New American Express Shut Down Reports, These Ones Are Strange
American Express shut down reports are not all that unique, we have a full guide about it. But I received notification from a few readers with similar stories. It seems like there may have been a bloody Friday last week that went a bit under the radar. Hopefully we can get some more data points and see if this was more wide spread than we realize.
Amex Shutdown Reports Last Friday
I had a few readers reach out with a concerning trend. They woke up on Friday to their Amex accounts completely shut down. No notice, no known cause, just a complete lockout from their cards.
Two of the people involved say they did nothing nefarious. Never put any “increased spending” on their cards. They used them as intended for business and personal reasons. And they have no idea what would have caused the American Express shut down. When they called in they continued to get bounced around the call center without any real information.
The other reader said they bought some gift cards for Amazon to earn a better rate on those purchases. But nothing major, and outside of using some airline incidental credits via loopholes they couldn’t figure out what the reason was behind it. That should result in a clawback of the credit at worst.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t appear that there is much to go by on here. When I got the first report I thought it was weird but after multiple, all with similar stories, I don’t know what to make of it. Is this an algorithm going rogue like it did with Chase a while back? Will they be able to get their accounts restored? I know most of the people caught up in the Chase shutdowns were able to get them reopened. I feel like this is something similar but I am not sure how widespread it is. If you have heard, or experienced, something similar late last week let us know in the comments section. While an American Express shut down report is not that surprising these feel a bit off. There is some issue on Amex’s end in my opinion.
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[…] Miles to Memories first wrote about these recent shutdowns which happened on or around Friday, October 1st. This was a complete shutdown for many people, with no warning or any correspondence whatsoever by American Express. Those affected just could not access their Amex accounts. Even when calling in, they were bounced around from one rep to another without being able to get a straight answer. […]
I think Mike Saint makes some good points here. In his case converting card charges to cash (effectively) is seen as a risky behavior to Chase and Citi. We also dont know what other data points that banks may share with each other. Some who have cards shuttered may have other issues, or maybe its merewly a BOT. I dont rule that out. Those accounts closed, the cardmembers shoudl call and be persistent about it. A some point they may get reinstated or find out what triggered the issue.
Be very careful with giftcards! I bought a ton last year at Simon Malls and I got ALL my cards cancelled with Chase AND Citibank. Literally 10 cards cancelled and I’m not sure when I will be let back in. I have an 835 FICO score. Own my house outright.
Admitedly I went overboard with the gift cards but still really really sucks. I only have cards with AMEX and Bank of America and Barclays (Barclay’s SUCKS). So be careful.
Reddit says if you opened an account under Adam or his links you’re going to be shutdown.
Where is this posted on reddit?
Who is Adam and why would they care? Please clarify? I do not use Reddit due to it being too baffling for me.
If you haven’t called in to get an Amex Bus Plat offer then you have nothing to worry about. Adam is (or more likely was) an Amex employee.
Okay then. Thanks! I guess I am safe in that case.
Can you post link?
That is what I have been hearing too.
You can add myself and 2 friends to the list. No changes in spending for me. Member since 81.
Unfortunately most people who are shut down are not forthcoming as to the real reasons. There is usually a missed payment, high balances or the most common – frequent opening and closing of Amex cards so that they can churn bonuses.
I agree. I’ve found those that misuse the card or do something strange won’t admit it online. I admit I got carried away buying Simon Giftcards and then going to Walmart and buying money orders. Luckily my bank didn’t shut me down. I saved EVERY receipt to show them what I was doing. At first they thought I was laundering money but I showed them it was for hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles/points. They were intrigued but didn’t shut down my bank accounts except for Chase that DID shut down my checking and savings accounts.
Attrition in Amex IT?
No shutdowns here but the $15 monthly credit on my Bonvoy card with Amex has stopped coming in last month, and so far, this month.
I was told during chat last month on the 25th (!) that it was visible and ought to clear in another 20-30 BUSINESS days. I told them that was ridicuklous they couldn’t keep track of little things like that and he agreed, too!
I think their I.T. is messed up.
Yeah and what’s annoying is do NOT wait until the last day of the month to spend on AMEX cards. I have several cards where I get $10 or $20 per month for Seamless/Grubhub and they didn’t clear until the following day even though I charged it the last day of the month and they wouldn’t credit me.