Consumer complaint received 2025-12-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Credit card company won't increase or decrease your credit limit
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
am complaining about American Expresss handling of my credit limit, benefits, and product structure on my XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express Card XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  I want to be clear that I greatly value my relationship with American Express and would prefer to resolve this constructively, not end it. 



I originally had a XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express card. I later upgraded this to the XXXX XXXX XXXX product, a premium metal co-branded XXXX card with an annual fee of approximately {$790.00}. For most of this relationship, the credit limit on this account was held at around {$1000.00} and did not increase in any meaningful way, despite long tenure and positive use. 



Recently, I chose to lower the limit myself from {$1000.00} to {$200.00}, because the line was not functioning as meaningful credit and I did not want exposure on a product that did not provide real access. At this point, I have not yet been charged the {$790.00} fee for the current period, but the account remains a XXXX XXXX XXXX card associated with that fee level and premium branding. 



Throughout my time with this account : I have never been late on this card, I have paid the balance in full multiple times, and My broader credit file includes approximately 46 active tradelines across multiple institutions, also with positive payment history. 



I am a XXXX consumer on long-term XXXX income. Across multiple institutions, I am seeing a pattern where, despite a spotless payment record and repeated pay-offs in full, I am kept in a permanent low-limit tier. In American Expresss case, the mismatch is especially visible : I was upgraded from XXXX XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX, a premium co-branded XXXX product with a roughly {$790.00} annual fee, while the credit limit remained effectively at a starter level ( about {$1000.00} for years ) and is now {$200.00} at my request. 



In practice, the very low credit limit prevents me from using the card for its core advertised purpose : purchasing XXXX airline tickets. Typical XXXX airfare often exceeds the {$200.00} {$1000.00} range where my limit has been held, so I can not reliably use this XXXX XXXX XXXX card to book flights without immediately hitting the limit or risking a denial. This undermines the functional value of the product as a co-branded airline travel card. 



There is also an unresolved issue with missing XXXX. I am owed approximately XXXX XXXX XXXX that were never credited to my XXXX account, despite my understanding that I had met the relevant spending or promotional conditions required to earn them. These miles were a material part of the value proposition for holding and using the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I have not received a clear explanation from American Express or XXXX as to why these miles have not posted. 



American Express also uses prompts suggesting additional capacity at the time of purchase ( for example, Need more for this purchase? ). In my experience, these prompts do not meaningfully expand the available credit, and even small attempts to go above the existing limit have been denied. This creates the impression of flexible or expandable spending power that does not exist in practice for this account. 



My concerns are : There is no clear, transparent explanation for why a long-tenured, never-late customer with approximately 46 tradelines is kept at what is effectively a starter-level limit on a premium XXXX XXXX XXXX product. 
There is potential unfairness in pairing a very low limit with a very high annual fee ( approximately {$790.00} ) and a missing XXXX benefit, without giving the customer a realistic path to a normal premium-level line of credit and the promised value. 
XXXX and financially vulnerable consumers may be kept in low-limit tiers on high-fee, premium-branded airline products, while marketing and on-screen prompts suggest greater flexibility and access than is actually available. 



I am not disputing a specific transaction. My concern is whether American Expresss practices for this XXXX XXXX XXXX account are fair, transparent, and appropriate for long-tenured, XXXX customers, and whether the combination of low limits, high fees, missing miles, and flexible spending messaging results in misleading or unfair outcomes.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation