Complain about a product or service

American Express

Platinum Card

Blake of Charleston SC (06/17/08)
American Express totally left me hanging in Costa Rica on our family vacation last week. They blocked my card for no reason and then I had no phone access to contact them. If you are smart do not use American Express on your vacations! They will leave you hanging. Total consumer betrayal!

Elizabeth of Bellevue WA (05/29/08)
I have a consumer American express card which has been in good standing since 1984. I also am the primary account holder on a american express platinum business account that has my daughter as a secondary card holder. That account has been in good standing since 2001. On May 20, used her platinum card to pay for two different charges at The Green Car Company which was all for repair of vehicles. The next day my business platinum account and personal card were cancelled. When we asked Amex why, they told us because Susan violated the user agreement by using her card at her place of business. First of all, Susan is NOT the owner of The Green Car Company. Secondly, she was not aware of any conflict of interest or violation of any user agreement. Thirdly, there was no fraud intended and there is complete documentation showing that she has had repair work done on many cars and that these charges were for goods and services.

We have faxed documentation, but Amex refused to accept it and was quite uncooperative. The way we are being treated is unacceptable from both a customer service perspective and an ethical perspective. Amex had no right to cancel my accounts and there employees should put more effort out to get to the bottom of the situation. Also, we are being treated like criminals, and why would a client who has been with them for 25 years deserve this treatment? Lastly, we had accumulated 100,000 airmiles/membership reward points that they have stripped from us and when we asked for them, they told us too bad.

I feel like American express is being a bully and taking adavantage of the fact that I am 83 years old and not very assertive on the phone. They have not treated my daughter very well either. Please let me know if there is something you can do to help.

I have lost my personal account which I have had since 1984. I have lost my business platinum account which I have had since 2001. I have lost my $50,000 business line of credit which I have had since 2001. I have lost 100,000 membership reward points which I use regularly for Southwest Airline tickets. I have been caused undue stress and had my integrity questioned. This may negatively affect my credit score.

Belinda of Bradenton FL (05/23/08)
I also paid the price for the special companion fare and was never told that it was limited to a certain few airlines, not including JetBlue. When I went to utilize it, I was told that JetBlue, even though it is one of the American Express partners is not actually part of their companion fares program.

We always fly on that airline and it looks like I have wasted my money x2 for both my husband and myself on the Platinum card. I'm going to cancel that and go back to a regular card.

Noname of Nocity PA (05/04/08)
Take this then ... Upgrade an AMEX from GOLDEN to PLATINUM, the software will automatically cancel the Golden one if you have no debts and that's all. They didn't re-compensate back the money you already paid at the beginning of the year.

In my case I paid in July 2007 130 for Golden Amex ( one year fee), in Jan 2008 I applied for Platinum based on the forms they send me , I never used Golden but only today May 3-rd 2008 and to discover that the payment was refused , I payed by debit card and when I get back home I called them and find out what is wrong with the card. I ask them WHEN and WHO canceled the card .. THEY DID , WHEN they canceled ? .. IN JANUARY, it means that I paid 130 for a year they own back me the amount between Jan and Jul ( around 65$ half of the year).

In the phone conversation I get the money with no resistance from AMEX which proves that they recognize their mistake, but my next question was why your software didn't do that automatically ... Hm it is easy because foolish my loss and them win free money.  I do not think this is fair either. .... and the authorities should force them to refund the money back.

Ajay of Faridabad OTHER (01/29/08)
I received invitation for Amex Platinum card as well Kingfisher Platinum. On replying, Mr. Amrinder (9212150706) contacted me and on meeting he convinced me to go for Amex Platinum as it has got much more benefits than Kingfisher. Then I told him that I would pay just one time fee of 25000 on Kingfisher, it will be free for life, on which he informed me that on Amex Platinum, I will have to pay one time fee of 50000 and then there will be no annual fee. I gave my consent and signed the form. Now I received the Amex Platinum Card with add on card for my wife and daughter. When I was going through the details, I found that there is an annual charge of approx. Rs. 10000 on this card. I immediately contacted Mr. Amrinder and he informed me that yes, but it will be waived off once my annual charge on this card exceeds Rs. 180000 . When I asked why didn't he inform me this while filling the application, his justification was that I checked how much my average charge on all cards is on which I informed its approx. 20000 on which he assumed himself that on this card, it will be enough to waive off the annual charges. BUT SHOULDN'T HE INFORMED ME OF THIS? I am using platinum card of two other banks which are totally free without any condition. If I knew this while filling the form, I could have gone for Kingfisher Platinum. I am really sorry and disappointed with the Amex Platinum staff.

Now I don't have any option but to ask to return the Platinum cards. It's not that I am not sure if I will charge that much on these cards or not, but it's the point of mis-information (hiding the fact). I am writing this email just to inform that why I am returning/canceling these cards.

Mary of San Juan  (01/06/08)
Our car was stolen in July, and we applied for the Plat. Card because they claimed to cover the car insurance on a rental. Seeing as we were going to rent a car for 2 months it seemed like a smart move to make. I made sure to call customer service before I ever rented the car. The people were so helpful and told me to simply deny the coverage offered by Avis(except liability). I thought it was too good to be true so I called again. They assured me again that I was covered in PR for as long as I rented the car (as long as I charged it to the card).

To make a long story short...we got into a car accident. When we called to inform them, they told us that the policy does not cover rentals in your home city. We fought this and then was transfered for 3 hours. Then they told us we were only covered for 30 days (the accident occurred on the 38th day). I called customer service immediately and asked their policy again...specifically asking if I was covered for 2 months and they assured me that I am covered for the length of my rental. 4 agents gave me this same info!

Now we are desperate to talk to the manager, but he is always out of the office, at a meeting, or in an important call. This has been going on for a week and a half! We feel like we are being ignored...and brushed off. Even though we have good credit history. They make you feel ignorant..by quickly get a condescending yet indifferent attitude!

Kimberly of College Park GA (10/04/07)
About 40 days ago I was instantly approved for an american express platinum business card. I aquired the card because of the low interest rate for balance transfers. I talked to two reps who both reassured me that as long as my credit was good, I would have no problem obtaining the card to do the transfers. So as I stated before I was instantly approved over the phone.

When I received the card, the limit was not enough to transfer my balances. So I called and inquired and they told me to call back in 30 days at which time I should have no problem obtaining an 'increase' to my card. They just wanted to see that I was going to use the card and it would not even hurt to make a payment.

However, when I called, they advised me that I would NOT be able to transfer the balance because of what was on my credit report. Now I am really upset because when I called about the limit the first time, I asked them to cancel my card because I did not need any additional debt. They 'encouraged' me to go ahead and do a partial balance transfer from one of my accounts as there should be no problem obtaining the increase.

The result is I am sure that what the credit report is showing is high debt ratio because they extended me more credit instead of taking the old debt that I asked the to take that they said they approved. So as I explained to them, because of your encouraging, you have in essence generated another bill for me ! This is dirty business and I will do all in my power to pay them off ASAP ! I do not want to do business with a company like this. I was just looking for them to do what they said, to allow me to transfer my debt to a lower interest card.

Rhonda of Plantation FL (09/25/07)
In May of 2007 Amex Platinum decided to make my entire Sign & Travel Balance due in full without notifying me. I found it odd especially when I went to check my bill on-line, I wasn't able to access my account for over two days. My statement normally closed on the 29th of each month but when I tried the message kept telling me your account is being updated - try again later.

Of course not being prepared to pay the entire bill in 30 days, I did manage to pay the majority of my bill over a two month period. I notified Amex and informed the representative I would pay the remaining balance at the end of the following month. However, when I deposited the funds to pay the final balance, they refused to accept my payment by phone from my Bank Account. Even the representative didn't know why I couldn't make payment and asked me to use another account. This of course, presented a new problem since the account I normally used for my Amex Platinum card is my bank in New York.

Since I deposited the check in NY before I left for my home in Florida, I had to now move the funds to my Florida bank which took even longer to pay them back. Can you believe they closed my account and penalized me because my payment was so late.

They had to nerve to tell me I had to reapply for my card again. And, of course, I lost my 200,000+ miles I had accumulated as I have been a member since 1987. To add insult to injury they denied me for a new card because of my late payment. I am pissed and felt as much as they call you directly, they could have notified me when they decided I wasn't good enough for S&T but to stop my pay by phone option for no reason felt like they were trying to sabotage my payment.

This is an extreme inconvenience since I travel to NY for my work on average every other week. You cannot imagine the hassle of booking flights, hotel and car rentals with a debit card.

Rebecca of Atlanta GA (04/05/07)
I was enticed to upgrade to an AMEX Platinum card (from Gold)with the promise of 15,000 miles plus a free companion ticket 6-8 weeks after the upgrade. When I did not receive the miles or the ticket, I was told that I had to renew AGAIN (@ $135) in order to receive the companion ticket. Total bait and switch.

I have spent a couple of hours on the phone with customer service and each time they tell me they will review it. Each time they refuse to send me the companion ticket.

Sam of Skokie IL (03/26/07)
I run a small company, and have been using the Amex Gold Business Card for over a year. I charged about $120,000 on my gold card so far and paid off the balance every month in full. I never defaulted on a payment, and was never late.

After about a year, I decided to apply for the Platinum card. I was approved for the card immediately and it was sent to my home. I racked up about $6,000 after the first month on the Platinum card. This is not a lot of charges for me, as I usually spend $10,000-$20,000/month on business expenses.

In my previous history, I have spent and paid off much larger amounts that this with no problems. Regardless, I get a call from someone at the Financial Review department of Amex. She called me in the middle of the day to inform me that all my cards are on hold and will be canceled unless I send them a signed 4506t IRS form, which is a form that authorizes a third party to pull your income tax returns. Not only does she ask me this, but she talks to me in the rudest manner. I felt like I was a criminal being interrogated. I was outraged.

I decided to cooperate and I sent in the signed 4506t form as requested. I figured it wouldn't be a problem, since my tax returns show over $450,000 in gross sales from last year alone. Since all my charges are for my business, I figure it wouldn't be an issue. I finally call Amex a few weeks later because I haven't got a call back as promised.

They tell me the fax came through blurry and I need to resend. I resent right away, this time from a different fax machine, in case there was a problem with the previous fax machine I used. By the way, I send hundreds of faxes and month and I have never gotten a complaint about a blurry fax from any of my clients.

I don't hear a response from Amex, once again, so I call them back. I am transferred about 4 times, until the rudest lady in the world starts telling me that I need to pay my balance of $6,000 and says things like why haven't you paid your bill? You know we can send you to collections! She even said I can't answer any of your questions. Why don't you pay your bill first. Why haven't you paid it? Are you gonna pay or not? She spoke to me like I was some deadbeat...despite the fact that I charged and paid back, on time, over $100,000+ in the last year alone. After all that, she is treating me like scum over a measly $6,000 charge?

I told her to look at my previous history, and that I couldn't pay because I was locked out of my Amex online account, and I have not been getting statements since that first phone call. Eventually they transfer me and someone tells me they are canceling my card because they never got the 4506t form faxed to them. I explain that I have faxed it twice. I also tell him that I have over $100,000 in my checking account, and have had a perfect payment history on huge payments over the last year and a half. He tells me he can't do anything.

I can't believe that they would treat a loyal customer like this. I have since applied for Visa and MC cards, which treat me much better. I have also convinced three of my closest clients to cancel their Amex cards as well. They each charge about $150,000 on the card every year. Amex will lose a lot of business if they keep treating their customers like garbage.

I lost all my Amex points. I am still not sure if this will damage my FICO score, which is at 725 right now.

Rob of Roswell GA (01/26/07)
We took an Amex Platinum Card precisely because they advertised that a benefit of the card was a free companion ticket when you booked an international business or first class fare. Since I travel for business, this is an opportunity for my wife to travel with me.

Shortly thereafter I tried to take advantage of this offer during a trip to South Africa. A standard business class fare was $7,500 through Delta but exactly the same flight was $11,500 through Amex Platinum. If I accepted this offer it would have meant that my company was paying most of the cost for the so called free ticket without realizing it. In good conscience I couldn't do this.

I called Amex and told them the offer was misleading and that I wanted my membership fee back. I had only used the card once to buy gas, in order to activate it. They refused.

I think the offer of a free ticket is misleading, because the first ticket is so much more expensive than a standard off the shelf fare, it really represents a discount for two tickets but there is no free ticket. It also leads people to defraud their companies if the first ticket is reimbursed by an employer. I feel that Amex is well aware of this issue and is actually trading on it.

Finally, I think it is defrauding the IRS. If I had booked the $11,500 fare and got the free ticket, I would actually be putting the price of the discounted ticket (ie an extra $4,000) in my pocket but telling the IRS it was a legitimate business expense.

Vijay of Romney WV (01/17/07)
I was planning to travel to Vienna from Dullas/Washington with my wife in September 2006. Since I am a business platinum member of American Express, I thought I would take advantage of their travel services which offers two tickets for the price of one.

Prior to calling American Express, I obtained a quote from Austrian Airlines. They quoted me a price of $2510 for one person round trip. American Express's quote was $6824. From my point of view, the most I should have to pay would be $5020 not $13648!

I ended up talking with four individuals in the Platinum Travel Services department, none of which could resolve the overcharge issue. After that, I spoke with a very pleasant lady in the Executive Services department. She was very sympathetic and assured me that the issue would be resolved and to call back in two days.

After two days, she said she was surprised no one had responded and that I would be hearing from them. Two days later no response. I called again at that point and spoke with the same lady who said that the Travel Services department's lack of response was not acceptable and she would contact them again. She advised me to wait to hear from them before purchasing my tickets. Needless to say, two days later, no response.

This time when I called back I received an answering machine. My conclusion: Either American Express does not want to assume their responsibility or are too arrogant to address issues when confronted with them. Maybe they do not want to face potential fraud/abuse issues when a loyal customer (I have been with American Express since 1977.) requests a reasonable answer. Or, perhaps they simply do not care (as it has been demonstrated with me).

Eduardo of Doral FL (11/29/06)
After reaching an agreement with AMEX for the payment of all my debt with the Platinum Card (back in August 2002) and having paid everything that was agreed in a shorter time than the initial schedule AMEX agrees that the balance on the account is zero but keeps the negative remarks on my credit history in all the three bureaus classifying my account as BAD DEBT, CHARGE OFF, COLLECTION, etc It is important to emphasize that when I approached AMEX to renegotiate my debt with the card the account was in good standard with no late or due payments. This is the second time I am reporting my case and I did not get any feedback from you in the first time I did it.

Eduardo of Doral FL (11/16/06)
I had a Platinum Card with AMEX and was a a good customer of AMEX for more than 25 years in Brazil and here in the US. Up to July 2002 my account with them was in good condition (as I can show trhough the copy of their statements) and I never had any late payment or was considered delinquent in the payments.

On that specific month due to the volume of debts of my credit cards and my fear that I would not be able to make the regular payments I joined a Credit Counseling Service to help me renegotiate my debts with the Credit Card companies and obtain a better and feasible payment scheme. A proposal was sent to AMEX on August 2002 for the repayment of my debt and an agreed amount of $92.00/month was set for this payment. This was a propose sent by AMEX (the amount of $92.00) and accepted by me also through the Credit Counseling Agency.

Since them, starting in September 2002 AMEX has received every single month the agreed amount without missing any month and by the end of 2005 I decide to reduce the payment period and paid all the remaining balance to AMEX. AMEX has confirmed that my outstanding balance with them is zero and that everything that was owned to them was paid.

Despite this fact AMEX has posted in all my credit reports very negative remarks (BAD DEBT, COLLECTION, CHARGE-OFF...) that are causing tremendous damage in my credit history and they refuse to withdraw these remarks saying that they will remain in my reports due to a severe deliquency of my account. I really do not understand why I should be punished for agreeing to pay all my debts and having done so even before the agreed period and have my credit reports damaged for the period of seven years.

Patricia of Canton ME (10/25/06)
I have held an American Express Platinum card (Delta Sky Miles)for a number of years. AmEx advertises that with this card you can get a free RT airline ticket with 25,000 Sky Miles. However, I have tried for 2 years to use my Sky Miles. I have not been able to find a trip using 25,000 Sky Miles, but all trips require 50,000 Sky Miles.

Even then, it is very difficult to find a trip...most requests end up with a message stating that there are no seats available. And, on the rare occasion that you can find a flight using 50,000 miles, the connections are very poor, requiring sometimes two stops each way.

Because of this, I decided to cancel my card. However, I learned that then I could never use the miles I had accumulated because you must charge your trip with the credit card. Therefore, I was convinced to keep the card, but downgrade to a gold card. I was also offered a discount on the yearly fee for the year if I kept the platinum card. I still downgraded.

A few days later I thought about the companion ticket that is sent each year. Even though that is not a very good deal either, I thought that for the first time I might have a use for it. I called Amer. Ex. and asked them if I could still utilize their offer of the one-time discounted rate for the yearly fee. They said I could. I specifically asked if I would receive the companion ticket, and I was told I would receive it in April of 2006. For that reason, I reinstated the card. April came and I never received the companion ticket.

Upon calling, I was told that I would not receive one until the following year because I had cancelled and then reinstated my platinum card.

Ramona of Alpine CA (10/16/06)
My optima platinum card has been closed since January 2003 by my request. My account information is 3715-192351-52006. At the time of closure, my account balance was approx 15K-18K. As of this writing, my account balance is 26,030.35. My interest rate on this card is 30.24%! I have asked repeatedly to have my interest rate lowered to the amount it was when I inititated the closure of the account but American Express refuses to do so.

I have been making payments on the card, and according to my credit reports have been timely. Every month I find myself having to call American express at least twice to obtain a verbal payment amt because my statements don't represent my last payment. I have been told this is the case because my payments come in after the due date. I have been and will continue to make payments until the card is paid off, but I can no longer justify or comprehend the outrageous interest rates that I am being charged.

I understand if I actually had charges that made up the additional 8-9K but I did not. This situation is a now also affecting my other card with them. My personal card, card number 373070704512005. American express is requesting I pay more than the minum on this card. This absolutely does not make sense!! I have a sign and travel amount of approx 3k and on this card i pay the full amount of what I use. I do not carry running balance, because it is not that type of card.

Edward of Phoenix AZ (09/08/06)
I have tried to purchase airline tickets online with Air Berlin using Amex Platinum. The airline kindly wrote back and said they could not get an authorization. This, I later found out, was due to security and American Express' thoughts that it was a fraudulent purchase. No luck with the purchase.

Months later, after the flight date, I received 9 separate charges to my account made by Air Berlin. There is no indication of what these charges are for or why they were made. In this case, I wish they would have been as cautious as the first time.

Now going on 5 continuous months of disputing these charges, they continue to appear on my statement. They have been reversed and then have reappeared, only to be reversed again. These charges were never authorized by me and they continue to process them into my statements.

Norman of Lewisburg PA (12/2/04):
After looking up the business class fare to Amsterdam on the AMEX travel site which quoted $1,631 per ticket I called American Express Platinum (card that I own) and wanted to book the flight through them as one of the published perks was that if you owned an AMEX Platinum card you were entitled to a buy 1 get 1 free International business ticket.

After almost 30 minutes on the phone I was told that in order to get the free ticket I would have to pay $7,300 for the first ticket. After trying to explain that I could purchase 2 business for a total of a little over $3,200 all I was told was that if I wanted the free companion ticket I would have to pay the $7,300 fare. Talk about bait and switch tactics. So much for the value of a Platinum Card from AMEX.

Lois of Powell OH (8/18/04):
My Amex Platinum Delta Skymiles Card is worthless when trying to book a flight, even though I pay $135 per year for the purpose of getting a free companion ticket to travel. I have just made two Delta flights and could not use my Platinum because the fares were twice as high as not using it.

Kurt of Scottsdale AZ (1/11/02):
I was a Platinum card holder and accumulated 130,000 air miles. I canceled my card to replace it with my old Rewards Plus American Express card and lost all my miles. I have asked twice to have my card reinstated and regain my miles but have received no help!

Edmund of Cave Creek, AZ, writes:

American Express • AmEx Blue • Platinum Card • Centurion Bank • Corporate Card --- • Account reviews • Collection policies • Declined charges • Disputed charges • Fraud • "Free card" offers • Gift cards • Incorrect charges • Merchant complaints • Payment posting • Rewards programs • Theft of identity • Unauthorized charges

I am holder of an American Express Platinum Card which promises certain benefits in return for a $300 annual fee. Although it promises a two category upgrade on any cruise booked through Amex, I ended up with the worst cabin on the ship.

I received a brochure offering special accommodations at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, extolling the many facilities available to guests. At the time of the offer, the hotel was still under construction and most of the amenities were not available, a fact conveniently omitted in the bochure.

I am supposed to be entitled to the free use of airport lounges but am refused access when I try to use them. Shortly after I filed a formal complaint, I went to dinner with some friends and was told that my American Express Platinum card would not accept the charges because of "unusual spending habits", a clear case of retaliation, sine my account always has been and is now in good standing.

Consequences:

• I pretty much ruined my wife's and my cruise experience.
• Resulted in our stayng at a different hotel in Las Vegas at a substantial increase in cost.
• Caused extended, uncomfortable stays in airport terminals all over the world; and
• Caused extreme embarrassment in front of our friends who probably wonder to this day why my American Express credit card was refused.

I have lived up to my part of the contract and have a right to expect american express to do the same.

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