Consumer complaint received 2026-05-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I am a New York resident ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, NY XXXX ) and have been an American Express cardholder since XXXX more than XXXX years. I have maintained a consistently high monthly spend, never missed a payment, and never had any account in default. On XX/XX/XXXX, American Express National Bank cancelled every American Express account held in my name or in the name of my controlled entity XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The cancelled accounts are : XXXX Card ending XXXX ; XXXX XXXX ending XXXX ; XXXX XXXX XXXX ending XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) ; XXXX XXXX ending XXXX ; and supplementary XXXX Card ending XXXX. All were cancelled simultaneously, without prior notice, and without any stated reason. The cancellation letter stated only that the accounts 'will not be eligible for reinstatement nor for Membership Rewards points redemptions. ' On the same day XX/XX/XXXX I received a separate email from American Express requesting XXXX documentation. My accounts were cancelled before I had any opportunity to respond. No extension was offered, no follow-up sent, no phone call made. At the time of cancellation, XXXX Membership Rewards points were accumulated in the Rewards Account linked to my cards, representing approximately USD {$150000.00} in value. Since XX/XX/XXXX, American Express has refused to allow me to redeem, transfer, or use these points in any way. This conduct violates New York General Business Law 520-XXXX, which provides that when a credit card account is cancelled, a New York cardholder must be given at least 90 days from the date of cancellation notice to redeem accumulated points. Section 520-e ( 3 ) makes it unlawful for any agreement to provide for forfeiture of points before this period expires. Section 520-e ( 5 ) voids any agreement purporting to waive this right. The 90-day window runs to approximately XX/XX/XXXX I am filing this complaint while that window remains open. American Express has not stated any basis for the cancellation. It has not invoked the 520-e ( 4 ) fraud or misuse exception. No customer service representative has articulated any reason. Every call to the number on the back of my card has resulted in a refusal to assist. I sent a written demand letter to American Express on XX/XX/XXXX requesting : ( 1 ) restoration of Membership Rewards access for at least 90 days from actual restoration ; ( 2 ) a written explanation of the cancellation basis and whether AmEx invokes the 520-e ( 4 ) exception ; ( 3 ) refund of a {$6400.00} credit balance on my XXXX account ; ( 4 ) confirmation that no adverse credit bureau reporting has been made ; and ( 5 ) read-only access to account records. I ask the CFPB to : ( 1 ) require AmEx to restore my Membership Rewards access for at least 90 days ; ( 2 ) require AmEx to provide a written explanation of its cancellation basis ; and ( 3 ) investigate whether AmEx 's blanket denial of 520-e redemption rights without invoking the statutory exception and without articulating any basis constitutes a violation of applicable consumer protection law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation