Consumer complaint received 2024-10-04 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I applied for an American Express XXXX XXXX on a promotional welcome offer on XX/XX/year>. The promotional welcome offer would provide me with a significant number of points, something along the lines of XXXX points ( equivalent of about {$2500.00} in statement credit and even more in benefits ) if I paid the annual fee of {$690.00} and met the minimum spend threshold of {$8000.00} within XXXX or XXXX months after opening the card. I did not receive a pop up when signing up for the card that I did not qualify for the card 's welcome offer. I was never notified that I did not qualify for the welcome offer. I paid the annual fee of {$690.00} directly on the card that was opened and made a large purchase on the card ( over {$7000.00} for airline tickets ). I messaged American Express customer service to ensure that I was in fact eligible to receive the bonus, I was told that I did not qualify for the bonus but was not told why. I called American Express Customer service and a customer representative verbally told me on a recorded line that the welcome offer was linked to my account and that I would receive the welcome offer XXXX point bonus once I spent the minimum spend requirement within the required timeframe. I proceeded to spend above the minimum spend threshold within the timeframe required in order to receive the welcome bonus ( spent another $ XXXX on the card in reliance on the customer service representative telling me verbally that I qualified and that I would receive the bonus ). I then called American Express customer service to check on the status of the bonus and I was told that I did not qualify for the welcome bonus and that I was notified of this ( when in fact I was never notified ). I was told that i failed to qualify when I applied for the card. I was also told that I was never eligible for the welcome bonus even from inception of card opening but I was never informed of this during the application process or after the application. I was told by an American Express customer service representative supervisor that the customer representative that told me I was eligible would need to be retrained but there was nothing that could be done for me even after being induced into spending thousands of dollars more on the card under the expectation that I would receive the welcome bonus. The supervisor verbally told me that I did not qualify for the welcome offer because I " miss-used credit card points '' or " may have previously received a welcome offer ''. I was not cited with particular information on why I did not qualify for the welcome offer or particular details about my miss-use of points or the particular previous welcome offer I received. 

I would not have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the card, I would not have paid the annual fee, and I would have opened up a different credit card to reap the benefits and welcome offers of a similar or equal or better card but for not being informed that I did not qualify for the welcome offer and then even further being told verbally by a representative of American Express that I would receive the bonus once I spent the minimum threshold within the required timeframe. 

This sort of business practice is manipulative and is essentially a way for American Express to get people to spend {$690.00} on the annual fee, and {$8000.00} on the card within 6 months of opening but not provide people that are told they qualify for a thousands of point bonus with such benefit but American Express can benefit from the business inducing people to believe they'll receive the people 's benefit, only to never follow through.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation