Consumer complaint received 2025-10-17 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Can't use card to make purchases
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/year> unable to pay car dealership large payment as pre-arranged with American Express prior to wiring XXXX XXXX weeks ago and XXXX XXXX weeks ago. American Express said I could call in, or my signer, to arrange any large payment, my intention was to purchase a car or truck, and American Express said they would authorize the payment provided it was within the credited, i.e. surplus money in the American Express Bank ; however for the large transaction none of my authorized credit would be allowed. This was fine. It turned out that some dealerships care and some don't about using the card, even though it wasn't credit. Ultimately, I was only trying to use XXXX, and called in with my authorized user to make the transaction. Instead of the customer service rep doing the transaction as agreed, and seemed not to even know his own daily charge limit rules, he said the authorize user card couldn't be used buy my card could be. Understand, XXXX is my daily limit as I understand, as American Express had just done this same kind of thing to me when I tried to charge about XXXX to pay for 6 months of car insurance with about XXXX in credit available. The charge was denied and I called in to find out Amex had put a block on my spending limit without telling me for large purchases... I asked many times and was refused to be told what Amex considered a large purchase ... and Amex said because I had broken their rules my paid, not late, etc. account had been reduced to XXXX, after much going back and forth with the particular department who handles these issues, the woman finally admitted there was a way to fix it. After putting me through the ringer, verifying all my information like I was a new applicant, I was finally told I could reinstate the XXXX limit by sending in statements or paying XXXX. I had already paid XXXX, so the woman finally admitted and processed putting the account back. I was told they didnt have to tell me they put limits or anything they wanted to change on my account. I dudnt have the right to know about the changes and I could be punished, have my account cutoff, credit limit lowered, card cancelled, whatever they wanted without ever telling me the new rules. I thought this would be the end of this after verifying and considering the substantial overage I'd paid in, plus it was preagreed and notes were put in the account. I was told while my limit was XXXX reduced that my daily spending limit was the same. Understand, previous use of XXXX American Express card had started with XXXX limit and did not have a daily limit but was limited by my available credit. I used the card to get my horse admitted to a hospital but the hospital want XXXX upfront. XXXX. I paid the balance and made XXXX payment, then paid XXXX, and made another payment. I made another XXXX payment to finish and that charge was denied. OK. But without any information, I told you what the card did. And the excuse and total lack of my understanding of my right to know how my account works. So, I was told at that time, that my account would be reinstated to XXXX but I'd have to wait 30 days. Or they might have XXXX up to 30 days, because I noticed my XXXX was back. I was told when my XXXX came back I could use all that was available, but they were putting a daily spending cap of XXXX, not what I had available, as evidence with prior purchasing. So, with this in mind, and since I had gone to XXXX 's earlier before finding out a very good deal was available, I knew I didn't have the full XXXX. Plus it was a very large purchase so I and my authorize user called in to have the payment put through, as I believed it would go over the XXXX threshold and because we had prearranged, before sending in the wire transfers, for Amex to help authorize the large purchases intended by the excess funds. This did not happen, Amex shutdown and lockout the cards, and access to my XXXX in surplus funds in their Bank XXXX The woman refused to tell me why this was happening again. I am completely harassed by American Express who is holding XXXX and threatening to cancel me if I don't go through theur complete financial verification process... again. Last time they said pay money or give bank statements. Now, they have XXXX of my money and insisted I go through this process, requiring bank statements. When it got there, the dealership said so, not waiting, no American Express, and I had to come up with additional funds which is ridiculous when I prearranged with American Express to have the funds to purchase a vehicle wired and agreed to be facilitated and that money was already in American Express control. The call got to the wanting bank statements, still no justification for this harassment, or options like before. One would think being overpaid by so much money for the expressed purpose of using it, that American Express could keep theur word instead of threatening to close my account entirely! They are even charging overdraft or failed payment fees for payments that aren't reissued

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief