Consumer complaint received 2025-07-31 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: GA

Complaint narrative:
My American Express credit card account, open for XXXX  years, was closed without my knowledge on XX/XX/year>. According to Amexs public policy, cardmembers will be notified before closure due to inactivity. I never received any such notice by mail, email, or any other channel. I only discovered the closure when I attempted to use the card and immediately contacted Amex on XX/XX/XXXX and again on XX/XX/XXXX to resolve the issue. 

Their representatives claim a notice was sent on XX/XX/XXXX, but even if that were true, the account was closed only XXXX  days later, not the XXXX  days stated by both XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX representatives. They offered no proof that I received the notice, nor any way to confirm it was successfully delivered. While they insist it was sent, that is not the same as notified. I understand sending the notice may have been a good-faith effort on their part, but I am also acting in good faith and can confirm that I never received it, despite thoroughly checking my records. 

In fact, the most recent correspondence I received from Amex was a routine solicitation dated XX/XX/XXXX, nearly XXXX weeks after the closure, referring to me as a current cardmember and containing no mention of any account issue. I reviewed all communications dating back to XX/XX/XXXX and found no warning or closure notice of any kind. Even if Amex attempted to send a message, if it was never delivered or seen, the policy to notify was not upheld. I never received a warning. 

I requested reinstatement, which Amex is fully capable of doing, but was falsely told this was impossible due to credit reporting agency issues. This is not accurate as card issuers routinely reinstate accounts and update the bureaus accordingly. I made a timely, good-faith effort to correct what I believe was either a policy failure or systems error. Amex refused to fix it, gave me incorrect information, and did not provide any written record of the escalation. I spoke with a representative named XXXX ( XXXXXXXX ) and his XXXX XXXX supervisor. When they said they would escalate, I was denied any confirmation or tracking number and was told to call back in XXXX weeks. 

I want to make it clear that I would never knowingly allow my account to be closed, especially not after XXXX years in good standing. While I hadnt used the card in some time, I relied on Amexs stated policy ( XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) that I would be notified before closure. I would never intentionally let an account close or risk damage to my credit. Like many others, Ive been cautious about using revolving credit during a period of high interest rates and economic uncertainty, but that does not mean I abandoned the account. I fully expected that, if action was needed, I would be alerted in time to respond. 

Amexs own policy page clearly states, Please be assured that we won't close your account without warning. I took that statement at face value, regardless of how long it had been since I last used the card. If Amex truly takes customer security seriously, I would expect a more reliable and redundant notification system, including duplicate or multifactor communication, especially when the consequence is permanent account closure and potential credit damage. A second email or even an automated text message is not only a reasonable and prudent redundancy, its hardly an undue burden for a company of Amexs scale. In fact, its something most consumers would reasonably expect when a company explicitly tells them to rest assured. If the promise is to warn or notify before account closure, then the burden is on Amex to ensure that the notification is received, or at the very least, to make every reasonable effort to ensure it is likely to be received. If they are unable or unwilling to do that, then they should revise their stated policies to reflect that reality and be honest with their cardmembers. 

In the attachments provided with this complaint, I have included the last XXXX emails I received from American Express, dated XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. Both refer to me as an active cardmember and give no indication that my account was closed or at risk of closure. If my account had already been closed on XX/XX/XXXX, or was in the process of being closed due to inactivity, then sending such communications without any warning is misleading at best and potentially deceptive. These messages reinforced my belief that my account was in good standing and gave me no reason to suspect otherwise. 

I reiterate that I received no indication or notice that my account had been closed. To the contrary, communications from Amex appeared to indicate an account in good standing. 

I am requesting that my account be reinstated, reported correctly, and the closure recognized as a procedural failure.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation