American Express Gift Cards Reviews

I purchased two American Express gift cards from two different stores. A positive feature of these cards is that they can be added to a digital wallet. However, I encountered significant issues with activation in both instances. The first card experienced activation delays; system registration requires waiting several hours (up to 24 hours depending on the retailer) before the card appears in the online activation system. More critically, unlike Visa or Mastercard gift cards, American Express gift cards do not support partial authorization. If a transaction amount exceeds the remaining card balance, the system cannot authorize the remaining balance and instead declines the entire transaction.

I recently received a $250 gift card from a friend. I was unable to activate the card because a 4 digit security code was missing from the card. AMEX has contracted with another company to handle these gift cards, and they have been worse than useless in resolving what should be a simple matter to correct. After submitting extensive required documentation by email, now nearly one week later they are telling me a) documentation not yet received and b)when received, will take up to two weeks to resolve.

Received Delta gift cards -- 6 at $100 each. One of the things I could do with them was to exchange them for AMEX Virtual Gift Cards. That "Virtual" thing is important. Turns out they are *very* limited/difficult to use. PayPal does not accept them. I tried to use at a Dillards store but Dillards cashiers and buyers are blocked from being able to input gift card numbers.

75% of gift card used and customer service from not in the US was just going through the motions and reading a script. After speaking to two reps and a supervisor; I would have to send a copy of ID and proof of address to a site I would have to write down. I’m not sure how that’s legal. I have asked for email of some kind of verification for request for documentation; he said, "No what are incapable of sending an email…" Hhhhmmm all very interesting to me. He let me know that my case and refund wouldn’t be completed until I send the documents. Why not have a type of portal access in the balance site linked to each card in case of documents needed. This was just ridiculous and this company shouldn’t distribute any gift card or ecard. They probably have some kind of automated application that runs to place cards on hold after a specific % left on card or use in apps. Which would not be very consumer friendly by any means.

The absolutely worst gift card ever. Over the years I was a firm believer in gifting these gift cards, including accumulating cards over the years to use on vacation. Then I learned the hard way that if they were accepted at all only 75% of the value could be used. I am 100% sure at restaurants and hotels I wasn't advised of this 75% rule, and I threw away many $$ in card value. My fault YES, but also Amex gift cards issue to. THEN, if you have an issue their customer service is a waste of time. DO NOT BUY these cards, it should not be this difficult to use of contact Customer Service

Don’t purchase. They’re a scam. They will shut the card down for no reason and it’s impossible to get your money back

For the past three years, I have purchased gift cards to give to students to cover incidental costs while traveling to and from a national conference. This year, we have had a multitude of issues. I will say the customer service reps are kind and patient, but it seems they are not able to offer any actual solutions to problems and overall, these cards are very glitchy (three students this year have reported issues using them). And when they get deactivated for security measures, there are apparently NO ways to reactivate them, so students are stranded in transit without the money they were counting on. (AMEX does offer to send a replacement card, but apparently they can only go to the original shipping address which does not help if someone is traveling.)

I was given an AX gift card for 100.00. It came with 2 numbers missing on the card. I called them and was told the card was good even though the last 2 numbers were missing. The idiot on the phone, I barely could understand him said, "Oh, yeah, it's good", but would not give me the last 2 numbers that were missing on the card. I could not create a PIN because without the full card numbers, you can't access the card on the site.

The worst of gift cards. My son received as a gift for Christmas. Even after contacting AMEX, it continued to be declined online. Unable to add to PayPal or GPay as a work around. I ended up gifting him a Mastercard replacement. I'll try using the Amex at a local retailer.

Worst product ever, credit card DOES NOT WORK. They say they will fix but they can't. I was on support for over an hour and these idiots just keep saying they are sorry. Only fix is to send you another card in the mail but they cant overnight, they cant get you to a supervisor they cant fix. Many reviews say they never send a replacement. DO NOT BUY!!!!

I did I believe use the entire 150.00 amount on the card after receiving an itemized purchase list. I've requested to close this case.

Do not buy!! You will add money go to use it once and they block / lock the card for being compromised from you trying to use it then you have to wait 6 months to a year for a new card. They will never send it. And boom they just made 100$ plus activation fee and they do this 100000 a year. That makes them a lot of money. I never got the card. It’s been over a year.

My Card Number was stolen & used in another State, I put in to dispute but they said they have evidence I used the card. I provided my address (which is in another state than transactions) & explained I work 6 days a week so it's impossible to use my card with a 3rd party. I was robbed & they do not care, I would NOT recommend American Express services of any kind to anyone!!

Can’t use this gift card for online purchases, better off buying a prepaid Visa card. American Express gift cards are a scam and joke.

WARNING!! DO NOT PURCHASE! I made a horrible mistake of purchasing a $150 gift card from them.

These cards are not worth the hassle. You cannot use them with every place that takes American Express; they are barely usable anywhere actually. Tried using this card to make a $500 purchase (card was loaded for $600) and not accepted by vendor. Called to ask the card center why and a whole new card now has to be issued “for my protection”. If a company is issuing these cards as gifts - just know they are likely not going to be a good customer/service provider.

Please do not ever buy your loved ones these gift cards. They are constantly declined, and you won't know so until too late after your purchase. Then they won't do the proper diligence to replace your card unless you get the original receipt from the person who purchased your gift. That is HORRIBLE etiquette for a GIFT.

Do not buy an Amex gift card. You can’t use them online or PayPal and some places won’t accept it even if the business says they do. Will never buy another one. By the way visa gift cards let me do online purchases. Haven’t tried Mastercard yet but kind of worried too. You see I’m disabled and on a very limited budget.

Received a $1800 gift card. We used $230 on first day I activated it. Next day, card had no balance left. It was used in California and we live in Georgia. Reported fraud and we were told we would be contacted in 3 to 5 business days. No one contacted us and we called again, we were told 45 to 90 days to investigate. What a scam. We no longer do any business with American Express. Giving review of 1 star because we have to.

Gift card is ridiculous, put a hold on the gift card for a refund charge and make it impossible. $1,000+ card is in limbo because automated phone line can't get to real person. Corporately, we have had issues and this experience will be the final straw and will replace corporate cards on 48 sales/acct reps asap. Stealing money on gifts cards making things intentionally difficult should be criminal. Sad when we have been customers with American Express since 2007. Automation has killed service and putting a hold an employees gift card balance with no ability to resolve is criminal. DO BETTER AMERICAN EXPRESS!!!!

Please do not waste your money on purchasing one of these bogus cards. They do NOT stand behind them. We purchased one and put $480 on it. Shortly after we purchased it, it was hacked and had $200 taken off of it. We immediately called them to lock the card and file a dispute (that was the ONLY thing spent off the card). After 5 months, they send me an email saying the dispute was over and they were "unable to approve the dispute" and they were "sending me a replacement card with the remaining balance." Why even go through the process? I will NEVER EVER purchase another AMEX gift card for any reason.... and I will be deactivating my regular card as well. This is a BS company for sure....

Never will I ever do business with this company. I received a gift card from a friend in June 2025 for 100.00. I tried to use it back in August 2025 and the balance was showing .01. I filed a dispute with the company same month. I notice it had fraud on it. It is now January 2026 and they refuse to replace my card and cancel my dispute. I am just writing this review for other people NOT TO BUY THESE CARDS.

They are fraudulent. Do not do any sort of business with them. If I could leave a zero Star I would. They are not sending refund Cheque yet it’s been more than 90 days. Amex and Amex Giftcard running scam together.

Got 3 Amex gift cards from my work. They say they are already activated. When I go to check the balance, no info is provided. When I go to use them, they are rejected - both in store and online. I even tried to convert them to an Amazon gift card e-balance and that didn't work. This publicly traded company's bungling of such a simple transaction is so bad they literally feel like a scam.

I live in Massachusetts and received a $100 gift card from my boss for Christmas. I spent $20 at one store, and the next day, when I went to buy groceries at the supermarket, there was no balance left on the card. I checked the app and saw that a purchase had been made with the card on DoorDash in California. I immediately called the card issuer, who said they would refund the money in 6 days, but that didn't happen. I called again and was told it would take 45 days to investigate the incident. I explained that I live in Massachusetts, where the first purchase was made, and that the fraudulent purchase was in California, but they said they couldn't do anything. I do not recommend gift cards, because if there is fraud, you will never see your money back.

Purchased a $250 gift card, it was all the money I had to my name, I have a wife and child. Ordered some food and didn't go through, my card was put on hold. I called and was told they would send another card arriving in 7-10 days. I was furious nothing could be done, not lift hold, not give new card information over phone. My family had the last dollar we had taken away. BAD BUSINESS. "UNACCEPTABLE."

I bought 2 gift cards and had put money on both of them. The cards keep getting declined even though there's money on them. When customer support was contacted they said the cards were fine. But they keep getting declined. With a 16 dollar charge to buy the cards it's a rip off. Ill never buy these again let alone have anything American Express.

Worthless. Make silly claims about an inability to transfer funds owed back to my account and stated would send check within 30 days. After 31 days claimed someone failed to send the check and would issue new one (for another 30 day wait.). Put on hold forever hoping I'd get bored and hang up. Deliberate evasion and passing the buck. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Horrible. Got this card as a wedding gift and activated it and went to use it. Card declined. Called Amex and they said it was locked due to fraud. Wanted me to send in my name, address, and driver's license picture for them to send me a new card. What a joke.

Really bad card. BEFORE I received, it was already used by a scammer. After 120 days of dispute AMEX closed the case, stating no issues was found. Dispute department not able to investigate correct and I just have to deal with the loss.

Worst SCAM ever. Bought a $200 gift card for my son's birthday. Tried to activate for a few times and when I finally got it to activate, I had 0.01 dollar left. They took the money and claimed we were doing something wrong and maybe somebody used the card. Really? Called tech support multiple times. They got my name, email and address all wrong. Kept calling to open up a dispute and took them about two months to process the dispute. A few weeks later I got a new card with $0.01 dollar on it. I just wanted to called back to tell them to shove it up their #$%@. DON'T USE OR BUY AMEX GIFT CARDS PLEASE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOUR MONEY. WJ**

Never buy these cards!! It's a rip-off!! I bought three cards, and one didn't work. They've just wasted my time sending emails. They keep answering the same thing and take no responsibility. The customer service is rude and they can't help you with ANYTHING. They just tell you they'll follow up and send you emails, and they just send the same thing.

They are fraudulent. Do not do any sort of business with them. If I could leave a zero Star I would. I received a gift card from my work and the money was stolen before it was even given to me. I live in SC and it was for a charge in CA for a pet store. I don’t own a dog. I filed a claim, listing all my proof, and it was denied. I replied to the email it stated and was ignored. I call the customer service and they straight up lied to me. I requested to talk to the supervisor and when she refused to help me she did worse than just refuse to get a manager. She left me on hold to just tell me that the manager is not available and that they will give me a reference number to call me back. Since I was ignored before, I refused and stated that I would rather wait for a manager to become available. I waited for over 40 minutes and kept being told that they are not available.

American Express gift card.... IT IS A BIG SCAM. Do not waste your time and money to purchase an Amex gift card. I was presented a $200.00 value card. I used the web site on the back of the card to ensure the correct amount was on the card..... and that was it. In minutes the balance was 0. I file a complain to the so-called detective team that don't respond to emails. I was told I cannot be refunded the amount. I must contact the merchant.... Is there any one above these scammer I can report to. I don't intend to lose my 200 bucks to scammers.

I am in a hard spot. My mom gave me a gift card to purchase the things for my son to go to college. I activated the card purchased on Amazon and it declined. I then tried to use it at a store and it declined. I then went to see why and it said contact customer service the card is on hold. After 5 calls and 4 hang ups they told me the card was compromised and to give it 10 days to receive another one in the mail. My son leaves in 7 days. Never ever use Amex gift cards. They should be taken off the shelves

I received a gift card in the spring for a pretty decent amount and had been using it sparingly for purchases of importance. Bills, groceries, gas, etc. July 5th, I went to the Amex website on the back of the card to check my balance. The site said that I had $1101.69 available. Less than an hour later, I went to the store and attempted to make a purchase and only had 69 cents on the card. I went to check the balance again and heard that there was a pending charge for exactly $1101 at Michael Kors in Las Vegas. I live in CT. I immediately contacted customer service. The representative placed me on hold after hearing my issue. When she returned, she told me that I should be able to get the money replaced since I notified them so quickly but I had to wait until the charge was accepted by the merchant.

Do not buy American Express gift cards – terrible experience. Do not waste your money on American Express gift cards. We’ve purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of these cards over time, but our recent experience was extremely disappointing. I bought a $500 gift card as a birthday present. When the person I gave it to tried to activate it, they found that the card only had a $10 balance. Someone in California had already made an online purchase with the card before it was ever used or activated. The recipient contacted American Express and was told to send an email. After waiting over a month, they finally received a response saying, “Sorry,” and were issued a replacement card with only $10. Completely unacceptable.

Close to Father’s Day I went to the Walmart near his house and bought an American Express Gift Card with $200 on it. My daughter activated it for him and gave it to him. He went to use it the next day and all $200 were gone. Somebody in Pennsylvania used it at 1 AM and we are in Alabama. American Express will not make it right. They could tell that it’s fraudulent because it was. He’s somewhere Way far from us. I would not ever trust Nor buy an American Express gift card nor the company. Don’t buy any gift cards from Walmart either. I will probably never buy another gift card.

My 14 year old autistic son received an American Express Gift Card, purchased at CVS in Warminster, PA, for his 8th grade graduation on 6/17/2025. He used it one time @ Rita's Water ice. That same day, only a short time after, someone used his card in Texas to pay for Health Insurance for $35, leaving Aidan with $2.81 on his card. I immediately called Amex Card services & disputed this charge. They DECLINED my DISPUTE only ONE WEEK after filing it. If Amex Services will decline something like this, so obviously FRAUD/THEFT, considering the age of the card holder, his residential city, state, along with the fraudulent purchase occurrence, nature and city, state, then NO ONE WILL EVER WIN ANY DISPUTE! Do NOT EVER BUY an American Express Gift Card! This was the 1st & last time I purchased AMex vs. Visa or MC.. That right there speaks volumes.

Don't trust using this company to buy a gift card. It is not owned by American Express, they do not stand by their card or company name. Spoke to American Express rep, and then suddenly the next day $499.99 out of $500.00 gift card was used, I reported the fraud immediately to the American Express Gift card division, filled all necessary documents and was told they are denying my claim after 1 month they had the nerve to send a check for 1 cent. They are not a part of Amex, the only people you speak with are located in South East Asia, I've called and emailed a million times they do nothing.... Never buy American Express.