Not upheld: card renewal mishandling and fraud response procedures complaint against American Express Service Europe Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Ms J complained that Amex mishandled her card renewal and response to fraudulent transactions. She did not receive her renewal card issued on 23 August before her card expired in September 2025, and after a fraudulent transaction attempt on 30 August, she received two separate calls rather than being transferred to the fraud team. A second fraudulent attempt occurred on 8 September on the blocked card, and Amex also incorrectly referred to her as 'Mr J'. The ombudsman found that Amex's email clearly outlined renewal timing, the fraud response was handled reasonably with the fraud team reaching out the same day, the second fraudulent transaction was appropriately reversed, and the title error was an unfortunate typographical mistake. The complaint was not upheld, though Amex was asked to update her profile with the correct title.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Amex's email on 29 June clearly stated the renewal card would arrive before expiry, making the agents' subsequent information accurate. Regarding the fraudulent transaction handling, the ombudsman considered it reasonable that Ms J received a separate call from the fraud team rather than being transferred, as the fraud team were already aware of the activity and reached out within a reasonable timeframe on the same day. The £1 fraudulent payment on 8 September, though concerning, was appropriately reversed before impacting Ms J's account. The reference to 'Mr J' was deemed an unfortunate typographical error with no incorrect title recorded on their system, and Amex's apology was considered reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website