Consumer complaint received 2026-03-04 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 cancelled my XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card account on XX/XX/year>. I did not receive prior notice or a specific written explanation of the reason for closure, nor an opportunity to address the concerns before the account was terminated. The characterization that I filed disputes " not in good faith '' appears inconsistent with American Express 's own records, which show the company investigated those same disputes, requested evidence from me, and issued credits in my favor. Throughout multiple calls, representatives provided inconsistent explanations, refused to identify the specific transactions at issue, and directed me to call back for a reinstatement process that did not exist. Despite escalation to the XXXX 's office, the decision was confirmed final on XX/XX/year>. On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email stating my account had been cancelled after a recent review, with no specific reason given. I had no prior warning that my account activity was under review or at risk of cancellation. I called American Express XXXX XXXX immediately. Over the course of that call, I was transferred to multiple representatives : XXXX, XXXX, and supervisor XXXX, and then to XXXX colleague XXXX. XXXX XXXX stated the account was cancelled because the disputes were not valid. XXXX XXXX stated the account was cancelled because " recent disputes were not made in good faith, '' but acknowledged that neither she nor the system could provide specifics on which transactions were flagged. She also stated I had the option of getting a new American Express card. XXXX XXXX provided a different explanation, that the account was closed due to the frequency of disputes, which differed from XXXX 's stated reason. XXXX identified the disputed merchants as XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ), XXXX, and XXXX. When I asked whether the Card Member Agreement contained specific language regarding dispute-related cancellation, the XXXX referenced only the general discretionary closure clause. XXXX confirmed that no warning or notification was sent to me prior to the closure. He stated : " It looks like no, sir, we did not, '' after I asked whether American Express had sent any warning letter or notification before the sudden closure. XXXX told me to call back during business hours to speak with a XXXX XXXX XXXX and pursue a reinstatement process, and stated he would leave notes on my account. XXXX XXXX explicitly promised a full refund of the {$350.00} annual fee, stating it would be credited back to my account by XX/XX/year>. I was instead offered only a prorated refund of {$300.00}, contradicting what I was told. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX Eastern Standard Time, I called to verify that XXXX 's notes from XX/XX/XXXX were on record. XXXX XXXX confirmed the notes existed, timestamped XX/XX/year> at XXXX XXXX Mountain Standard Time. The internal notes described the closure reason as " unfair billing dispute practices, '' yet another characterization that conflicted with the cancellation email, which provided no reason at all, and with the explanations provided verbally by multiple representatives. When I called back on XX/XX/XXXX as directed, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 's notes were visible. She stated the account was " permanently closed '' and XXXX for reinstatement. This contradicted the assurances I received from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, who told me a reinstatement process existed and instructed me to call back specifically to pursue it. During this call, I raised a significant contradiction : American Express 's own dispute investigation team had reviewed the same transactions in question and issued credits in my favor, with account records stating : " As a result of our investigation, we have credited your account. '' Yet American Express then closed my account for filing those same disputes. XXXX acknowledged this dynamic but could not explain it. I also clarified the record regarding XXXX XXXX XXXX. During the XX/XX/XXXX call, I described my disputes broadly as XXXX while under XXXX. The XXXX XXXX XXXX disputes involved XXXX merchandise at a XXXX XXXX XXXX that was not as described on the company 's website, and the merchant refused to issue a refund. American Express conducted a formal investigation of these disputes, requested supporting evidence from me, reviewed that evidence, and ruled in my favor by issuing a credit to my account. Given that outcome, I am seeking clarification as to how those disputes were later characterized as not made in good faith. Also on XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a XXXX reconsideration request directly to American Express XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX responded promptly, stating he would have someone in his office look into the matter. In my letter, I acknowledged my dispute frequency, offered to pay back approximately {$320.00} in disputed amounts as a XXXX gesture, and requested even a XXXX reinstatement. On XX/XX/year>, a XXXX named XXXX from the XXXX XXXX called me to inform me that the decision is final and will not be reversed. No reason was provided for the final determination. After exhausting all internal escalation paths, including a final denial from the XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/year>, I am submitting this complaint for independent review and requesting CFPB assistance in resolving the following concerns : First, American Express did not provide a specific written reason for the adverse action at the time of cancellation. The cancellation email stated only that the account was cancelled " after a recent review '' and directed me to log into an account that had been simultaneously locked. As of XX/XX/year>, the message center continues to display : " This message is unavailable. Because this account has been closed, we are unable to load some account information. Please check to see if you also received a mailed copy of this message. '' I have not received any mailed correspondence. No accessible written explanation of the specific reasons for this adverse action has been provided to me through any channel. I am concerned this may not meet applicable requirements for providing clear and specific reasons for XXXX adverse actions. Second, the explanations provided verbally were materially inconsistent. Representative XXXX cited invalid disputes. Representative XXXX cited disputes " not made in good faith. '' XXXX XXXX cited dispute frequency. Internal notes retrieved on XX/XX/XXXX cited " unfair billing dispute practices. '' These are XXXX meaningfully different characterizations. None of them were included in any written notice provided to me. Third, the characterization that my disputes were " not made in good faith '' is difficult to reconcile with American Express 's own records. American Express investigated those disputes, requested evidence from me, and credited my account. Their own records state : " As a result of our investigation, we have credited your account. '' I am seeking clarification as to how that characterization was reached, given that American Express 's own investigation concluded in my favor. The cardholder agreement itself explicitly describes the dispute process and grants cardholders the right to dispute charges. I exercised that right in the manner the agreement prescribes. Fourth, regarding the annual fee : the cardholder agreement 's non-refundable fee policy applies to voluntary account closures by the customer after XXXX days. My account was closed unilaterally by American Express. I respectfully request review of the annual fee refund in light of the fact that the closure was XXXXXXXX and I was explicitly informed on the day of closure that a full refund of {$350.00} would be provided.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief