Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against American Express Services Europe Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P complained that American Express unfairly charged interest on his credit card account on three occasions when he made payments the next working day after the due date fell on a weekend. American Express declined to refund the interest except for January 2026, which it refunded as a gesture of goodwill. The ombudsman found that the firm's terms and conditions clearly required payment by the stated due date and that payment methods were available 24/7, meaning Mr P could have paid on time. The complaint was not upheld as the ombudsman concluded American Express acted fairly in charging interest for late payments.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that American Express's terms and conditions were clear and unambiguous in requiring payment by the stated due date. Since payment methods were available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Mr P could have made his payment on the due date even if it fell on a weekend. The ombudsman concluded that Mr P's confusion about payment timing was not due to any communication failure by American Express, and therefore the firm acted fairly in charging interest when payments were received late.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website