Consumer complaint received 2025-08-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
American Express closed my account on XX/XX/XXXX due to inactivity. I did not learn about this closure until I attempted to use my card and then contacted American Express. 

In their response to my initial CFPB complaint ( Ref : XXXX ), American Express stated that they notified me only via email on XX/XX/XXXX. I never saw or received this email prior to a pdf copy that I was sent by American Express as part of the response to my initial complaint on XX/XX/XXXX. Furthermore, their own Cardmember Agreement states : We mail you notices through the XXXX mail, postage prepaid, and address them to you at the latest billing address on our records. Any notice that we send you this way is deemed to be given when deposited in the XXXX mail. 

No mailed notice was ever sent. There exists no clause in the Cardmember Agreement mentioning notices by email. By their own admission in my initial CFPB complaint, American Express relied solely on a single email, which is not guaranteed delivery and can be lost, filtered, or silently discarded without warning, even if they did not receive an undeliverable message. Simply claiming that the email did not bounce back does not prove that I was notified.

To reiterate : American Express claims they notified me of the pending closure by email on XX/XX/XXXX, and that because the email was not returned as undeliverable, I should be considered warned. This reasoning is flawed. Emails can fail in many ways and they can be lost to technical failure over the wire, filtered, overlooked, or silently discarded by providers systems without generating an undeliverable message. Simply saying an email was sent is not the same as ensuring a customer has been effectively notified, particularly for something as serious as account termination that impacts creditworthiness. 

Adding to the confusion, American Expresss public FAQ explicitly states : Please be assured that we won't close your account without warning. We'll let you know if your Card is at risk of being deactivated and how you can keep your account open.

Source : https : //www.americanexpress.com/us/customer-service/faq.card-inactivity.html This reassurance led me to believe I would be contacted clearly and reliably if my account was ever at risk. Instead, my account was closed without any mailed notice, and during this same time period I was still receiving marketing emails from American Express referencing my account number and implying that it was active and in good standing ( as late as XX/XX/XXXX, after closure ). 

While I understand the Cardmember Agreement gives American Express discretion to close accounts, their public-facing promises are materially different. The FAQ explicitly reassures customers that accounts will not be closed without warning, which clearly implies meaningful notice and an opportunity to act. Providing only a single email, which I never saw, does not fulfill that promise, especially when no mailed notice was sent and marketing emails continued to imply that my account remained in good standing by using language such as " Account ending in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and " Member since XXXX ''. Closing my account with only a single email notice ( which I never saw ) while simultaneously sending marketing emails implying the account was active and is misleading. This practice falls under unfair or deceptive acts and practices ( UDAAP ) because it creates false consumer expectations and results in real financial harm when those expectations are violated.

Core Issues are as follows : Failure to follow the Cardmember Agreement : No mailed notice was ever provided.

Misleading representations : Public FAQs promised warning, but no effective notice was received.

Confusing communications : Continued marketing emails referencing my account number that was supposedly closed reinforced the impression that my account was active.

American Express repeatedly told me that reinstatement of my account was impossible. However, the Cardmember Agreement explicitly provides that they may reinstate accounts at their discretion, including charging a reinstatement fee. Their claim that reinstatement was impossible was therefore misleading and inconsistent with their own terms. Even if they chose not to reinstate my account, their representatives should have communicated this truthfully rather than telling me it could not be done.

Resulting harm : The closure reduced my credit availability and score, which directly impacts my ability to secure a mortgage at favorable terms. This may cost me significantly more in housing expenses compared to what I would have paid had I been able to finalize my loan.

In conclusion : American Express states they closed my account within 60 days of the XX/XX/XXXX email. I understand the Cardmember Agreement allows them to close accounts at their discretion, but the issue is that their public-facing representations promised a warning notice before closure. By relying solely on email, without sending a mailed notice as contemplated in the Cardmember Agreement, which affirms notices are sent by mail and contains no language regarding email, I was never effectively warned. A warning that never reaches the customer is not a warning at all, and this directly contradicts the assurances American Express publishes in its FAQ.

American Express may argue that a warning is different from a notice, but this is simply a word game. In their written response to my initial CFPB complaint, Amex stated : We notified you your account is scheduled to close soon. By their own admission, they equated this with a notice, and confirmed it is their policy to send such notices. Nowhere, in the Cardmember Agreement or in public-facing materials, does Amex suggest that such important notices will be delivered exclusively by email. To the contrary, the agreement affirms notices are sent by mail.

Failing to send notices as outlined in their own correspondence, policies, and public materials constitutes a breach of contract at worst, and an unfair or deceptive act at best.

American Express might argue that the Sending you notices section of the Cardmember Agreement applies only to legal notices, billing statements, or collections, not to courtesy warnings of inactivity closure. However, in their own written response to my initial CFPB complaint, they explicitly used the word notified when describing the email they claim to have sent. This choice of language demonstrates that they themselves consider closure warnings to be a form of notice.

The Cardmember Agreement defines many terms but does not define notice or limit its scope. In the absence of such a limitation, it is reasonable and legally justifiable to treat closure warnings as notices. The Agreement expressly states that notices are deemed given when deposited in the XXXX mail and contains no authorization for email as a method of notice. Yet in their CFPB response, American Express stated that they notified me by email on XX/XX/XXXX. By their own usage, this was a notice, and under the Agreement, notices are mailed. Their exclusive reliance on email is therefore inconsistent with both their contract language and their own admissions. 

It is important to note that not once in any of my correspondence with American Express, whether phone calls or written CFPB responses, has Amex claimed to have mailed me a notice via XXXX mail. On the contrary, they have been clear that their only attempted notice was a single email on XX/XX/XXXX. Any later suggestion that a mailed notice was sent would directly contradict their prior statements. 

American Express may argue that the Cardmember Agreement allows closure at their discretion, with or without notice, however, while closure is discretionary, American Expresss public FAQ promised customers accounts would not be closed without warning. Exercising discretionary authority in a manner that contradicts public-facing assurances constitutes a misleading and unfair practice under UDAAP.

American Express may argue that email is a standard, reasonable method of communication, however, email is not guaranteed delivery and was not authorized in the Agreement. It can be lost, filtered, or discarded silently. For something as consequential as account closure, reliance on email alone is inadequate, especially when marketing emails referencing the account continued after closure, reinforcing a false impression of good standing.

American Express may argue that consumers are responsible for monitoring their accounts and communications, however, I did monitor communications. In fact, I received and reviewed other Amex emails during this time, including marketing emails as late as XX/XX/XXXX, which referenced my account number and implied it was active. There was no reason to believe I had missed a closure notice. 

American Express may argue that the credit impact was minimal, and no damages were sustained, however, the closure reduced my available credit and dropped my credit score at a critical time, immediately prior to applying for a mortgage. Even a small score reduction can result in denial or higher interest rates, costing tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. This is clear, material financial harm.

American Express may argue that reinstatement is discretionary, not mandatory, however, the Cardmember Agreement states Amex may reinstate cancelled accounts. Representatives told me reinstatement was impossible, which was false. They should have truthfully said it was discretionary, not impossible. Misrepresenting contractual rights is misleading conduct. 

American Express may argue that an internal investigation was already completed, however, the so-called investigation consisted only of checking whether an email was logged as sent. It did not evaluate whether notice was actually received, nor did Amex provide transparency ( no tracking number, no record shared ). This is not a meaningful investigation into my complaint about failed notice.

American Express may argue that although the account was cancelled due to inactivity, this does not prevent marketing emails from being sent. However, these were not generic marketing emails. They explicitly identified me as a current member since XXXX and referenced my account number. For example, the email from XX/XX/XXXX ( attached to this complaint ) is not a solicitation at all. It begins with Hello, Card Member and Explore your Cash Magnet Card Membership. This was sent seven days after American Express claims the account was closed on XX/XX/XXXX. The content and timing of this email created ongoing confusion and reinforced the impression that my account was still open and in good standing. 

In closing, I am not asking for special treatment, only that American Express honor its own stated policies, correct misleading practices, and restore my account in a way that reverses the harm caused. I respectfully request CFPBs assistance to ensure this matter is resolved fairly. 

Desired Resolution are as follows : Reinstate my original account, with its history and limit intact ; or, if American Express refuses, allow me to reapply in such a way that guarantees to preserve my original member date and credit line history, so that the impact to my credit score is reversed.

Correct or clarify American Expresss FAQ to ensure it does not mislead customers about notice before closure.

Review email-only notification practices for account closures, as this method is unreliable and inconsistent with both their FAQ and Cardmember Agreement.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation