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

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained that American Express failed to apply a £100 'Abroad Dining Platinum Benefit' credit to his account after dining at a qualifying restaurant overseas. AMEX partially upheld the complaint and paid £50 for poor initial service, but explained that the transaction did not meet the offer criteria because Mr H paid via the restaurant's app rather than direct payment at the till point as required by the terms and conditions. The ombudsman found that AMEX was entitled to rely on these clear contractual terms and did not treat Mr H unfairly, though the £50 compensation for poor service was appropriate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Mr H's frustration was understandable, AMEX was entitled to rely on the clear terms and conditions requiring direct payment at the till point. The restaurant only accepted app-based payment, which fell outside the offer criteria. Although AMEX gave poor initial service and appropriately apologized with £50 compensation, this did not constitute unfair treatment regarding the benefit itself.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website