stated due date. Had anyone cared in one small amount, she would have been able to make her payment, been on time, and not been THREATENED to have her interest rate increased. She was told that a "note" would be placed in her account, but that would not guarantee that she would be able to keep her interest rate.

The bottom line here is that American Express specificially refused to accept a payment on time so that a customer's interest rate would be raised. Two things of note here. 1. It seems illegal to refuse a payment in order increase a person's interest rate. 2. If her interest rate does get raised, you can guarantee that I will be making it very public that American Express refused to accept a payment in order to raise a person't interest rate. My wife's interest rate may be raised because they refused to accept her payment.

Mary of Silver Spring, MD September 8, 2009

I had a gold card from American Express. I always paid my payments on time and used alot of money on the card. I earned over 30,000 air miles. American Express closed my account and first of all never let me know that they did until I tried to use my card and it was rejected. I call american express and ask what happened. They told me that american Express had closed my account that management decided on that and that there was no way to reinstate it.

After years of paying my bill within a 30 day period they decided To close. I asked for my air miles and they did not give them back to me. Now I received the calls at my work from a collection agency and ask for payment of 379.00 of which I owe them. I asked for my air miles and they still do not want to give them to me. I can receive my air miles, or receive a gift card in a certain amount. My understanding is that I could turn my miles into gift cards.

I cannot do anything because they will not give the miles that I earned by using the American express Card.(REWARDS)This was an issue since they first closed my account. They never intended to give me the miles, which I believe belongs to me. They did not inform me of closing the account. so prior to this I had no opportunity to collect them.

They do not respond to calls asking that reinstate the miles. They sent my account to a collection agency - which continues to call me at work. I asked the collection agency to call my home because I am not allowed to have personal calls at work. They have not stopped calling my work and they never call me at home.

Theresa of Aliso Viejo, CA August 15, 2009

I just received a notice from American Express increasing my interest rate from 5.2% to over 15% (prime + 11.99%). I have been a card holder for 20+ years and have always paid bills/balances ontime. I called to ask them the reasons behind the increase and was told that all cardmembers rates were increased to prime + 11.99%.

The customer service agent told me there was nothing she could do about the increase. I was also informed that even if I close the account the increase would still affect my account. This card is used for business accounts and I usually carry around 30k on this card. The interest I pay is going from 150/mo to close to 500/mo. I have no idea what my minimum payment will be, since I currently pay around 600-700 a month minimum.

There is no way I can pay this off in less than 1 month (or even pay it down significantly) so what can I do? What in the world has our government done to the banks that would allow them to charge honest, hardworking citizens outrageous interest rates with no recourse? Please provide me with some help regarding this situation as I am at a complete loss as to what to do.

jackson of rowlett, TX August 15, 2009

Just got notices that Amex intends to raise all my rates on three card by approximately three percentage points. This amount nearly a 25% increase in my rates. Never been late, never paid an over the limit fee. Who do I contact. They are doing this in my opionion to up rates before the new laws go into effect next year. Just let me know who the voice of authority is in this regard. The notices are not giving an "opt out" option, but I bet there is one.

Rachele of staten island, NY August 13, 2009

In february 2007 I was a victim of the Nigerian 419 scam. I was contacted via email for a job working for a company collecting their outstanding receivables. They were paid with Amex Gift certificates. I had to cash them and keep 5% as payment. I went to the banks and none of them realized they were fake, until i deposited them.

I contacted Amex hoping they would reinburse me for the fake gift certificates and being negligent for not notifying the banks. They never responded. I lost 8500 hundred dollars. I contacted the FBI and they told me this scam was around for awhile. Is there anything you can do to help me recover my money. I am still paying off the bank.

William of Longmont, CO August 4, 2009

Be advised that this Debt was Legally discharged in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, San Diego, CA., in 1993. The Court sent out the proper notices, in 1993, to all Creditors declared in the Bankruptcy, and NONE of the Creditors (including AMEX) contested it, so it was finalized by the Court. In addition, NONE of the Creditors (including AMEX) have ever contacted me with Dispute, so why am I getting this NOW from AMEX, sent via Regular Postal Mail (not Certified), after nearly four decades of silence from AMEX.

Prior to filing Bankruptcy, I contacted my Creditors to try to arrange a payment schedule to avoid Bankruptcy, and AMEX was one of the Creditors who was hard nosed and refused to make any such arrangements, so I too had no other choice but to go equally hard nosed and File Bankruptcy.

The Bankruptcy no longer shows at all on my Trans Union Credit Report, and only shows on my Experian and Equifax Credit Reports as Account Status Closed, Closed by Credit Grantor\Consumer Credit Card, Credit Line closed-grantor request-reported by subscriber, Pays account as agreed, Paid Satisfactorily, High Balance 1,018, Balance 0, Past Due 0, when it shouldn't show at all by Law as I understand it, after 2+ Decades since the Bankruptcy was granted by the Court (in fact it should have been gone after 10 years).

I Legally Decline this offer, and will if necessary file the appropriate Complaints with AMEX, the Credit Bureaus, the Consumer Agencies, the BBB, the FTC, and the Court.

Stacy of Staten Island, NY August 1, 2009

I had an american express credit card since 2005. My credit card was shut down by american express the beginning of this year because I am a bad credit risk. They didn't lower my credit line, they just closed the account. Well I used this account because American Express had an extra year warranty on purchases. I made a major laptop purchase on March 13, 2008 and now it needs repairs.

American express won't cover the expense because I do not have an open account. I feel this is very unfair and they should be abiding by their extended warranties even though the account is closed. The account was closed by their choice, not mine.

George of Cortland, NY July 29, 2009

I have been a customer in good standing for over 3 years. In late 2007 I built a work shop for my remodeling business and activated about 33000 on one of my Amex cards. in order to do so, i had to close another i held with them. thereby combining the total credit limit to use a 3.99% rate that was good for "the life of the loan". Without fail, we paid on or before the due date.

In Februrary of this year, my mother (who pays the bills for the company and is a professional book keeper/forensic accountant) became ill and paid ONE statement 87 short. Not late, not a missed payment, short. Immediately, the charges poured in and the interest rate went into the double digits.

Since then, we have spoken with numerous individuals, who have agreed that this oversight doesn't warrant the penalties. However, their "review board" refuses to reduce the interest rate and i now pay over 200/month in interest charges. During one phone call, i waited on hold over 45 minutes for a supervisor; i finally hung up.

They also reduced my credit line. This is a gross case of gouging and taking advantage of circumstance. Several penalties and substantial interest rate increase. The minute penalties/fees were dropped. maybe 100 or so.

Zoe of Flushing, NY June 26, 2009

In December 2008, American Express canceled my credit card account ending in 82004, without any warning. I had been American Express customer in good standing since 2001. Along with the cancellation, AE took away the reward points that I had earned, which totaled 110,345.00 points. There was zero balance in my account when the cancellation took place. Prior to the cancellation, I had a balance of 6,278.07, that was paid in full.

Additionally, just four weeks before the cancellation, AE charged my account a 75.00 renewal membership fee. I called American Express to request my reward points, and at first I was told that for a 25.00 fee my points could be reinstated. I agreed to the fee, however, minutes later, I was told by an AE customer service agent that "our system is not letting me do that", and suggested I write a letter to the rewards department in Fort Lauderdale, FL, reassuring me that if I write the letter, my reward points will be given back to me to utilize in the very near future.

Since then I have called AE numerous times, wrote a letter, and faxed a letter to AE, requesting my reward points, and the annual membership fee to be returned or credited back to me, and have not gotten any replies from AE. The funny thing is, although months after AE closed my account, I am still receiving monthly statements from American Express,with zero balance due, but with a 2,100 total available preset line, a 1.05 credit balance, and 110,345 available membership points.

I feel that American Express stole my hard earned points from me, has charged me an annual membership fee in October 2008, and canceled my card in December 2008 without crediting it back since. I am very upset and outraged by these facts! I feel that American Express not only stole my points, and has criminally charged me for a one year's worth membership that I no longer have, but it has also put me through months of stress, as I was bounced back and forth, by American Express, calling them, and writing to them, trying to get my issue resolved without getting anywhere.

Furthermore, I feel that I was teased and insulted by having to open monthly statements from American Express reflecting an open account, when in fact American Express had closed my account months earlier! At this point I want American Express to return me my rewards points along with the annual membership fee. I would like an attorney to contact me.

Pamela of Mountain View, CA June 22, 2009

I have been an AX Gold Card member for nine years. During that time I have only been 'late' (greater than 5 days but less than 30) twice. American Express previously had no pre-set spending limit for my account and this was reflected in my credit report as a limit of 0. After imposing a spending limit in the fall of last year (or perhaps late summer), the credit report never reflected the limit and still shows 0. Because the limit is shown as 0, this makes my utilization rate for all available credit over 100%. Based on this another card canceled my account.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.