Consumer complaint received 2026-06-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Charged too much interest
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: SC

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a complaint regarding American Express 's billing and payment practices, which I believe are misleading and have resulted in improper interest charges on my account. The central issue is not simply the interest charge itself, but that American Express displayed a payment amount in its mobile application that I reasonably relied upon, and then could not clearly explain why that amount was insufficient to avoid interest charges. For the billing cycle ending XX/XX/XXXX, my statement reflects a previous balance of {$17000.00} and payments and credits totaling {$17000.00}, which exceeds the previous balance. Despite this, American Express assessed {$360.00} in interest and indicates that the interest was calculated on a balance of {$16000.00}. American Express has not provided a clear explanation of how that balance was determined. When my payment was due on XX/XX/XXXX, the American Express mobile application displayed a remaining statement balance of {$17000.00}. I relied on that information and paid the amount shown by American Express. Only afterward was I informed that the payment was apparently insufficient to satisfy the prior statement balance. When I contacted American Express to understand and dispute the interest charges, I spoke with three different representatives and attempted to escalate the matter. Rather than providing a clear explanation of how the interest was calculated, the representatives focused on confirming that I had received my statement, understood the statement balance, and that I should know the terms and conditions since I've been a cardmember for several years. American Express repeatedly pointed out that my payment of {$17000.00} was less than the prior statement balance of {$17000.00}. However, no representative could clearly explain whether account credits apply toward satisfying the statement balance, whether posted credits are included in the " remaining statement balance '' displayed within the American Express mobile application, or how the company arrived at the balance used to calculate interest charges. Most importantly, American Express was unable or unwilling to explain why the payment amount presented in its own application differed from the amount it later claimed was required to avoid interest charges. As a consumer, I reasonably relied on the payment amount displayed by American Express within its application. If the amount shown in the application is not the amount required to avoid interest charges, that fact should be clearly disclosed. Instead, I was presented with a payment amount, paid that amount, and was subsequently charged interest without receiving a transparent explanation of how the determination was made. Despite multiple conversations and escalation attempts, American Express did not provide a transparent accounting of its interest calculation or a clear explanation of how consumers should reconcile the payment amount displayed in the mobile application with the amount required to avoid interest charges. As a result, I remain unable to determine whether the interest charges were properly assessed. I am requesting that American Express provide a detailed explanation of how the interest charges were calculated, including how the balance subject to interest was determined ; refund any improperly assessed interest charges ; and correct any misleading payment balance displays so that consumers can clearly determine the amount required to avoid interest charges.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation