American Express Travel Reviews

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About American Express Travel

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American Express Merchant Services delivers payment processing and merchant account solutions. The company offers credit card processing, point-of-sale systems and fraud protection tools for businesses of various sizes, while integrating secure payment technologies and customer support to enhance transaction efficiency.

Pros
  • Wide range of travel options
  • Strong loyalty rewards program
  • User-friendly booking interface
Cons
  • High fees for certain services
  • Inconsistent customer service quality
  • Complicated claims process

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American Express Travel Reviews

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    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 25

    Reviewed June 3, 2026

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

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsMaintenance

    Reviewed May 20, 2026

    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.

    I’ve asked the hotel to cancel the original four-night, one-person reservation and refund the $2,000 I was charged. So far, I haven’t received the support needed to fix an issue caused by inconsistent information between the hotel and Amex. Instead each company tells me to work with the other. This has been stressful and time-consuming for what should be a simple correction. What I requested: Cancel the original 4-night, 1-guest reservation made via American Express. Refund the $2,000 already charged. I hoped management would resolve this quickly and ensure better coordination so guests aren’t penalized when trying to correct an obvious error, but that hasn't happened.

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      Customer ServicePriceStaffRates

      Reviewed May 12, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffRates

      Reviewed May 6, 2026

      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.

      I ultimately chose American Express Travel because of the benefits associated with the Platinum Card and the expectation of strong customer support. At first, the online booking platform was incredibly frustrating. Every time I entered passport details for myself and my companion, the system would freeze and restart—and each time it restarted, the ticket price had increased. Eventually, I called and spoke with an agent who was kind and helpful, and I completed the purchase. I booked a Main Cabin ticket with American Airlines, and I was told I could either pay to select seats or wait until 24 hours before departure. Because this is a long international trip with two flights, I decided to secure my seats in advance. That was about two months ago. Now, one week before departure, I still cannot select or pay for seats.

      I have called American Airlines, who redirected me to Iberia because the flight is operated by them. Iberia, in turn, claims I have a basic fare and cannot assign seats, even though I paid for a full fare ticket that included baggage and seat selection. American Airlines says Iberia changed their policy and there’s nothing they can do. Iberia, meanwhile, refuses responsibility because the ticket was issued through American Airlines. This has left me in an incredibly frustrating and unfair situation, especially considering I paid over $1,300 per ticket and expected a premium level of service with my American Express Platinum Card.

      What is most disappointing is that American Express Travel has done absolutely nothing to help resolve this issue. The only response I receive is “I’m sorry,” with no real support or solution. That is simply not acceptable. If I cannot rely on American Express Travel to advocate for me or assist when issues arise between airlines, then there is no value in booking through them. I will not be using American Express Travel again for airline tickets. Not with a Platinum Card, and not under any circumstances. This experience has completely undermined my confidence in the service.

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      Customer ServicePriceRates

      Reviewed April 21, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedOnline & AppStaffEase of Use

      Reviewed April 20, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServiceBilling

      Reviewed April 17, 2026

      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!

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      Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedRates

      Reviewed April 9, 2026

      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.

      In fact, in the past 5–6 years, I have never successfully received the advertised benefits from Fine Hotels & Resorts, hotel bookings, or even airline tickets through Amex Travel. Has anyone actually had a good experience? Despite spending hours with customer service, there has been no resolution and no meaningful follow-up. The benefits are heavily marketed but rarely delivered in my experience. At this point, booking through Amex Travel has only resulted in higher costs and unnecessary frustration. Not worth the time or money.

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      Customer ServiceCoveragePriceMaintenanceStaffTimeliness

      Reviewed March 18, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServiceRefunds & Payouts

      Reviewed March 8, 2026

      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.

      I spoke to American Express in January after I returned and they said they would get back to me in 2 to 3 weeks. I did not hear from them for 6 weeks and call them back 3 days ago. I spoke with them for 49 minutes of which 39 minutes I was on hold. I spoke to a person called Tony who was rude and crude and after we did not get anywhere I wanted to speak to the supervisor and after a 12-minute hold he told me that none was available and that he had made a request and they would call me within 48 hours and speak to me. Unsurprisingly no supervisor called me. I will still pursue and get the difference paid out to me but I am disappointed by American Express travel. Their service is absolutely worthless and the customer relations are pathetic. I will never use Amex for travel planning.

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      Customer ServicePriceRates

      Reviewed March 6, 2026

      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.

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      Punctuality & SpeedBillingRates

      Reviewed March 1, 2026

      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.

      The whole damn point of having a credit line is to use it how you see fit. I made payments on time, would have paid off the entire balance in a few months when business picked up again. Screw this company, worst credit card I've EVER had. On top of this shady practice, they jack the rates WAY up if you use very much of your total limit. Shadiest credit card company I've ever seen. Their rates were horrible to begin with, just wait till you have a balance they'll screw you every chance they get.

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      Refunds & PayoutsStaff

      Reviewed Feb. 24, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedRates

      Reviewed Jan. 10, 2026

      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.

      You cannot actually use the credit how you want to use it because the system will only allow you to do round-trip and not multi-city trips (which can be useful if you have to be flexible in these days with air traffic control issues in the US), and one-way does not seem to work any better. I do not know how this card price is justified given these terrible experiences we have had as a family with this service over the last few years.... Not to mention when you call the customer service number, there is no exaggeration that you may wait for 1 or more hours...what happened to this service?

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      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaff

      Reviewed Jan. 7, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServicePriceValue

      Reviewed Jan. 3, 2026

      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.

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      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffTimeliness

      Reviewed Jan. 3, 2026

      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.

      We finally texted on WhatsApp with the host. The host told us that since it was a holiday season they were oversold and we could not get a room. We had paid for the hotel in full and was non refundable. When we told the host that we had already paid for the hotel, they said “I don’t care”. We chatted wit Amex for four hours and they did not get a response from the host. Amex was not helpful at all in their customer service and told us that we need to wait for 7 days and then they will take action.

      In the meanwhile, we overpaid and got a Marriott far away from the city center for more than the 5 star accommodation we had paid for. No response from the host or Amex. We will wait and see if we get our money back. Even if we do, the horrible experience was unforgettable. NEVER USE AMEX TRAVEL. They don’t vet their recommendations.

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      Customer ServiceOnline & App

      Reviewed Dec. 5, 2025

      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.

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      Sales & Marketing

      Reviewed Nov. 23, 2025

      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.

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      Customer ServiceStaff

      Reviewed Nov. 21, 2025

      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.

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      Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaffRates

      Reviewed Sept. 26, 2025

      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 have called Amex Travel customer service three separate times on this issue. Each time the representative has manually entered my travel info and received the same $5,000 price. When the representative attempts to manually book they also receive an error message and then inform me the flight is actually well over $7,000 total. All three times, the Amex Travel representative has told me there is nothing they can do and my only option is to book at the higher price.

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      Sales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedTransparencyHonesty & Transparency

      Reviewed Aug. 5, 2025

      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.

      Worse yet, the room was filthy and completely run down. It smelled of mold, and it looked as though it hadn’t been updated in decades. The carpet was stained and worn, the furnishings were tired, and the whole room felt neglected and unhygienic. I later found out from the morning manager that the room hadn’t been renovated in at least 15 years and was due for an overhaul. It was also a handicap-accessible room—something I was never informed of—with a shower head positioned at my chest level.

      I was charged $660 for this room, and honestly, I would have been upset even if I had paid half that. But for the fact that I arrived late in the evening, I would have simply walked out and booked another hotel. Between the deceptive booking and check-in process, the refusal to honor promised benefits, and the unacceptable condition of the room, this experience felt like a total rip-off. I expected better from both American Express and the Lotte Palace. This was not the luxury experience I expected—it was more like a fleebag motel—and it was a classic bait-and-switch. Both companies should be ashamed. Dan K.

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      Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaff

      Reviewed Aug. 4, 2025

      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.

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      Customer ServicePriceStaffRates

      Reviewed July 26, 2025

      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.

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      Customer ServicePriceStaffRates

      Reviewed July 4, 2025

      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.

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      American Express Travel Company Information

      Company Name:
      American Express Merchant Services
      Website:
      www.americanexpress.com