Consumer complaint received 2026-05-27 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: CA

Complaint narrative:
I hold an American Express XXXX Card and am an active XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX benefit holder. On XX/XX/XXXX, I booked one night at XXXX XXXX in XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ) through AmexTravel.com as an XXXX property using my American Express XXXX XXXX Card ( confirmation : XXXX ). A {$300.00} XXXX statement credit was applied to my account. On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a second XXXX booking at the same property for XX/XX/XXXX ( confirmation : XXXX ), and a second {$300.00} credit was applied on XX/XX/XXXX. In XXXX XXXX, I cancelled the XXXX XXXX XXXX while retaining a separate, active American Express XXXX Card that carries the identical XXXX benefit. This week, I noticed neither reservation was appearing in My Trips on AmexTravel.com and contacted American Express Travel via chat. Over two sessions spanning multiple hours, I was transferred between at least five agents across the Travel and Card Services teams and received contradictory information. One agent incorrectly told me the reservations would appear in My Trips within 24 hours. A subsequent agent informed me the reservations are permanently tied to the cancelled card, will never appear in My Trips, and can not be modified through any self-service channel. The only option offered was to cancel and rebook under my active card, which would trigger clawback of the {$600.00} in XXXX credits already applied. When I asked agents to identify where this limitation is disclosed in the XXXX XXXX terms, XXXX benefit terms, or AmexTravel.com terms and conditions, no agent was able to do so. A Card Services representative acknowledged in writing during the chat : I acknowledge that there isnt clear disclosure that canceling the Card used to book an XXXX reservation would remove your ability to modify that booking, despite holding another eligible Platinum Card. I searched the XXXX benefit terms and AmexTravel.com terms and conditions myself and found no language disclosing that cancelling a card removes modification access to reservations made on that card, even for active cardholders holding another XXXX XXXX with identical benefits. The only relevant language states that credits may be reversed upon cancellation or modification, language that does not address or disclose the modification restriction itself. As a result, I am currently unable to manage two confirmed, prepaid hotel reservations totaling {$600.00} in applied credits, with no disclosed remedy that does not forfeit those credits. This limitation was never communicated at the point of card cancellation, is absent from all published terms, and applies even to cardholders who remain fully eligible for the XXXX benefit through another active card. Beyond these two specific reservations, this undisclosed limitation materially affects how I am able to use the XXXX benefit going forward. As an active XXXX cardholder, I can not confidently make XXXX bookings on any card I may someday cancel even if I will continue holding another active XXXX Card with the same benefit. Since American Express encourages cardholders to hold multiple cards and regularly evaluates which to keep or cancel, this limitation creates an undisclosed and permanent risk that attaches to every XXXX booking I make. The benefit is marketed as a premium travel perk justifying a {$690.00} annual fee, but the terms as applied contain a material restrictionloss of modification access upon card cancellationthat is nowhere disclosed and that fundamentally undermines the utility of the benefit for any cardholder who manages their card portfolio in the normal course.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation