Consumer complaint received 2025-01-23 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: MA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX I sought information about my sign-up bonus as I wasn't sure what my exact spend was. I was told that I was declined for a sign-up bonus. The reason I was given was that I had an American Express XXXX XXXX. I informed them that I was just an authorized user on this card and that it had been opened in the XXXX. The representative said that they would note that and begin an investigation. 

I requested an update on XX/XX/XXXX in the app. I was then told my sign-up bonus was denied because I received a sign-up bonus on my XXXX XXXX XXXX card XXXX Now, this is an outright lie. Even if the XXXX XXXX card WAS in the same card family as the XXXX XXXX ( which it isn't ), it wouldn't matter. You can earn sign-up bonuses on all Amex charge cards so long as you do so in order of annual fee ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX ). It is fairly obvious why this is their policy- it encourages people to upgrade and discourages people from downgrading. I informed the representative of this, but they kept sending the same copy-and-paste message : You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for XXXX XXXX, the XXXX XXXX from American Express Exclusively for XXXX XXXX or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express XXXX XXXX, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. 

I informed the representative that I would be filing for arbitration, and they said, " It can't be arbitrated. '' How can a customer service representative not know that cardmemebers are entitled to arbitration/mediation for any issue relating to their account except for the arbitration provision itself? It specifically lists this exact circumstance. Frankly, this is a violation of the cardmember agreement. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I emailed the American Express corporate secretary due to the poor customer service I had received in the app and over the phone. 

When the person from the corporate secretary 's office called me, they told me they had completed a thorough investigation and were happy to provide me with all the information I needed. They listened to what I had to say and tried to give me the same reasons again. I asked them if they had actually read my claim ( or even looked at my American Express account ) because if they had, they would know that I never closed an American Express card or initiated a balance transfer. After that excuse failed just as it had before, the representative finally said that it was because of " other factors '' that my sign-up bonus was declined. I asked them what that could possibly mean. If it has nothing to do with my creditworthiness, sign-up bonus history, or American Express XXXX XXXX, I can't think of anything else above board that falls under " other factors. '' They said they could not tell me what these " other factors '' were. 

I decided to file a claim via the mail on XX/XX/XXXX, which is required before going to mediation and/or arbitration. I attached this letter along with screenshots of my chats with representatives and previous emails I sent. 

Dear American Express, After chatting with a representative from the corporate secretarys office, I have decided to file a claim. This issue has still not been resolved, and my frustration continues to grow. The individual on the phone offered no explanation for why every chat representative I have spoken to thus far has given me a different reason for why my welcome bonus was stolen from me. This email is meant to accompany the email I sent last week, which I have enclosed. 
To no great surprise, the first thing the individual on the phone talked about was the screen that comes up before you submit your application that says you are ineligible for your welcome offer. They told me the exact time when I got this message. They then fumbled around for XXXX or XXXX seconds while trying to figure out how much later I submitted the application. It was XXXX seconds. I used my phone for XXXX hours and XXXX minutes on XX/XX/XXXX. Meaning this message was on my screen for XXXX of the XXXX seconds I spent using my phone that day. 
My point is that I can honestly say that I don't remember any part of my application. I didn't even remember what I was doing for any of the XXXX hours and XXXX minutes I spent using my phone the next day, not to mention XXXX weeks later. I'm sick of hearing about a box that shouldn't have even been there in the first place. I have spoken with friends who work for AMEX, and they said if I called on the phone, my application would've been processed with the welcome bonus. 
This representative said I see you included the section on exclusions in bold in your email, and as you can see, there is a part that says other factors. Now, I couldn't help but laugh. No matter what representative I speak with, regardless of whether they are a chat rep, phone rep, or if they work in the corporate secretary 's office, they always try to fit a square peg into a round hole. If the reason I was ineligible for my welcome bonus was other factors, why did the chat rep say it was because I was the authorized user on a Gold card? If the reason I was ineligible for my welcome bonus was other factors, why did the phone rep say it was because I received a welcome bonus on a XXXX XXXX XXXX card? The answer, fairly obviously, is that each of these individuals is making it up as they go. The service I have received at multiple different points is so awful that the only explanation is that all representatives are trained to do this. American Express refers to its customers as cardmembers and not cardholders like other credit card companies. This is more than a credit card ; its a membership to excellence, which is why the fee is so high. I expect not to get treated like this is just some other credit card. There is no legitimate reason for my welcome bonus to have been denied, and I will do everything in my power to prove that. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email telling me to call the company about my claim. There was no special claim line or someone who knew anything about my case. It was just a regular phone representative checking notes from somebody else. They said that the reason I was ineligible for the XXXX XXXX 's sign-up bonus was because I had " previously been extended the same or equivalent welcome bonus for either the same or equivalent card. '' At this point, I am convinced that this is some kind of office joke that everybody is in on. There are no equivalent welcome offers, and there are no equivalent cards- both of these things being true is why the XXXX card 's entire identity. It's why it exists, and it's why people sign up.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation