Amex has cancelled all my cards!

[John]

Shortly after I got my first Amex, there was a problem and I emailed them about it. The agent (it was always Indian names) solved the problem straight away and signed off with something like “Welcome to Amex and I hope this is the start of a long relationship”.

Even if it was just policy to say that to all new card members, a higher up must have purposely chosen to put those words in the script.

These days it would be “Fill your boots because we’ll get rid of you whenever we feel like”

[Metty]

davidl wrote:

I feel its awful after 30 years to be treated so badly.

I was a member for 23 years. Got a weird letter from them and closed my account there and then.

I’ve been with them since 1992 but the oldest card I have is dated 2001. Today my son contacted Amex as he was told 5 days ago that they’d have news on his complaint in 3 days. It’ll now be 15 days. He asked what the status of his account was with Amex, is it a card block, full cancellation etc as he (or wife or daughter) have had no notifications. Amex said they ‘don’t know’.

I had a call from the Amex investigator yesterday, target date for a response is 5-Apr. I’ll be back to report on that but Dr Google suggests the chances of anything other than me being ex-Amex is ~0.

Meanwhile I went on chat to seek a refund of credit balance as I definitely won’t be doing any more spending thanks to them cancelling my account and got this

Amex Chat 27-Mar-24

Thank goodness I haven’t lost a huge Amex reward points balance; I’d never considered that Amex would cancel me so never worried about keeping a significant balance of points. But maybe anyone who accepts that I’ve nothing to hide, just an average HfP reader, not an international money or points launderer, perhaps should bear in mind that the same could happen to you, so perhaps consider your points conversion options out of Amex. I’d be cheesed off to hear any horror stories in the future (but not as cheesed off as anyone it happens to!)

[Metty]

Tonight on chat, requesting a refund of credit balance from the account they cancelled

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/85f9ih9upxup70seuruop/IMG_3944.PNG?rlkey=yfaid9ulfqny4n48ah2busxvp&dl=0

[The Urbanite]

RTS wrote:

Ah wasn’t there a £2.95 charge on those to load them?

There was no charge for those 3V / Pay.com cards, they were popular on here until the plug was finally pulled on them!

[Metty]

Nice to hear that Amex Brighton read the forum, I wonder if it’s they who reported my previous post (last night’s chat ‘appreciating your relationship with us for 23 years’) 🙂

Given that I’m an average HfP reader who never considered I may be ex-Amexed, it’s pure luck that I haven’t lost a significant points balance. But if it can happen to me, please consider whether sitting on any large points balance is a good idea. I’m guessing that account cancellation isn’t that common amongst us, but I’d be sad if I read on here of something similar happening and a big points loss in the process.

[CarpalTravel]

Metty wrote:

Tonight on chat, requesting a refund of credit balance from the account they cancelled

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/85f9ih9upxup70seuruop/IMG_3944.PNG?rlkey=yfaid9ulfqny4n48ah2busxvp&dl=0

On opening this link Dopbox tells us your full name. I’d delete the Dropbox file as whilst this is ongoing (and on any day really) it’s an over-share.

[OnTheRun]

Metty wrote:

Tonight on chat, requesting a refund of credit balance from the account they cancelled

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/85f9ih9upxup70seuruop/IMG_3944.PNG?rlkey=yfaid9ulfqny4n48ah2busxvp&dl=0

Thanking you for your N years of loyalty is just the usual scripted lip-service and platitudes.

Hopefully the rest of the conversation was better!

[Misty]

Richard Peters wrote:

Given this thread and the pending loss of a Directorship (min salary of £12K) but more than covered by increases in other income I phoned AE to advise and was told “we don’t have breakdown of income sources and if required will make occasional requests for income confirmation: thanks for letting us know that no material change in income and I will put a note on your file. Let’s hope that works when CH update!

So if they don’t have access to a ‘breakdown of income sources’ for their customers, and only obtain it occasionally when needed and then direct from their customers anyway, what intelligence are they using to make these bizarre and arbitrary decisions?

[Rui N.]

Computer algorithms based on vibes, most likely,

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Metty wrote:

Nice to hear that Amex Brighton read the forum, I wonder if it’s they who reported my previous post (last night’s chat ‘appreciating your relationship with us for 23 years’) 🙂

Anyone could have reported your post by accident!

Most of the regulars on here will have reported a number of posts just because of fat fingers on a small screen when we meant to quote the post.

Rob only removes posts that are offensive (as in including obscenities) or libellous and not just because he (or an advertiser) disagrees with the comment.

If Amex wanted your post removed they’d contact him directly and he’d most likely tell them to jog on.

[zapato1060]

The ‘REPORT’ needs moving as a few times daily people are apologizing for their fat fingers. I too want an update to the Uni but appreciate Rob has an endless list on here.

@Metty I unequivocally agree with you in regards to large MR balances. I get the upsides of them but the downsides are not even worth thinking about.

[ns]

I thought if your account is closed (whether voluntarily or not) you could transfer out MR points already earned provided it was to a transfer partner you had already linked your account to? @Metty if you’ve had to forfeit existing points as well that’s absolutely awful.

[JDB]

zapato1060 wrote:

@Metty I unequivocally agree with you in regards to large MR balances. I get the upsides of them but the downsides are not even worth thinking about.

@zapato1060 – the OP was given two months notice so you can decide what to do with any MR balance during that time – even if you can’t use the card, the account remains active for its benefits. I would be amazed if it would be deemed fair for Amex to expropriate points on closure, whatever their terms might say but that’s not a fight anyone may wish to have. If they cancel your account immediately, then it’s different.

Times have changed, Amex is trying to reduce its credit book and is culling accounts more aggressively than before so avoiding the most obvious things like paying the bill from another account or Curve, excess PayPal, MS etc. ought to be avoided.

I’d be more concerned about Amex’s shabby treatment of its pensioners as reported on the BBC yesterday.

[strickers]

@JDB Looks like Amex doesn’t care about loyalty either way, here’s a link if anyone else missed it like me?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxrzv14pr5wo#:~:text=Former%20staff%20say%20pensions%20have%20not%20increased%20in%20years&text=The%20group%20of%20former%20staff,to%20current%20and%20former%20colleagues%22.

[Lady London]

Well the article says the Amex pensioners had 3 increases in the past 10 years and not, compared to many other schemes, low ones.

Many firms don’t give increases beyond the statutory minimum in their DB plans at all, for pre-1997 service, which means zero for many years that may have been worked earlier. And not much where legislation only said not much. So many firms simply don’t give inflationary increases at all related to service in years where the law didn’t force inflationary increases. There’s a recent uproar where BP is apparently wanting to move to the same.

So there are pensions about, and DB pensions at that, where as soon as someone starts taking that pension, that money will never increase for the rest of their life, not for any reason, no matter how high inflation.

There are a few on here who know this stuff professionally so a lot better than me.

[Mikeact]

Jeez…I hope they’re not going after pensioners.
I first got my card in the 60’s ,after cancelling out my Diners Club. I obviously don’t spend £1000’s on it each month, but, all the same,I’d be a bit miffed..however, I do understand that loyalty doesn’t count for much nowadays

[NorthernLass]

You would think people with guaranteed incomes and no mortgage or dependents would be desirable customers but who knows 🤷‍♀️

[Harrier25]

Sorry guys, but I’m sure there’s more to this than we know. Something the OP said the other day raised alarm bells with me…”My memory isn’t what it was…” Maybe I’m just reading too much into it, but something doesn’t smell right to me and would need to see the full picture before slating Amex.

[BBbetter]

Harrier25 wrote:

Sorry guys, but I’m sure there’s more to this than we know. Something the OP said the other day raised alarm bells with me…”My memory isn’t what it was…” Maybe I’m just reading too much into it, but something doesn’t smell right to me and would need to see the full picture before slating Amex.

Someone questioned how he managed to spend 25k on BAPP for tier points offer despite claiming a much lower income and OP gave a vague answer about booking hotels for others.

OP has nothing to add further. He either wants to whip up outrage Farage style or is hoping someone from Amex reads this thread.

No point speculating until OP hears from Amex or receives the SAR report.

[Alex G]

Metty wrote:

Nice to hear that Amex Brighton read the forum, I wonder if it’s they who reported my previous post (last night’s chat ‘appreciating your relationship with us for 23 years’) 🙂

Given that I’m an average HfP reader who never considered I may be ex-Amexed, it’s pure luck that I haven’t lost a significant points balance. But if it can happen to me, please consider whether sitting on any large points balance is a good idea. I’m guessing that account cancellation isn’t that common amongst us, but I’d be sad if I read on here of something similar happening and a big points loss in the process.

A lot of people at Brighton and Victoria read Rob’s daily articles. The articles often produce a great deal of hilarity. I doubt that many plough through the forums though.

[JDB]

Mikeact wrote:

Jeez…I hope they’re not going after pensioners.
I first got my card in the 60’s ,after cancelling out my Diners Club. I obviously don’t spend £1000’s on it each month, but, all the same,I’d be a bit miffed..however, I do understand that loyalty doesn’t count for much nowadays

Amex isn’t going after pensioners/retired people at all – that’s a myth started by those newly applying once retired rather than longstanding, now retired customers that make up an important core customer base. It’s actually relatively unusual to be applying for new cards after a certain age and while retired people may no longer have mortgages to pay, school/university costs or other costs of dependants, many also have correspondingly lower incomes.

Also, while there has been focus on the £35k minimum income requirement for Plat/BAPP, that doesn’t mean that if you have an income of £36k you automatically get accepted and a retired person on a £36k pension isn’t necessarily a particularly attractive customer proposition for Amex.

[SteveJ]

JDB wrote:

Amex isn’t going after pensioners/retired people at all

And you know this how?

[Professor Calculus]

Hi Really concerning that AMEX are just freezing accounts . I Have over £200k points is worth moving them ? If Amex blocked my card would I lose the points ?

[JDB]

SteveJ wrote:

JDB wrote:

Amex isn’t going after pensioners/retired people at all

And you know this how?

a) because I talk to Amex and other industry players all the time and b) it would be unlawful

[redethernet1]

SteveJ wrote:

JDB wrote:

Amex isn’t going after pensioners/retired people at all

And you know this how?

Because a) I have 4,208 posts, more than Rob, b) I said so