Amex Declined Transaction
Busy points and travel hobbyists are probably more acquainted with fraud alerts and declined transactions than the general population. Those items, whether at brick-and-mortar stores or online, aren’t tremendously embarrassing to me, at least. In person, I’ll shrug and just pull out another card for the transaction, as I’ve inevitably planned for a backup card when such things happen. Online, I’ll usually push away from the keyboard and try again during a different time, often after clearing a fraud alert. But a recent Amex declined transaction came with something I’d never seen before.
Hmm, That Was Weird…
On a Saturday night in late February, I remembered that I had not yet used my Amex Business Gold’s Flexible Business Credit benefit. I hopped online to buy a gift card from Staples.com. Quickly, I made a selection – I usually rotate among three or so of my favorites – and navigated to checkout. I had previously selected my Business Gold card as the default payment method. I noticed the site didn’t ask me to verify the CVV this time. But no matter – I completed the purchase and immediately received the “thank you for your order” email. I went on to other tasks, knowing that it can take a few hours for e-gift cards to show up from Staples.
Later that night, though, I noticed another Staples email, this one noting “your order is on hold.” Staples presented me with the following options:
- Contact your credit card provider
Contact the number listed on the back of your AMEX ending in XXXX for further information. Once the issue has been resolved, click the “Update payment” button below to resubmit your order. - Apply an alternate method of payment
To apply a different major credit card, use the “Update payment” button below.
I logged into my Amex account and saw no signs of a fraud alert or declined transaction. Whatever, I thought – I’ll figure it out later, but not tonight.
Whoa…
Later the next day, I received an email from Amex, a type I don’t ever recall receiving. Here’s an excerpt:
We are writing to you because we need to speak with you regarding a security concern on your account.
For your security, new charges on the accounts listed above may be declined. If applicable, you should advise any Additional Card Member(s) on your account that their new charges may also be declined. If we do not hear from you within 30 days your account may be cancelled. [Bold emphasis is from Amex.]
To be clear, this was the first Amex notification. After reading this email from Amex’s “Global Fraud Protection Services,” I called and easily cleared the fraud alert within a couple minutes. My card was back in good standing and available for immediate use.
Uh, Okay…
Later that day, I received an e-gift card from Staples without having taken any other action. I had contacted Amex, but I did not click the “Update payment” button in the Staples email. Finding this odd, I didn’t overthink it. I got my gift card and moved on.
I found the delayed email response from Amex surprising – almost a full day from the original transaction. Most other card issuers I deal with immediately advise of such fraud alerts. (Yes, I have my Amex communication settings appropriately selected.) Also, I found it interesting Amex so forcefully stating they may cancel the account after 30 days of inaction. I read this as my Business Gold account, but I could totally see Amex closing all accounts, especially these days.
Amex Declined Transaction – Conclusion
Of course, I’m confident Amex is alone here. Other card issuers can close card accounts based on fraud concerns, or for pretty much any other reason. But based on the timing of these events and the email wording, it felt like Amex was telling me, “this doesn’t seem that important, but actually, it is.” So if you have a declined transaction, Amex or otherwise ensure to follow up immediately or ASAP. That may sound obvious, but in our busy hobby, I sometimes think, “I’ll get to that later” on a variety of topics, even a false fraud alert.
And speaking of erroneous fraud alerts, Amex is one of the better banks with not being too jumpy. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a false fraud alert on an Amex account, and more importantly, I haven’t experienced any actual fraudulent activity. That made this experience stick out more.
What’s been your experience with Amex declined transactions and fraud alerts?
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