Consumer complaint received 2019-01-24
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: IL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
Summary : I recently applied for a AMEX XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express Luxury Card on XX/XX/XXXX. After completing the requirements of spending {$5000.00} in three months AMEX told me I would receive XXXX XXXX sign up bonus. I did not receive the XXXX point bonus. Below are the details of what AMEX said. To me this is bait and switch. I do not feel companies should be able to operate in this manner especially the banking industry. I feel AMEX should have reviewed my application up front and told me I would not be eligible for the XXXX point sign up bonus vs taking my {$450.00} fee and telling me they will not refund my fee and will not give me my bonus. How do they know I will cancel my card and take the bonus. I have only had my card for 90 days. If I were to cancel after a year then I could understand but not even giving a customer a chance to prove their loyalty does not make sense. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I applied for the XXXX-point XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express XXXX card after speaking to an AMEX representative. I was assured by AMEX I would be eligible because I have never had this card before. I told the AMEX representative I had had the XXXX VISA XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX points in XX/XX/XXXX and AMEX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX and the XXXX XXXX Rewards Premier Business credit card XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. 
I applied online on XX/XX/XXXX and was approved instantly ( there was no warning message during my application I was not eligible ). I called AMEX a couple of weeks after I received my card was assured if I spent $ XXXX in 3 months I would receive XXXX XXXX points. I followed up again approximately 75 days later and was again assured I had met the spend of $ XXXX in 3 months and will receive the sign-up bonus of XXXX XXXX points. At about 100 days I called AMEX for a status and was told by XXXX I have a Welcome offer history and would not be receiving my XXXX bonus and would not explain any details. I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor stated AMEX can deny for any reason in the terms and this is what they exercised. I was told it could be because I abused points or took points and cancelled AMEX cards in the past. I told her I have always try to follow the rules and even called in ahead of time to ask AMEX if I was eligible. I asked appeal and asked for their corporate office address and process to appeal. A few minutes later I called AMEX again in hopes to speak to a supervisor with more information. I spoke a different AMEX supervisor. He was very nice and could not figure out why I was declined either but could only speculate. The only thing he could think of is AMEX and XXXX have recently got together on the XXXX/XXXX merger and are trying to root out churners. He went on to say this is a new policy only in the past couple of months and AMEX is trying to work out the details on how to stop churners. He stated he would file a case on my behalf because he did not think that I should have been denied. He opened case and wrote a summary of our conversation and informed me I should get something in 30 days. He agreed I did everything right and state if I could he would reverse because he did not see any issues.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation