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bkdlays

September 6, 2009 6:20 PM

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Amex has turned into a pos company. Their reps don't speak english half the time. They cut everyones limit. They also jacked everyones rate. Mind went from 10% to 26% overnight. On a high balance that really hurts.

I called and they basically said screw off. I have a perfect payment history. I transferred the balance to BOA and am closing the account. Who needs amex anyways, nobody wants to accept it since its is so expensive to take.

5 replies

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calchip

September 7, 2009 7:36 PM

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God help you in transferring your account to BofA. They are the sleaziest of the sleaze. We have caught them, three times, cancelling prescheduled payments made through online banking, when there was no reason to do so (balance in payment account of thousands of dollars when payment was in hundreds; payment made a week before it was due, but \"reversed\" a day after it was due, and all sorts of sleazy shit.)

We have succeeded each time in getting the resulting 29% interest rate reversed, but it took an act of God and a dozen phonecalls each time.

Going from Amex to BoA is going from the frying pan into the fire.

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bkdlays

September 12, 2009 7:08 PM

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@calchip: I also agree BOA is scum, but they bought my CC company and I dont want to close an account after 10+ years.

Their commercial card services aren't bad. Even if we mess up once or twice they give a courtesy credit. The different divisions are basically different companies though.

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sleze69

September 7, 2009 10:45 AM

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@bkdlays: Despite all the negative press Amex has gotten in the last year, they have been aces for me.

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zacox

September 6, 2009 11:59 PM

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@bkdlays: Chances were very good if you were calling American Express customer service from your hotel in Mumbai, that you were actually making a local call. :/

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woot

September 6, 2009 10:09 PM

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@bkdlays: Unfortunately, this isn't new, just more widespread. They did the \"we're randomly cutting you off and leaving you stranded\" thing on me on a business trip over 10 years ago, even though the account was paid on time, every month. I got the same 30 days leeway, but after that I closed the account and have not and will not use AMEX since.

At least with a VISA issuer you know what your credit limit is. AMEX like to pretend you don't have one, but you do - they just don't tell you so they can market it like its limitless, which it most definitely isn't. The only time you find out you have a limit is when they cut you off. What a completely useless \"feature\".

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September 6, 2009 6:21 PM

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Am I going to get disemvoweled if I make the obligatory comment that you MUST make sure to have an alternate method of payment when you travel anywhere?

12 replies

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bilge

September 7, 2009 12:25 AM

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@dragonfire81: You should be for repeating a point that's made in the original article.

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September 7, 2009 1:42 AM

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@bilge: Well it seems to come up inevitably in any article about this kind of thing anyway.

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mythago

September 6, 2009 10:54 PM

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@dragonfire81: And if your alternative source of payment also turns out to be run by jackasses, then what? You should have been carrying uncut diamonds to use as a redundant backup for of currency?

Sheez. The point isn't that he had a fallback or not, the point is that Amex pulled a dick move and THEY had no idea if he had an alternative.

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September 7, 2009 3:15 PM

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@mythago: I think the point you're missing here is that Amex had no idea he was traveling when they reduced his limit, nor is it their responsibility to find out, so they didn't \"pull a dick move\".

They were reducing their risk because others in the OP's situation (maxed out or nearly maxed out cards) tend to declare bankruptcy, even if the OP as an individual is not. When he made his situation as an individual known to those empowered to make decisions, his problem was temporarily resolved.

I think the real showcase here is that their customer service needs to be better designed to create a path to a solution in cases like this without needing to email the executives.

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September 8, 2009 1:25 PM

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@godlyfrog: You're absolutely right, but good luck with that! I called Amex for the same reason (although \"trapped in Ohio,\" doesn't have the same ring of impending doom as \"trapped in Mumbai\"), and the CSR I talked to broke down crying and said \"I can't even raise MY limit which they cut. How am I supposed to help you?\"

Yikes!

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:16 PM

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@godlyfrog: Their system is flawed, though. If someone who was nearly maxed out pays down half their balance, why should the system lower their limit to their current balance? Obviously they are able to make substantial payments and aren't a huge risk at the moment.

And once they cut him down once, like the OP says, the system's probably going to trim his limit again because, due to the first limit-lowering, he's nearly maxed out.

This system is douchebaggy to the extreme. If someone is maxed out for a long time, and only making minimum payments, and the bank/cc company is scared of them declaring bankruptcy, then fine. I understand. But if someone is a customer in good standing with a high balance who pays half of that balance, why should he get punished with a severly lowered limit?

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CentralServices

September 6, 2009 9:32 PM

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@dragonfire81: Are traveler's checks a thing of the past? I don't travel overseass, but I would take some as a backup measure if I did.

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:13 PM

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@CentralServices: I took some to Australia and found they were just a rip off because of the fees to cash them when I needed them. It was cheaper to cash all $800 worth of checks at once then to do half at a time, which kind of defeats the purpose of traveler's checks. I wanted to keep only a small amount of cash on me at any one time and keep the rest in checks, but the expenses involved in cashing them were ridiculous.

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thegirls

September 6, 2009 6:58 PM

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@dragonfire81: Some people don't have the luxury of another option. Even if the OP did, it's really not relevant to the general premise if this post. Regardless, the OP stated that this was a last minute trip. Not something that they could have planned for ahead of time.

AMEX was being dickish. Why have a credit card with credit terms and limits if the company can just arbitrarily cut you off at anytime. It totally negates ones reason and ability to use them.

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:10 PM

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@thegirls: \"Even if the OP did, it's really not relevant to the general premise if this post.\"

Actually, didn't the OP admit he could make do with a lower credit limit anyway? If he HAD had an alternate method of payment, then he apparently would have been fine with the suddenly lowered limit. He could've used a different credit card, traveler's checks, anything else.

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ARP

September 6, 2009 7:14 PM

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@thegirls: Ture, but some companies require you to pay for things with a certain credit card (even if you own), to help track expenses.

So, yes, I think he shares a small amount of responsibility for not having another means of payment.

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thegirls

September 6, 2009 8:04 PM

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@ARP: I've never had the luxury of working for a company that gave me a company card towards expenses. Entertaining clients is a big part of my current job and my current employer doesn't care how I pay for it - they only want receipts for proof and reimbursement. The same for my husbands company. He has a gas card, but all other expenses are submitted for reimbursements with receipts. They also don't care what card he used.

You also don't know if he had another card but used that one for other trip related expenses. Maybe he's young and doesn't have a lot of credit history, thus back up cards and excess cash as backup. Hell, while in Mumbai, maybe he fell, broke his arm and had to pay for that out of his backup cash reserve. We don't know and it's not relevant.

Why have a credit limit if the bank can just reduce it randomly, without any reason, warning or regard to special circumstances. Banks do this because they can, not because it's right.

P.S. Happy Labor Day Weekend!

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bohemian

September 6, 2009 6:55 PM

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@dragonfire81: I totally agree but now people have to have 3x the total cost of the trip in case a bank pulls some stupid move. Cash or travelers checks, a debt card and a credit card. Nobody should have to be doing this because banks are constantly stranding people.

This is also why I flat refuse to travel on my own dime. If the company can't manage to fund employee travel they have larger problems. Employees shouldn't be expected to have $500 to $10,000 of their own cash in reserve in case the employer decides to make them travel.

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MissTicklebritches

September 6, 2009 6:26 PM

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@dragonfire81: no, you'll just be told to refer back to the last paragraph of the post where Laura makes that point herself.

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tedyc03

September 6, 2009 6:24 PM

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@dragonfire81: I think that's a good idea. I carry an Amex card and a Visa card, plus two checking account cards. Still, I'd be pretty upset if Amex killed my credit limit while I was overseas.

The customer has a responsibility to have many forms of payment, sure. But I also think the company has a responsibility not to act like douches.

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September 6, 2009 6:22 PM

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Same story but another victim of American Express and their new mode of doing business. You would think that they would try to keep their customer base, especially when most people pay on time and keep everything in order. The government keeps helping out these credit card companies with the pretense that they will then turn around and help the consumer....they are helping...themselves. They even charge a yearly fee for their card and want full payment each month....not in my wallet.

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MissTicklebritches

September 6, 2009 6:25 PM

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I thought that the whole point of an AMEX card was that you had an unlimited balance that you paid off every month. Was Josiah using one of their AMEX Blue cards? I believe those work like more traditional Visas and Mastercards.

4 replies

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outlulz

September 8, 2009 5:23 AM

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@MissTicklebritches: I know someone with an Amex business card who had his card's limit cut down to $1200 a month.

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Trai_Dep

September 6, 2009 6:34 PM

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@MissTicklebritches: They have gone from being a card sought after to being one to avoid. Even though I had a zero balance on my AMEX Blue card with a high-ish limit, I cancelled mine a couple months ago, pre-empting them from forcing me to write to Consumerist over how they screwed me. Or symbolically jabbing a stick in their customer-hostile eye.

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zacox

September 7, 2009 12:07 AM

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@Trai_Dep: You couldn't be more accurate.

I checked my records since the beginning of 2009, and it turns out that purchases made at my restaurant with Amex are down 80% over last year. That's a HUGE number! Makes me think Amex is really putting screws to its customers.

Discover is down 20% from last year, but Visa and Mastercard are steady.

Go Amex!

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bbb111

September 8, 2009 4:38 AM

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@zacox: \"purchases made at my restaurant with Amex are down 80% over last year.\"
There are multiple factors for the Amex decrease. I agree that the tightening the available credit (maybe a lot more than the others) is a factor.
Another factor is that corporate travel and entertainment budgets are being slashed; most corporate credit cards are Amex. I recently went to two different trade shows [in different industries] and both had very poor attendance [both exhibitors and attendees].

There is also the miles and rebates that make non-business customers pick one card over another.

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bohemian

September 6, 2009 6:57 PM

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@Trai_Dep: Remember when Karl Malden used to do commercials for their traveler's checks and later their cards? \"Don't leave home without it\".

Boy have things changed. Amex is the last form of payment I would take on a trip.

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September 7, 2009 4:27 PM

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@bohemian: Depending on the amount of hassle involved I'd still go for their traveler's checks. One thing I've noticed traveling is that the exchange rate for travelers checks is much closer to the rate shown on XE than the rate for plain ol' cash.

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Rachacha

September 8, 2009 11:19 AM

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@jamar0303: I have noticed however that fewer and fewer places, unless they are in a \"touristy area\" knw what to do with or how to handle travelers checks. Most people simply use a credit card these days.

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JulesNoctambule

September 6, 2009 6:30 PM

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And once again, another reason to never even consider AMEX. I hope whatever they're getting out of it is worth all the bad publicity.

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Trai_Dep

September 6, 2009 6:36 PM

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Anyone want to bet that if the writer called beforehand, asking what would happen if he paid off half his balance in anticipation of his trip, the CS rep would have shrugged and said, \"Donno - why not spin the wheel and find out?\"

3 replies

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HiPwr

September 6, 2009 7:59 PM

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@Trai_Dep: How can you tell if someone is shrugging over the phone?

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September 6, 2009 6:52 PM

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@Trai_Dep: To be fair, it's not the CS reps who decide when and by how much credit limits might be cut.

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Trai_Dep

September 6, 2009 9:33 PM

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@supercereal: But wouldn't you think that'd be something relevant for customers? If they cared enough, they could implement something where customers like the writer could check in and get reliable information before leaving on their trip.

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September 6, 2009 10:01 PM

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@Trai_Dep: I think that's an industry problem in general (and one that's not likely to change any time soon). I would imagine (and may very well be mistaken) that rate adjustment and credit limit decisions spontaneously come out of some computer algorithm once it decides the user meets certain criteria. In that sense, few people (certainly not CSRs) would have any foresight into what might happen with someone's account.

Still, I definitely think that there should be some sort of legislation that requires a certain number of days to pass before these things can go into effect on people's accounts.

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Trai_Dep

September 7, 2009 5:27 PM

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@supercereal: I like your solution; it's a nice compromise.
I'd even be OK with a corresponding (smallish) APR hike on monies that are drawn after notification that exceed the new limit, to help deter Jiminy's point (although Jeezus those customers are sailing with a full freight of Stupid if they ran up their balances unnecessarily). Subject to the same \"x number of days warning\" rule of yours, of course.

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JiminyChristmas

September 7, 2009 2:19 AM

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@supercereal: You are completely right that the credit card issuer providing some sort of notice would prevent instances like these where someone is stranded away from home without credit.

That said, I can imagine what the credit card company would say: If they gave advance notice some people would run up their balances before the window closed.

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letsgolightning

September 6, 2009 6:59 PM

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American Express Leaves Customer Marooned In Mumbai With No Money

:)

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September 6, 2009 7:09 PM

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Aside from the fact the OP was incredibly stupid in traveling out of the country with only a single method of payment, he seems to acknowledge that he was aware that many companies were reducing credit limits to the current balance of the account. He didn't think that it was possible that AMEX might do this to him once he paid down his balance?

2 replies

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bobert

September 6, 2009 7:44 PM

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@Esquire99: Well, Esquire, there are a few problems with what you say.

First, remember it was a last minute business trip. Did you consider that perhaps the OP didn't have another card with room on it? Not everybody has multiple credit cards. Or maybe he'd already run up all his other cards with other business trips and the company hadn't reimbursed him yet - it happens! What was he to do? Tell his company, \"Sorry, I can't go\"?

Second, even if he had called AmEx and they'd assured him that he could make a payment and they wouldn't reduce his balance... they might just do it anyway.

That happened to me in 2001. It was during the dot-com collapse, and all my cards were maxed out. I got a call about a lucrative contract across the country and had to get a plane ticket, but I didn't have the money. My parents fronted it, so I called Chase and asked if I paid my Visa down, would I be able to buy a plane ticket with it? \"Sure,\" they said. So I did, and they decreased my credit limit to the available balance. When I called up to complain, their attitude was basically, \"We lied. Now we have your money. Too bad for you.\"

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September 6, 2009 8:15 PM

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@bobert:
That's no excuse. To leave the country with a SINGLE method of payment is simply irresponsible. No cash, no checks (not that they'd be negotiable, but maybe at the hotel), no debit card, nothing?

Further, my point wasn't that he could have done anything about them lowering his limit, simply that he seemed to know it was a possibility. Given that, he should have ensured he had at least some method of alternate payment, even if he had to ask his company for an advance to take.

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mythago

September 6, 2009 10:59 PM

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@Esquire99: There is absolutely nothing in your post that some contentious a-hole on Consumerist wouldn't reply to with \"what an idiot, you shouldn't do that and you deserve what you get\".

Cash? How much cash do you routinely carry around on your person? Any idea what your recourse is if you have it stolen, are mugged, or if TSA 'confiscates' it? (Zero, if you were really wondering.

Checks? Yeah, \"maybe\" a hotel in Mumbai is going to accept a personal check from an American traveler. And maybe they will also give every customer a free unicorn. Forget using a check for ordinary purchases like, oh, food.

Debit cards? That's a Consumerist Comment Bingo Square for a reason.

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September 6, 2009 7:13 PM

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No problem. Just put an update on your Facebook page, telling your friends to wire you money in Mumbai and it'll be taken care of. Works everytime.

2 replies

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katia802

September 6, 2009 8:58 PM

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@RandomHookup: I never do this, but +1 for this, gave me a huge giggle

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September 6, 2009 7:37 PM

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@RandomHookup: WIN.

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Aresef

September 6, 2009 7:20 PM

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Look on the bright side. In Mumbai, customer service for all your favorite Western companies is a local call.

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September 6, 2009 7:21 PM

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I admit that I may be a little inexperienced in the ways of how credit works, but frankly I think \"balance chasing\" is stupid. frankly i believe it should have been addressed in the CARD act.
Also, in the long run aren't they are only preventing themselves from making more money in the future? especially since people will either close out the cards or stop using them all together?

I propose AMEX changes their brand to LAMEX. Who's with me??

2 replies

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September 8, 2009 1:38 PM

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Its risk management for AMEX , they want this person to pay the interest but they dont want to loan them any more money. They probably have carried a balance for a while, And Amex may view them as slightly risky.

They securitize these cc accounts so they have to control risk given the current market conditions , this is one method. It is muck more difficult to re-sell this CC debt now so risk is monitored very carefully.

From a customer service point of view this is crappy but It makes sense in the current credit market.

Best advice
1 - dont carry a balance
2 - bring more forms of payment overseas (ALWAYS)

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September 8, 2009 12:20 PM

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@maliciousa: This makes perfect sense to AMEX. They buy the eggs in Malta for 7¢ and sell them at a profit for 5¢.

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empills

September 6, 2009 7:25 PM

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Had this happen with an Amex Company card. I was on a trip to Louisiana when I was told on a Saturday by the hotel that my card was declined. I knew I had enough on it because my company had paid my balance before I left. I called Amex to find out what was going on and the woman told me that because I had put a large amount on the card in only a couple of days (airfare, rental car, parts for the job I was on) they put a hold on the card until I could call them and verify that it was me making the purchases. And the person that I needed to speak to wouldn't be in until Monday. Lucky for me the hotel was understanding and let me wait till Monday to pay the balance.

1 replies

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:23 PM

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@empills: This, while unfortunate, is not nearly the same situation. They suspended your card because you traveled out of state and made many large purchases. The OP had his limit lowered because, despite his making a large payment equal to about half his balance, they thought he was a risk.

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MikeVx

September 6, 2009 7:27 PM

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I ditched those lackwits years ago after a screwing at a bad time. I can't say I'm at all surprised to see them heading downhill on warp drive. What I suffered must have been near the beginning of the spiral.

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colorisnteverything

September 6, 2009 7:29 PM

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I don't want to blame the OP and, no, I haven't been to India, but in my experience in traveling in Europe, AMEX is taken just about nowhere. When I lived in the UK all of last year, they refused to take credit cards at all many places - and AMEX was generally refused at most places.

I feel awful for the OP. When in the UK, HSBC issued me a new card with almost no heads-up. It took 4 calls to get it overnighted to the UK, but they did it! I would have been okay, but it would have cost me a lot of money and trouble. I would have been paying $$$ in exchange fees on my debit because my Capital One has a very low limit. I used my cards for EVERYTHING! I hate using a debit for anything but withdrawing cash becuase of security reasons, so even if I had one, I would attempt not to use it.

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HiPwr

September 6, 2009 8:04 PM

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Charged round-trip airfare, a motel room, resturants, gas, and rental car for a business trip on AMEX and on the final charge ($200 for parking at O'Hare), AMEX decided that my \"business was important to them\" and rejected the charge because they thought it might have been an imposter trying to get out of the airport.

Assholes.

4 replies

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FormerlyAnonymous

September 8, 2009 12:35 PM

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@HiPwr: Credit card fraud stuff is funny.

While still in the US, I bought three advance train tickets for a vacation in England, before I contacted them about the vacation. Only after I went to buy the fourth ticket did Chase's fraud detection stuff kick in, blocking the transaction.

Another time I bought $2000 in plane tickets without trouble. Then I bought a $1.00 Google app and Chase called me about the suspicious $1.00 charge!

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:26 PM

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@HiPwr: I don't think they're looking at what each individual transaction is for, just that they're large. All of those were large purchases and so was the attempted parking charge.

Doesn't everyone know nowadays that you should let your bank or cc company know if you're going to be traveling so they can put a note not to freeze your account or whatever? On a family trip to New Mexico, my dad's card stopped working, so my mom called the bank and had them add a no-freeze to all of our cards so we didn't run into the problem again. And we didn't.

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HiPwr

September 7, 2009 5:15 PM

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@italianscallion33: It would be one thing if this were a personal card, but this was a corporate card specifially for travel and everything was booked directly through American Express Travel Services.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

September 6, 2009 10:38 PM

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@HiPwr: it's easier to trap you there if you are an imposter?
i'd much rather have the FIRST charge rejected [if at all] because that would show me that at least they are paying attention.

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Vandelay Import Export

September 6, 2009 8:10 PM

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Perhaps he could have shown up at a call centre in person.

1 replies

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September 6, 2009 9:30 PM

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@Vandelay Import Export: Unfortunately, that would probably be in Bangalore.

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keepher

September 6, 2009 8:15 PM

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This is why we have the AMEX green for reimbursable company travel. We also have the Blue for any thing else that the green can not handle.

2 replies

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September 7, 2009 2:23 PM

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@keepher: Having two Amex cards will not help you. They'll simply apply the balance chasing to both of them, and/or cancel the green one in total.

If you have more than one account, all it means is that you will get more than one email telling you how you are screwed, and more than one paper letter later telling you the same thing.

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West Coast Secessionist

September 7, 2009 2:45 AM

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@keepher: Huh? THIS is why you have it? Because they have a reputation of cutting their customers off randomly? Reports of this erratic anti-consumer behavior haven't been limited to their revolving accounts, you know.

I'd say \"this\" is why only suckers and masochists carry amex anymore. My VISA is taken in more places around the world and my issuer has never done this to me.

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abby2992

September 6, 2009 9:08 PM

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My family had an AmEx nightmare of its own. Apparently, while typically you pay off your whole AmEx balance every month, they do have a system to pay off travel expenses over a longer period, so long as it's approved in advance. My mother did just that to fund a family trip to my graduation, and AmEx approved it...then changed its mind, three days after we had put a rented house for a week, food, and airfare on the card. They dropped her credit limit and customer service refused to speak with her until it went into collections. She was a 30 year customer who had never once had a late payment. What a joke of a company.

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September 6, 2009 9:48 PM

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As an AMEX customer, I've become increasingly weary of my two AMEX cards. I think it's time to look for a new card for myself and my company. Even if it's hard to beat all the perks, what are those perks when your card is worthless.

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nybiker

September 6, 2009 10:49 PM

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While Amex hasn't hosed me yet, I going to review my Membership Rewards points and see what I can get before renewing my card next year. I'd hate to lose all the points I've acquired over the years.

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watsuk

September 6, 2009 11:48 PM

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My Amexp experience was not in Bombay but in Delhi and I had a good experience when my Amexp cards, money, travlers checks, passport and everyting I had but clothes and air tickets were stolen from my hospital room.

It was only 3 days after a heart valve replacement and while getting a replacement card was too much trouble to bother with they did have a desk that got my airline tickets reissued with no penalty and with their CS help I was able to inform the Police and hospital security which shops the cards had been used in and with that info they came up with a video of the person. Too bad that no one could recognize the person even with him on tape, but my experience with them was a lot better than the one reported here.

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September 7, 2009 12:22 AM

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When did this happen exactly? Didn't the CARD act just go into effect where they can't change your limit without 45 days notice?

[consumerist.com]

No, sorry, I was wrong. They don't have to. That really sucks. (That one really should've made it into the Act for situations just like this.)

I use my Amex for everything I can, but are the alternative cards really any better? No need to reply with \"I don't have a CC\" or \"CU FTW!\", that's not what I'm asking. (And I pay my bill in full each month.)

1 replies

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West Coast Secessionist

September 7, 2009 2:57 AM

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@Tankueray: Only AMEX has pulled this kind of ridiculous crap with me. They fired me as a customer 3 years ago over an overlooked $30 Macy's bill that hit my credit report as 30-days-past-due. Macy's, the only ones I \"wronged,\" was understanding and that account is still open. Guess which company will never see another cent of my money for the rest of my life?

The worst any other issuer has done to my family is the wave of \"We're raising your APR to increase our profits\" in 2008. Guilty parties: Citibank, Capital One, Sears Card (Citibank). Chase did gut their formerly-excellent rewards program, so that card got sock-drawered and replaced with the Schwab 2%-back Visa Signature card for my daily spending.

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September 7, 2009 1:09 AM

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I have a AMEX Blue card which I use only occasionally, but my corporate card is an AMEX. I have no idea what the credit limit is on my Blue card, I know they bumped it up some months ago, but I never have a balance anywhere close to it anyway. It's a card I use for some small charges I don't want my spouse to see (like Christmas presents).

If AMEX ever pulls this crap with me on my corporate card, my company will definitely hear about it and there will be hell to pay. I don't think AMEX would argue much with a corporate account that has 75,000+ individual cardholders worldwide.

I agree, AMEX has offshored most of their card services to India. I haven't had much problem with their Indian call center, but I haven't challenged them with anything difficult. Just remember, they have scripts for the common functions and if you stray from the stuff covered by scripts, service can be very rough and non-helpful.

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weave

September 7, 2009 2:56 AM

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Wow, I've had an Amex charge (not credit) card since 1983 and never had a problem with them. I've even charged items as high as $25,000 a few times (for medical bills). I just pay it off each month, like the terms say. I'm not exactly rich either (even by Democratic Party standards!)

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martyf

September 8, 2009 11:45 AM

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@weave:
I've charged $30K on my Amex CHARGE card - same experience as you - no problems. I think that that the business they want to get back to doing - charge accounts, no more revolving debt. Smaller market, but like you, I have over 25 years of history of paying off the balance in full every month and ultimately, they seem to like that kind of customer better. At least the way I'm treated by Amex makes it seem that way - my experiences with them are nothing at all like what I read here.

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annoyedconsumer

September 7, 2009 3:30 AM

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I had a Costco AX card with only a $5k limit (no problem, I only used it there). I have been an AX customer in good standing for 28 years with a high 700s, low 800s FICO score. Recently, within a 30 day period, I paid off $4,100+ on this card, only to receive notification that they were lowering my limit to $1,700. So much for making an effort to have sufficient credit lines. Apparently demonstrating one's ability to pay doesn't count for anything? I wondered if they would continue to lower it to zero. I realize that \"he has the gold rules\", but they do not deserve to earn anything from having me as a customer. Yeah, maybe they are \"limiting their risk\" but I wonder how losing most or all of their good customers is gonna be workin' out for them? I have no incentive to do anything other than to get AX out of my life permanently

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wcnghj

September 7, 2009 2:34 PM

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@annoyedconsumer: Carrying a balance and AMEX don't match, no matter charge card or credit.

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corge

September 7, 2009 3:36 AM

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I must say that I've actually never had a problem with the AMEX cards I have. I have both a blue cash card and a corporate business amex card.

I used to use my blue cash card for travel, then put a couple of larger purchase items on it for the coverage and warranty/chargeback (if needed) purposes, but since have been paying on the card, every month with no new purchases. Recently, and I have no idea how since I haven't used it in almost 9 months, my card was used for two $1 purchases and then tried for two $41 purchases from Google and Apple. Someone somehow got the number from my card and tried using it to test to make sure the card was active and then tried to make purchases. AMEX actually declined them all because the purchases were not \"in sync\" with recent account activity. While this may have pissed me off had I legitimately been trying to purchase something from one of these companies, I was actually glad they declined them.

AMEX actually called me the morning after it happened and told me the card had blocked purchases and they were asking if I had made them. I hadn't, so they closed that card immediately and sent out a new one. I was informed I would not be responsible for anything should it come through on the card somehow. Also, the lady that called me told me for verification purposes, to make sure I wasn't being scammed, that I needed to call her back on the number on the back of my AMEX card.

Now, as for my AMEX Corporate card, no issues whatsoever. I recently traveled to Costa Rica and had no issues whatsoever.

I really haven't had issues with this company....at all. Maybe I'm lucky with them.

However, BOA....fuck those guys.

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gumby101

September 7, 2009 7:08 AM

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If it hasn't already....AMEX will soon go the way of Diners Club.

I know Diners Club exists on some kind of level, but not like back in the day. AMEX will soon be that same kind of card where you talk about it in the past, if at all.

Only in nice department stores restaurants these days do I see the card being accepted.

It's just a plastic anachronism.

Bye.

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wcnghj

September 7, 2009 2:35 PM

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@gumby101: Yeah, diners club added the MasterCard logo as a last ditch effort, they no longer accept apps now.

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Caveat

September 7, 2009 3:56 PM

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Something just doesn't add up here. True, AmEx is not to be trusted. I got my card blocked while on a trip to Puerto Rico, but it was Costco's fault. It was not a real problem since I ALWAYS carry at least one other credit card and Atm, BUT
1. The person indicates that this was a business trip requiring the use of AmEx. If that is the case, they should be bound by a corporate agreement defining credit limit, and his company should address any problems.
2. There is mention of interest rate. That should be irrelevant, since the individual should be submitting expense reports to his company and paying off monthly the full balance. Extra time is given for corporate cards. Is this the common case of an individual using a corporate card for personal expenses in addition to business expenses? Don't do it!
3. If this individual has a job important enough to take him overseas, then he should have some money saved up. If the credit card balance was used up, why could he not just log into his AmEx account and pay off his balance from his bank account? That is how I pay off my card and usually I get credited within a couple of hours. Then I can just keep on charging, again.

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martyf

September 8, 2009 11:40 AM

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\"If this individual has a job important enough to take him overseas, then he should have some money saved up\"

Not necessarily. A number of years ago, I was really hard up for work here in the USA, and got an opportunity to do some work in the Middle East. It was contract work, and while I would not be paid for a while, it was a good project and would pay well. They flew me out, and covered my hotel, but all other expenses were to be submitted for later reimbursement. But at the time, we were LOW on cash. Very, very low.

No corporate cards here, just my own cards. Now in my case, I have never carried a balance on any card, and as an Amex charge card holder since 1983, I'm used to managing my cash-flow effectively, even with international travel.

But I can see how if we carried a balance, we might have been expecting the buffer of the credit limit to cover our costs while on the trip.

I guess the best advice here is don't trust your credit limit, if you have one.

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:30 PM

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I know everyone hates Chase, because they're evil and whatnot, but I've had a Chase credit card for a little over 3 years and haven't had a single problem with them despite the following issues:

- Once, I forgot about making my payment when I was overseas.
- Once, my card info (but not my card) was stolen and punched in manually at a gas station near my house that I hadn't gone to in months. It resulted in an overage so I got an overbalance fee, but they fixed it all and opened me a new account.
- Also, I spend about 50% of my time maxed out.

However, my interest rate has decreased steadily from 14% in 2006, to 9.something% now. They've never changed my limit or upped my rate.

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italianscallion33

September 7, 2009 4:33 PM

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Pretty unrelated, but does anyone know why some places won't take Mastercard credit cards, only debit cards?

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Mr. Gunn

September 7, 2009 8:04 PM

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I don't mind dealing with outsourced customer service, as long as they don't act like goddamn robots. When they apologize at the start of every sentence, do nothing to help, then tell you to have a nice day at the end of the call it's hard to remain polite, which is I think the opposite of what they're trying to achieve.

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September 7, 2009 8:48 PM

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I spend wisely with my gold card and have had nothing but great experiences with them.

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kvanh

September 8, 2009 2:00 PM

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Amex cut the limit on my Costco/Amex card one month, then canceled it the next. I paid the balance and said screw you.

then they deposited my award check on the cancelled and paid of card, so now I have a negative balance on a card i can't use. To make things efficient they sent me a letter telling me they had done this and that i could call customer service to have a check sent. So instead of simply mailing me the check they've now mailed me a letter, force me to use the time of a customer service agent, and then use the mail AGAIN to send me the check.

Lovely efficiency there.

As a bit of petty revenge -- I still have a corporate amex because I'm required to have one for work travel. I use it to make hotel reservations, but on the last day I switch the payment to my own credit card. So Amex has to handle all crap involved with the hold charges for the hotel, but doesn't get the processing fees.

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September 8, 2009 7:58 PM

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I won't go into detail here but it is best to stay away from AMEX. I worked for a investigations company once and we all have AMEX Corporate Cards. Thirty-two investigators were stranded in a hour period because AMEX decided that the cards had been stolen because they were being used for hotels, meals, etc., in several parts of the country on the same day. They dropped AMEX and had their bank issue VISA cards the next day. Which they were more than happy to do and did it at half the interest rates AMEX was charging. Needless to say AMEX lost a very good customer and is losing more everyday because of their stupid customer service issues.

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September 9, 2009 12:59 AM

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No surprise. When I had a problem with a dispute I got the runaround from Amex for 6 months before finally giving up on them. I haven't used them since--it was some of the worst customer service ever.

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Caveat

September 9, 2009 6:19 PM

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The root cause of my problem was Costco, whose membership I dropped and later reinstated with a new membership number. Costco never broke the link with my old AmEx card and never paid attention to my membership number furnished to them by AmEx, so I kept getting temporary credit cards, then getting them cancelled, BUT here is the latest from Amex:
1. On August 24 they once again cancelled my card saying that Costco could not verify I was a member. I called them AGAIN, and finally called Costco and asked Costco to get their act together.
2. About a week ago, after 6 months of hassles I finally get not one, but TWO identical AmEx cards with my Costco picture on the back. Of course they arrive in separate envelopes with different attachments. I activate the card(s) and test one to see that it does work.
3. Today, Sept 9 I once again receive 2 letters from AmEx. I figure that they must be the same, but the only thing they have in common is that they are both dated Aug 24. Once tells me that my card/account has been cancelled. The other letter tells me that they are pleased to tell me that my account has been reinstated.

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