Consumer complaint received 2026-06-10 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against American Express for deceptive marketing, bait-and-switch practices, and failure to honor an advertised promotion, following a final refusal from their Executive Consumer Relations department ( Case handled by XXXX XXXX ). On XX/XX/year>, while searching for hotel rates on Hilton.com, I was presented with an online booking-path promotion for the XXXX XXXX Amex XXXX XXXX. The promotional offer explicitly promised XXXX XXXX XXXX Bonus Points, 1 Free Night Reward after spending {$3000.00}, AND a {$0.00} Introductory Annual Fee for the first year. Based entirely on the good faith of this advertised " {$0.00} annual fee '' incentive, I submitted my application and was approved. Now, American Express has charged me the {$150.00} annual fee. In their final written response from the Executive team ( which I have attached ), they claim their system shows my offer did not include the waived annual fee. As a consumer, I have no control over American Express 's backend IT systems or how their tracking codes are captured during a Hilton.com redirect. The introductory annual fee waiver was heavily advertised as an essential element of the booking-path offer during that exact timeline. American Express can not shield themselves behind an internal system technical error or a missing promotion code to strip away a promised financial incentive that induced me to apply for the card. This is a clear case of bait-and-switch. I demand American Express honor the promotion presented to me at the time of application and credit back the {$150.00} annual fee immediately Dear XXXX XXXX, Thank you for your follow-up letter summarizing our conversation. I am deeply disappointed by American Expresss final decision regarding my account. I must state clearly that I do not accept the outcome of your internal review. The assertion that the offer I accepted did not include a waived annual fee is incorrect. As I explained, I applied on XX/XX/year>, through a specific Hilton.com booking-path promotion that explicitly advertised a {$0.00} introductory annual fee for the first year, alongside the XXXX points and the Free Night Reward. I relied in good faith on the exact marketing terms presented to me at the moment of my application. As a consumer, I have no control over XXXX XXXX backend tracking systems or whether your IT platform properly captured the promotion code during the website redirect. Using an internal system technical error to strip away a promised financial incentivewhich was the primary reason I chose to open this accountconstitutes deceptive marketing and a bait-and-switch practice. Since American Express XXXX XXXX XXXX refuses to honor the advertised offer and resolve this dispute internally, I am letting you know that I am escalating this matter further. I have officially filed a formal complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and am submitting your final written refusal as evidence of a systemic billing and marketing dispute. I value my overall credit relationship, but I will vigorously defend my rights as a consumer against unfair practices. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation