Consumer complaint received 2025-03-03 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: CO

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint because American Express has failed to honor a promotional offer I received from XXXX XXXX XXXX regarding the XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express XXXX. 

A few months ago, I received an email from XXXX XXXX XXXX offering XXXX bonus miles if I applied for the Platinum credit card and spent {$5000.00} in eligible purchases within the first XXXX months of card membership. I applied for the card, was approved, and met the required spending threshold within the specified timeframe. However, instead of receiving the full XXXX miles as promised, I was only awarded XXXX miles. Please note, the only reason I applied for this credit card and was willing to pay the annual fee of {$350.00} was because I was promised XXXX bonus miles. 

I reached out to American Express to correct this issue and provided the promotional email and its terms and conditions, which clearly state that I was eligible for XXXX miles after meeting the spending requirement. Despite this, American Express responded that the promotion was only for XXXX miles, which contradicts the offer I received and accepted. 

The terms and conditions in the original promotional email explicitly state that I would receive XXXX miles upon meeting the spending threshold, and there is no indication that only XXXX miles would be awarded. XXXX XXXX refusal to honor this agreement constitutes a misleading business practice. 

I am requesting that the CFPB investigate this matter and require American Express to fulfill the full XXXX promotional offer as originally advertised. I have attached a screenshot of the promotional email and am happy to provide screenshots of the messages between the American Express representative and myself demonstrating my eligibility and their refusal to provide the full bonus. 

Thank you for your time and assistance in resolving this issue. 

_______ For your information, please find the first section of the Terms & Conditions copied directly from the email below : Terms and Conditions Additional Rates and Fees Apply 1. You can earn XXXX bonus miles after you make {$5000.00} or more ( the " Threshold Amount '' ) in eligible purchases on your XXXX XXXX XXXX American Express Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership starting from the date that your account is opened. Miles will be credited to your account 8-12 weeks after you reach the Threshold Amount. Bonus Miles may appear on your account in more than one deposit. To receive the XXXX bonus miles, your Card account must not be canceled or past due at the time of fulfillment. Eligible purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on a single Card account. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases to meet the spend requirement do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of traveler 's checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of any cash equivalents. Additional Card Members on your account are not eligible for their own offer. 

In rare instances, your period to spend {$5000.00} may be shorter than 6 months if there is a delay in receiving your Card. Also, purchases may fall outside of the 6 month period in some cases, such as a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction. ( For example, if you buy goods online, the purchase date may be the date the goods are shipped ).

If you have a history of cancelling or downgrading American Express Card accounts within your first year and you cancel or downgrade your new Card account within your first year, we may not credit, we may freeze, or we may take away bonus miles from your account. If we determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this offer in any way or that you intend to do so, including if you return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount, we may not credit, we may freeze, or we may take away bonus miles from your account. We may also cancel any accounts you have with us. 
This offer is not transferable. If your application is not received by XXXX, we will not process your application even if we later receive your application. American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation