Consumer complaint received 2025-08-24 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with rewards from credit card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
Complaint Summary : I am filing this complaint against American Express for deceptive practices regarding their XXXX XXXX welcome offer. On XX/XX/XXXX, I applied for their XXXX XXXX  based on a prominently displayed welcome offer promising XXXX Membership Rewards Points after spending {$6000.00} in six months. American Express immediately approved my application without any eligibility warnings and encouraged me to begin spending. 

Timeline of Deception : American Express concealed any denial of my welcome offer while I spent {$6000.00} in good faith reliance on their advertised promise from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. Only when I inquired about receiving the earned benefits on XX/XX/XXXX, did they reveal for the first time that the offer had been declined. During this entire period, they never notified me of any denial despite their own policy requiring such notifications. 

Why This Was Misleading : The application process was fundamentally deceptive. American Express displayed the welcome offer prominently during application, provided no eligibility warnings despite their representatives confirming such warnings are mandatory, immediately approved my application, and sent congratulatory messages encouraging spending. Their own representative admitted : " Notification/alert will also appear before completing the application if you are not eligible for the bonus offer. '' Since no such alert appeared, their disclosure system failed. 

Inconsistent and Contradictory Explanations : When confronted with evidence, American Express provided multiple contradictory explanations that demonstrate their deceptive conduct. 
First, they claimed the denial was based on being an existing cardholder, despite this being my first XXXX XXXX. Then they shifted to claiming it was based on " various factors by your team '' and " history with American Express welcome offers, introductory APR offers, or because of the number of Cards you have opened and closed. '' Finally, they contradicted themselves by stating " the welcome bonus offer was not tied to your account, '' directly conflicting with their confirmation that the bonus offer " has been declined on our system. '' Most tellingly, when I provided photographic evidence of the application showing no decline warnings, they refused to review it, stating " we do not have an option to contest the welcome bonus offer decline as the offer was declined in the first place '' - circular reasoning that proves their unwillingness to address legitimate evidence. 

Why This Appears Fraudulent : American Express 's conduct follows a systematic pattern : they display attractive offers during application, conceal any denials from customers, encourage spending based on false promises, then provide contradictory explanations when confronted. They confirmed the offer was declined but never notified me until XX/XX/XXXX - after I completed the required spending. This practice allows them to benefit from customer spending while avoiding contractual obligations, violating federal consumer protection laws and constituting bad faith breach of contract.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation