American Express Travel Reviews

I had been an American Express customer for around 10 years and generally had a positive experience until my account was closed shortly before my annual cashback payment was due. My concern isn't simply that the account was closed. It's that American Express had been aware of my account activity for a considerable period, carried out Know Your Customer and Source of Wealth checks, continued operating the account, and even paid my previous year's cashback. Then, after allowing cashback to continue accruing for many more months, the account was closed just days before the next cashback payment date, resulting in the loss of over £7,000 in pending cashback.

Incompetent Amex travel advisors who can not complete simple fare difference refunds. Worst incompetence was when they cancelled Boston to Tokyo flights for all 4 of my family members 2 weeks prior to departure and I only found out when I reached out to confirm our flights. I have asked several times for investigations into the mishandling of travel and never received any responses. I have been a Platinum cardholder for 23 yr. Their service has become atrocious.

The worst. I wouldn’t recommend them. They changed my ticket without telling me.

I booked a stay earlier this year through American Express and modified it in March to be for two people, four nights. Today, I called the hotel to confirm and was told the reservation still shows only one guest for four nights. American Express advised me to cancel and rebook. I rebooked directly on the hotel website this afternoon for May 7–11 for two people in a villa. However, when I tried to cancel the original Amex reservation, I was blocked because it’s now within the cancellation window—so I’m stuck with two overlapping reservations for the same dates.

Been a client for 21 year, first their prices are higher than any other website, I bought a ticket with miles. I was told that you can cancel and get a credit and instead. It didn't, I called to ask for help and they told me that it was faster to call the airline. So overpriced, customer service forced to be nice but suggested to call the airline directly to make it faster. Anyway the worst part is they are overpriced, the hotel credit that they give you to use are another thing. Impossible to have if you don't spend 10k of hotel rooms.

I want to share my experience with American Express Travel regarding the purchase of airline tickets, and unfortunately, it has been extremely disappointing. Over the past few months, I carefully compared booking flights through American Express Travel versus booking directly with the airline. I had a significant number of points available, which I could apply toward the ticket and pay the remaining balance in cash. However, even with the points, the final price was nearly identical to booking directly with the airline.

As a premium cardholder, I chose to book through American Express with the expectation of receiving a higher level of service, including seamless support and access to concierge assistance. Unfortunately, my experience has been the opposite. The booking process and subsequent customer service have been unnecessarily complicated and disappointing. While members of my family who booked directly with the cruise line have been able to receive straightforward assistance and price adjustments with ease, I have encountered repeated obstacles. I have been informed that because I booked through American Express, I am unable to access the same level of flexibility or support, which is both confusing and frustrating. This situation undermines the value proposition of using a premium travel card. I expected enhanced service, not additional limitations.

The worst. The travel website is restrictive and archaic. Not user friendly. Any modifications require calling Amex, modifications cannot be made online. The wait time for an agent to change a reservation is ridiculously long -- 30 minutes for me this morning before I hung up without having reached anyone. And I'm a Platinum Card holder! The frustration with dealing with this service isn't worth it. The worst.

I don't know how to spell HORRIBLE loudly enough on their customer service. Every phone call is filled with frustration with their fumbling of the details. I'm now at the point of finalizing payment for our cruise this fall and she can't even find my reservation. I just talked with them last night!

I booked a boutique hotel in Barcelona through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (Feb 27 for March 15–18) specifically to receive the advertised $300 credit and perks. I prepaid over $900—well above market rate—only because of those promised benefits. Unfortunately, none of the perks were honored. No room upgrade, no early or late check-in, and no breakfast for two. This has been a repeated pattern with Amex over the past several years—I had a similar disappointing experience with a hotel booking in Taiwan as well.

Not sure how to even explain all the issues. Multiple mistakes done by Amex agents that caused us extra money, hours on the phone and stress day before travel. We were quoted the wrong change fee and received an email the next day telling us that it would be $900 a person instead of an even exchange. Spent two days before our flight trying to fix it but Amex continued to make mistakes. Spoke with a couple great agents but others could not understand or figure it out.

I have been a member for American Express for 20 years and and a platinum card member. I made a hotel reservation thru American Express in Cartagena Columbia in January but when we got there for a family vacation, the hotel did not have a reservation for us. Over the next 2-3 hours we spoke to American Express back in the states and while they tried to get us another hotel reservation after confirming that they had made a mistake they could not do so. I had to scramble and find a reservation which caused me $1253 more than what I had originally paid for. American Express reimbursed the original $2800 but I asked them to pay me back the difference.

American Express travel related fine hotels and resorts are incompetent, unwilling and unable to assist Amex cardholder of 49 years. When I recently needed them to cancel a hotel booking as the recent events in Puerto Vallarta compelled me to do, they could do no better than offer to process the cancellation but only with a $1,100 cancellation fee penalty from the hotel. I called the hotel directly and as a result they are giving me a full credit with zero penalty. Subsequently when I wanted to instead of Mexico, go to California they quoted a rate over $900 more than the hotel was offering. Needless to say, I booked the hotel on my own at the much lower rate.

WORST CREDIT COMPANY EVER!!!!! I will NEVER do business with this company again. They give you credit then pull the rug out from under you when you try to use it. They've done this to me TWICE now. Never again, I'll be paying the balance off and cancelling for GOOD. Never again. I've had a perfect payment history with them. Then just because I was using the credit limit they gave me during slow business, they determined that they should cut my limit in less than half and completely stop me in my tracks.

I’ve been with Amex for 28 years. I used the Amex travel for the first time the other day. The hotel was terrible so tried to get a refund. Spent 4 hours online to get nowhere. I’m done spending money on this card when nobody will help. The worst service of any platform I’ve found. Do not use this.

Amex Travel is one of the worst travel applications and platforms in the industry, it seems. If you have to cancel for any reason and try to use your credit, FORGET ABOUT IT. The online desktop and mobile app crashes all the time, even if you rush to fill out the information and I am not sure who built it, but the credit redemption system is just terrible. There are no other words to say it.

Terrible experience trying to book a hotel. Tried to book a room but it would not go to the confirmation page. The page just kept spinning. Tried again and still no confirmation. Hours later AX confirmed that two rooms had been purchased for the same evening. The reservation was six weeks out. I contacted AX and after 1.5 hours and chatting with five different representatives they refused to give me a refund for the additional night. Awful customer service and impossible to speak with someone live. An expensive lesson learned and a complete money grab on their behalf.

American Express is now junk- not worth it, especially if you are going to try to book a flight. It is impossible to make any changes if you use points since you have to call the 800 number and will be put on hold for hours.

Had a very bad experience booking through AMEX travel. I was traveling to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam from US. Upon landing in a foreign country after a long flight we headed to the booked “Hotel”. We paid $210 per night for two nights for this 5 star hotel in The heart of the city. Upon reaching there we realized that this was an Airbnb and the only contact information was a phone number. The front desk refused us entrance to this apartment building without a host. We called several times but no response.

As a Platinum cardholder, I had a frustrating experience booking a hotel through the Amex App's travel website, and I would advise against using it as it could jeopardize your reservation. I attempted to book a Fine Hotels + Resorts property on my phone to utilize my $300 hotel credit. Despite carefully selecting an eligible hotel, I didn’t receive the credit or the 5x points. Amex claimed that the hotel wasn’t a Fine Hotels + Resorts property and that it wasn’t prepaid, even though my search indicated otherwise. Unfortunately, I was unable to substantiate my claim due to a lack of screenshots or supporting documentation. Additionally, their customer service was unhelpful and not very accommodating.

Completely disgusted with AmEx Travel. Booked a hotel for a few days, asked for the Hotel Collection, and somehow even though that was what I requested the company then offered MANY other options and I ended up getting another one... and they think that's OK, when they have to know it is confusing. When I request the HOTEL COLLECTION, that is what I should be offered, not this scam. I expected to get $300 back in benefits on my card from a hotel room, and now after the fact I am not getting that. I will be canceling.

American Express Travel was a great help with planning my trip. The booking process was smooth, and the customer service reps were knowledgeable and polite. I appreciated the extra support when I had questions, and everything worked out as expected. A few minor delays in communication, but overall a reliable and comfortable experience.

Watch out when booking flights through Amex Travel - the prices advertised are a scam! The American Express Travel website advertises flight prices which do not exist. When you go to book, at the last minute the fare increases by 50% of what was previously shown. I have tried to book the same flight to Europe for my family through the website on multiple separate occasions. Each time the website advertised a fare of approximately $5000 for all travelers. When I click to book I receive an error message that the fare is no longer available. I have attempted this at least 5 times. Each time it shows the $5,000 total price and each time I receive an error message when I attempt to book.

I booked a Hotel Collection stay at the Lotte New York Palace through the American Express Platinum Travel Desk last week. The room was advertised with Hotel Collection benefits, but when I arrived, the hotel refused to honor them. I contacted Amex immediately and asked them to speak with the hotel manager before I checked in, but the night manager still declined to provide the benefits—even though that's exactly what I booked through Amex.

Rented a car at Nu Car in LA through the American Express Travel website. When arrived, I was one of three people in line told that no cars were available. They called a shuttle to a competing rental agency which charged $100+ more for an older car. Was on a schedule, so ate the difference. As a relatively new cardholder, was told by colleagues American Express customer support is excellent; not the case here. Requested a refund of the difference (not the full amount). Went through six calls (bounced between departments), one open ticket, one month wait, to be told I'd have to contact the car rental agency myself and ask for the difference. Because I assumed American Express Travel actually acted like a travel agency, I further assumed they'd provide top notch service. I cannot possibly recommend them less for your travel needs. Stick with the big players in the game.

I booked a hotel on Amex Travel using saved up points. The Platinum card is mine. My husband is traveling with me so they automatically put him on the reservation that I made with my card and phone number ….as the main traveler. It is infuriating in this day and age to be so disregarded as a professional woman. I searched for flights and other hotels for our trip and the prices far exceeded what was available directly with airlines and hotels.

I am Platinum Customer of AMEX - a cardholder since 1981. I decided to use AMEX for a business class flight to London. I just spent 1.5 hours on the phone with a representative trying to select seats. Essentially - AMEX travel is do-it yourself, no service. They are totally worthless from a customer service standpoint and unfortunately, you have to work through them if you want to communicate with an airline or a travel company. The only thing you get is points. Big deal. I will never use them again and I am probably going to cut up my Platinum Card. By the way - there is no price benefit using AMEX travel.

I have been a loyal American Express Platinum cardholder for the past 10 years, and initially, the travel service was a significant benefit. When I first signed up, the customer service was exceptional, and the travel booking process was seamless. However, my recent experiences have been far from satisfactory. Lately, the wait times to speak with a customer service agent have become excessively long, often followed by even longer periods on hold. This has been incredibly frustrating, especially when urgent travel issues arise. Over the years, I've encountered several instances where tickets booked through American Express Travel never reached the airline, forcing me to purchase last-minute replacement tickets directly from the airline. This has caused unnecessary stress and financial strain.

The agents were nice. So I guess that is one plus. But they were entirely unhelpful in honoring the Royal Caribbean best price guarantee. The specifics are outlined directly on the RCCL website. However, if you do not book directly through RCCL, you have to have your agent work to get the guarantee. RCCL customer service did a great job of explaining to me why this is the case. Most cruise agents could fix this with one call. AmexTravel could not do it at all. Despite the decrease in price being visible on their own site as well as RCCL. Save yourself the frustration and book directly with the cruise line.

There’s really no benefit to using AMEX Travel. They jack up the price and I’ve never actually seen the benefits (early check-in, late check-out, resort credits, etc.). This last time, I booked something on Dec 31 for a stay in February, and Amex refused to give me the $200 hotel credits because it wasn’t in the new year. After I contacted customer service, the first time in March, they tell me “no worries, we’ll make it right and credit your account”. No credits ended up on my account, so I contacted them in May. The agent tells me they’re working on it and it’ll be done in a couple days. Just contacted them a month later and the agent tells me I won’t be getting any credits. Doesn’t show any empathy at all. Horrible customer service and prices wayyy too high. Just book directly through the hotel. Don’t fall into the benefits/credits trap.

I booked a hotel through the Fine Hotel Collection and they’re always seems to be a way that they avoid giving me the $200 credit. This time it was, "We didn’t consider your booking prepaid." I booked through the Amex portal on my phone. And did everything as I thought it should’ve been. Customer Service not very helpful. All they could offer me was a ticket to put in a case to have resolved. Let’s see if they call me back or even respond.

They’re a joke. I booked through them and I got confirmation. After I drove 3 hours the hotel didn’t have any rooms available and Amex will not do a thing. Bunch of scammers. They don’t stand with their customers

I mean to say horrible would be too kind. There is absolutely no brain utilized by the agents and they don't care to help. I spent hours trying to simply move in check-in date by 1 day for both rooms, apparently, that's a very difficult task. There is no way to call the agent back directly so you have to start over every single time. I am not sure why they charge this much money for a yearly fee and cannot provide acceptable customer service. There was a time when they were the best; that time is sadly long gone. I am going to cancel the card next year, it is too frustrating to deal with them and I don't have the time!

I used to love booking a flight or a hotel with American Express Travel. Everything can be fine and the service is good if your plans go smoothly, but if God forbid you need to cancel a trip they will do NOTHING to help you refund your money, they will be happy if you lost an open flight. First, they will have you wait on the phone for hours; never a reminder of an expiration date, nothing. I had two open tickets for a Lufthansa flight worth almost $10,000. American Express Travel never refunded me the money, I lost the tickets since the time given to use them expired. Talking afterwards to a Lufthansa representative she confirmed that American Express should refunded the money from the beginning.

Booked travel using points - lots of points so this was not a cheap trip. Travel to 3 countries which meant multiple airlines. AMEX site doesn't offer options about your ticket - just economy, business or first. Unlike when you book on the airline site, it will tell you the one you are about to purchase will screw you over and not let you have a seat until you get to the airport, AMEX just sells you the ticket and then you find out you cannot do anything about it. So, for two flights, one of 4 hours and one of 9 hours, I am stuck in a middle seat, boarding at the end so no room for my carry on. This isn't what I expect spending this many points. AMEX can do nothing and the airlines won't do anything because you didn't book through them. Basically, if you aren't going to book business or first, I wouldn't use AMEX travel. Too much risk and hassle.

Never ever ever book your tickets through Amex Travel. If any flight got cancelled, you will be screwed for sure. Their compliance team are very rude, and not customer friendly. Their compliance team.

Booked a very expensive flight on United through AMEX Travel. Flight was booked in Oct for a Jan departure. We had to cancel due to a family illness. We were given flight credits on United that expired the following October (not January when the flight was scheduled). I called to use the credits for another flight and was told if I didn't use the full amount in one booking I would lose whatever remaining amount there was. I have never had such a restriction on a booking before.

American Express Travel booked our business class tickets to Israel for a family event. Then a week before the trip they told us one leg was cancelled and there was no other flight and they were going to issue us a refund-after asking them to recheck and being told numerous times there was nothing available we reluctantly agreed to a refund and immediately looked for other tickets. When we were easily unable to find tickets I call Amex and filed a complaint-someone was supposed to call me in ‘24 hours.’ Eventually we ourselves found business class tickets online and called American Express to book it. They did and sent us a confirmation-and charged the extra cost to our card.

I have been trying to reserve a hotel room with Amex Travel and I can't believe that it is an impossible task. The website is unresponsive, to a point that it not able to get any search results. I have to use it because I have Amex platinum card but I am giving up on Amex. This is totally not worth paying $695 for this kind of treatment.

I made a hotel reservation over a month in advance. AMEX TRAVEL lured me to prepay the reservation by offering customary travel benefits only if I prepay reservation. Hotel looked good on paper but was unresponsive and had bad reviews from travelers. When I tried to cancel the reservation 29 days in advance, AMEX noted it was nonrefundable so I lost all my money. Apparently, there was fine print from hotel that they do not refund within 30 days. It was not communicated to me by AMEX. If I knew that, I would not reserve it and would not prepay it before doing further inquiries. Very disappointed in Amex Travel, they lost my trust and my business going forward.