Consumer complaint received 2026-01-26 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Issue Type : American Express XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : card misrepresentation, credit limit discrepancy, unauthorized charge Summary This report documents a series of issues I experienced beginning with the opening of my credit card account and continuing through the posting of an unauthorized {$750.00} charge. These issues stem from misrepresented approval terms, failure to honor a promised credit limit, inconsistent handling by representatives, and improper processing of a canceled transaction. 



Timeline of Events 1. Credit Card Opening & Promised Credit Limit Date : XX/XX/year> I applied for and opened this credit card based on a promotion that explicitly stated : Based on your credit score {$12000.00} credit limit. 

This representation was a primary factor in my decision to apply for and open the account. 


XXXX Credit Limit Not Honored / Disclosed Only After Application After completing the application, I was issued a credit limit of {$1000.00}, not the {$12000.00} that was represented to me. 
This lower credit limit was only shown after I applied, not before, and materially changed the terms under which I agreed to open the account. 


XXXX. Transaction/balance transfer Initiated Under XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX transfer was initiated under the assumption that the promised {$12000.00} credit limit would be honored. Once it became clear that the credit limit would not be corrected, the transaction no longer made sense. 

Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/year>, I called multiple times to explain that : - I was not requesting a credit increase - I was requesting a credit correction to honor the limit that was represented to me and that directly influenced my decision to open the card Despite repeatedly clarifying this, representatives continued to cite internal policies about requesting credit increases, which did not apply to my situation. I consistently corrected them and explained that this was a matter of misrepresentation, not a standard credit increase request. At this time I requested an escalation to a supervisor they informed me that a supervisor would call me. 


XXXX. Transaction Cancellation Due to Unresolved Credit Limit Issue I was ultimately informed that the issue could not be resolved immediately and would need to be sent for review. The supervisor I spoke with could not provide a timeframe for when or if this review would occur. 

Because of this uncertainty and failure to honor the promised terms, I clearly stated that I no longer wanted or authorized the {$750.00} balance transfer under these circumstances. Supervisor agreed and understood assured me that the {$750.00} transaction was canceled. 


XXXX. Unauthorized {$750.00} Charge/balance transfer Posted After Cancellation On XX/XX/year>, I called after noticing a {$750.00} charge/balance transfer that I did not authorize. During this call, the representative informed me that the transaction/balance transfer had been processed on XX/XX/XXXX, despite the fact that I had canceled it on XXXX XXXX with a supervisor. 

The representative suggested there may have been a misunderstanding regarding the cancellation, which I found inappropriate, as I was clear and explicit in my request. I was also concerned to learn that : - There appeared to be no notes documented from my supervisor conversation - The supervisor did not honor what was communicated to me- Despite the {$750.00} transaction/balance transfer error originating with American Express , I was advised by the representative that no citizens could be provided and that I would need to resolve an issue on my own. 

This demonstrates ongoing misrepresentation, lack of internal documentation, and improper handling of my account. 


XXXX. Resulting Harm As a result of these issues : - My account now carries a balance near the full credit limit - My credit utilization is artificially inflated - I am at risk of credit score damage caused entirely by company error - I am being expected to resolve and absorb the impact of mistakes I did not make

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation