Centurion cancelled by Amex after 15 years
Jul 18, 2022, 9:56 am
#46
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 600
Should we be worried? As luck would have it, we didn't really think through who would get the Aspire, and who would get the Surpass. Since the Surpass has the bonus on supermarkets, I use it all the time, even though it's my husband's card and I'm the AU. And conversely, I got the Aspire with the higher restaurant bonus, and he picks up all the restaurant checks even though he's the AU. I don't think Amex would really care, but now a thread like this has me wondering. And of course we are charging up a fraction, a minute fraction, of what this OP has been doing.
Jul 18, 2022, 9:56 am
#47
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Atlanta Metro
Programs: DL , AC, BA, Hhonors Diamond, IH Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,351
Have any payments to American Express been made from other than your own personal bank accounts?
Are you the owner of, or employed by, a company engaged in a business that is legal in some jurisdictions, but not in others?
I wouldn't take this approach, until after consulting with an attorney and concluding that it is worth the time and expense. Once you mention this possibility to a large company it is likely the file will be forwarded to their legal department, and the character of the discussion becomes adversarial.
Are you the owner of, or employed by, a company engaged in a business that is legal in some jurisdictions, but not in others?
I wouldn't take this approach, until after consulting with an attorney and concluding that it is worth the time and expense. Once you mention this possibility to a large company it is likely the file will be forwarded to their legal department, and the character of the discussion becomes adversarial.
Jul 18, 2022, 10:25 am
#48
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,218
Jul 18, 2022, 10:59 am
#49
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
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Jul 18, 2022, 2:16 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: London
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Emirates Gold, HH Diamond, Centurion (UK), Virgin Gold
Posts: 75
If I had to guess, the most problematic point would be consistent large payments from the supplementary cardholder's bank account. Since I never had any AUs -- I am kind of surprised they allow transfers from anyone apart from the principal cardholder.
Since the primary account holder will be liable for all charges and AU has been paying instead. There is little record of the main account holder's ability to pay. The AU can decide to put a bunch of charges on the card and then disappear without a trace. Amex (or any other lenders) may see this as a high risk.
Since the primary account holder will be liable for all charges and AU has been paying instead. There is little record of the main account holder's ability to pay. The AU can decide to put a bunch of charges on the card and then disappear without a trace. Amex (or any other lenders) may see this as a high risk.
Jul 18, 2022, 2:22 pm
#51
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
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"We are writing to inform you that after a recent review of yourAmerican Express® account(s)referenced above, we have cancelled the account(s) based on adherence to regulatory guidelines."
Jul 18, 2022, 2:29 pm
#52
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 8,961
I agree that that might be a concern they could have. But that’s not what they cited as a reason for the closure, unless there are some regulatory guidelines about who can pay from what account for a credit card balance.
"We are writing to inform you that after a recent review of yourAmerican Express® account(s)referenced above, we have cancelled the account(s) based on adherence to regulatory guidelines."
"We are writing to inform you that after a recent review of yourAmerican Express® account(s)referenced above, we have cancelled the account(s) based on adherence to regulatory guidelines."
Jul 18, 2022, 2:39 pm
#53
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: SNA
Posts: 928
Jul 18, 2022, 2:41 pm
#54
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Gold, Marriot Bonvoy Gold, MeliaRewards Gold, Radisson Gold
Posts: 816
/"Regulatory" strongly implies externally supplied guidelines in my view.... i.e. by the official "Regulator" in a country. But again, "guidelines" is the key word here. Regulators may provide "guidelines" which are inherently subject to interpretation and therefore potentially differing enforcement processes and practices by different banks/card issuers.
Jul 18, 2022, 2:46 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Gold, Marriot Bonvoy Gold, MeliaRewards Gold, Radisson Gold
Posts: 816
Jul 18, 2022, 10:27 pm
#56
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 153
If I had to guess, the most problematic point would be consistent large payments from the supplementary cardholder's bank account. Since I never had any AUs -- I am kind of surprised they allow transfers from anyone apart from the principal cardholder.
Since the primary account holder will be liable for all charges and AU has been paying instead. There is little record of the main account holder's ability to pay. The AU can decide to put a bunch of charges on the card and then disappear without a trace. Amex (or any other lenders) may see this as a high risk.
Since the primary account holder will be liable for all charges and AU has been paying instead. There is little record of the main account holder's ability to pay. The AU can decide to put a bunch of charges on the card and then disappear without a trace. Amex (or any other lenders) may see this as a high risk.
(FWIW, I know someone whose cards were canceled last year, but points were not seized. In fact, she was given 30 days to transfer them out).
Jul 18, 2022, 10:33 pm
#57
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 118
Silly question, but how does one settle a Centurion statement? I don't think I have ever seen FedWire instructions for AMEX and most other banks, although I know a few have it. Consumer ACH is risk to AMEX because of possible chargebacks or insufficient funds. These banks normally advance the line as soon as the ACH is initiated, but they really do not have finally settled funds for days or maybe weeks. If your AU was paying via ACH in $100k+ amounts from an unusual financial institution, the risk profile may have been too high for them. Stuff like this is hard for banks to communicate to a customer, so they just drop the account.
A few years ago, I had a courtesy call from Schwab that was along the lines of "If you value your relationship with Schwab, pull back on receiving ACHs and then immediately using the money to pay credit cards. That is all I am really authorized to say." The incoming ACH payments were for hundreds of thousands at the time. He admitted that if I switched to receiving wires, they might be more comfortable.
A few years ago, I had a courtesy call from Schwab that was along the lines of "If you value your relationship with Schwab, pull back on receiving ACHs and then immediately using the money to pay credit cards. That is all I am really authorized to say." The incoming ACH payments were for hundreds of thousands at the time. He admitted that if I switched to receiving wires, they might be more comfortable.
Jul 19, 2022, 12:13 am
#58
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 406
Silly question, but how does one settle a Centurion statement? I don't think I have ever seen FedWire instructions for AMEX and most other banks, although I know a few have it. Consumer ACH is risk to AMEX because of possible chargebacks or insufficient funds. These banks normally advance the line as soon as the ACH is initiated, but they really do not have finally settled funds for days or maybe weeks. If your AU was paying via ACH in $100k+ amounts from an unusual financial institution, the risk profile may have been too high for them. Stuff like this is hard for banks to communicate to a customer, so they just drop the account.
A few years ago, I had a courtesy call from Schwab that was along the lines of "If you value your relationship with Schwab, pull back on receiving ACHs and then immediately using the money to pay credit cards. That is all I am really authorized to say." The incoming ACH payments were for hundreds of thousands at the time. He admitted that if I switched to receiving wires, they might be more comfortable.
A few years ago, I had a courtesy call from Schwab that was along the lines of "If you value your relationship with Schwab, pull back on receiving ACHs and then immediately using the money to pay credit cards. That is all I am really authorized to say." The incoming ACH payments were for hundreds of thousands at the time. He admitted that if I switched to receiving wires, they might be more comfortable.
Jul 19, 2022, 1:21 am
#59
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: HNL,HI,USA
Posts: 256
Jul 19, 2022, 1:44 am
#60
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969