Consumer complaint received 2026-02-06 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: TX

Complaint narrative:
I booked a four-night hotel reservation for {$630.00} through the American Express Travel online portal on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I cancelled the reservation through the same Amex Travel portal. After submitting the cancellation, the website displayed a confirmation pop-up indicating the reservation was cancelled. I did not receive a cancellation confirmation email, which I did not realize at the time. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, one day after the reservation was scheduled to begin, I received a message from the hotel indicating they still had my reservation. I immediately contacted American Express to resolve the issue and explained that I had cancelled the reservation on XX/XX/XXXX through Amex Travel. 

During that call, multiple Amex agents attempted unsuccessfully to contact the hotel. After over two hours on the phone, an Amex XXXX XXXX representative documented that I had cancelled the reservation on XX/XX/XXXX via the American Express website, that the cancellation did not go through, that I did not use the reservation, and that Amex had attempted to contact the hotel more than five times but was unable to reach them due to connection issues. I was advised the matter would be escalated to XXXX XXXX  and that resolution typically takes up to four weeks. Based on this conversation, I reasonably believed a refund would be issued and that the issue was procedural, not a question of eligibility. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was contacted by American Express XXXX XXXX and told the refund was denied because their system did not show the cancellation and they were unable to reach the hotel. This contradicted what I had been told on XX/XX/XXXX. I requested escalation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, a XXXX XXXX supervisor reiterated that no cancellation was visible in the system and introduced a new explanation : an alleged three-day cancellation policy that had never previously been disclosed. I requested that they review the XX/XX/XXXX call to determine what I had been told and was informed I would receive a follow-up within three business days. 

I received no follow-up. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called American Express for an update and was told the claim had already been denied, but that the decision had never been communicated to me. During that call, the Amex agent confirmed internal notes stating that I cancelled on XX/XX/XXXX via the Amex website, did not receive a cancellation email but did see a confirmation pop-up, did not use the reservation, and that Amex agents were unable to contact the hotel due to connection issues. The agent also confirmed that Amex could not produce the hotels written cancellation policy and that cancellation policies typically come from the hotel, not Amex. 

As a result of Amexs inconsistent explanations, failure to properly process or document the cancellation, and failure to communicate a final decision, I was charged the full {$630.00} for a cancelled reservation. Had I been informed on XX/XX/XXXX that I would not receive a refund, I would have attempted to cancel alternate accommodations and mitigate my losses. I was unable to do so because I relied on Amexs representations.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation