Consumer complaint received 2026-03-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I was charged {$610.00} for a round-trip airline ticket booked through Amex XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX ). I used the outbound segment and cancelled the return on XX/XX/XXXX. During the cancellation call, American Express contacted the airline and advised that cancelling would preserve the ticket value as a travel credit usable until XX/XX/XXXX. I relied on this guidance when agreeing to cancel the return flight. After cancellation, the airlines system showed the credit as issued on XX/XX/XXXX ( before the purchase date ), creating immediate inconsistency. I attempted to use the credit through both XXXX XXXX and American Express, including on XX/XX/XXXX, and again XXXX XXXX XXXX but the credit remained unusable. Each party repeatedly directed me to the other without resolution. On XX/XX/XXXX, American Express directed me to open a compliance case ( XXXX ). Because this escalation path was explicitly provided by American Express, I followed it and reasonably waited for the outcome before filing a dispute. The compliance representative first contacted me on XX/XX/XXXX. During that XXXX call, he concluded that I should have booked through XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX the fact that I had already attempted to do so. It became clear that my prior attempts and supporting evidence had not been reviewed. I requested that he review the evidence and follow up. The compliance process concluded on XX/XX/XXXX ( approx. XXXX minutes ). I was told the review was complete and advised to file a dispute. During that same call, I was told the credit had been on the American Express side, which directly contradicted prior guidance. When I referenced my earlier attempts to book through American Express, I was told those calls were not reflected in their records. I filed dispute XXXX in late XX/XX/XXXX. It was closed on XX/XX/XXXX, on timing grounds ( more than 60 days ). On XX/XX/XXXX, I called to reopen the dispute and explained that the delay was caused by following XXXX XXXX compliance process, as instructed. I was told to submit a new detailed letter and that it would be thoroughly reviewed. I re-submitted documentation on XX/XX/XXXX, but the dispute was closed again on XX/XX/XXXX, without meaningful consideration of the provided evidence. On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Amex chat to request escalation. I was told that the credit was with the airline, that I had not used it, despite my documented attempts to do so, and that the airline had denied a refund request. This again contradicted the compliance conclusion that the credit was on the American Express side. I reiterated that I had already attempted to use the credit with the airline and that the refund request was submitted based on the airlines own guidance. I was informed that the case could not be reopened or escalated further. Throughout this process, I experienced repeated contradictions between departments, failure to review submitted documentation, and a circular process in which I was directed between American Express and the airline without resolution. Critically, the delay caused by following XXXX XXXX own instructed escalation process was later used to deny my dispute on timing grounds, effectively penalizing me for following the process I was directed to use. I have spent over XXXX minutes on logged calls and chats ( excluding document preparation time and related stress ) and have been actively working on this issue since XX/XX/XXXX ( most intensively XX/XX/XXXX, through XX/XX/XXXX ). As a result, I paid for a return service that was not provided and did not receive a usable replacement credit, despite following all instructions given by American Express. This process became a circular loop where I was repeatedly directed between American Express departments and the airline without resolution, while each side provided conflicting information and no party took ownership of resolving the issue. I have attached XXXX supporting documents : XXXX detailing the full dispute timeline and evidence, and another documenting the dispute closure and escalation denial.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation