American Express Services Europe Limited · DRN-6154617

The complaint Ms O complains that American Express Services Europe Limited (AESEL) closed her credit card accounts. What happened Ms O held two accounts with AESEL, an American Express Platinum Card Account and a British Airways American Express Credit Card Account. On 26 May 2025 AESEL wrote to Ms O advising her that following an internal review it had decided to cancel the card agreement. AESEL advised Ms O that it was giving two months’ notice of the closure and that the card would be cancelled on 28 July 2025 and was suspended from use with immediate effect. Ms O complained to AESEL. She said that on the same day as her accounts had been closed she had raised two complaints, one regarding her offers not refreshing following a card upgrade and another about the poor service she had received from a live chat member of staff, Ms O felt that this raised the question of whether her cards had been closed in retaliation for her complaints. Ms O asked for an explanation of why her accounts had been closed including confirmation of whether her complaints had been a factor in the decision. AESEL issued a final response on 19 June 2025. It said it had made the decision to close the account in line with the terms and conditions of the Card Member Agreement. AESEL acknowledged that although the communication had given two months’ notice and the card was supposed to be cancelled on 28 July 2025, it had instead been cancelled straightaway in its systems due to an error. AESEL apologised that the cards had been cancelled without Ms O having been given the notice period and paid compensation of £150 as a gesture o goodwill. Ms O remained unhappy and brought her complaint to this service. Our investigator didn’t uphold the complaint. They said that under the terms and conditions of the account AESEL could close the account at any time without reason, and that AESEL wasn’t required to provide details of the specific reason. The investigator said that in relation to the complaints that Ms O had raised, AESEL wasn’t allowed to penalise customers when they raise complaints and the investigator was satisfied that this wasn’t the case here. Ms O didn’t agree. She said she’d been told by AESEL during a call that she could open a new credit card account in two months’ time. Ms O queried the purpose of AESEL closing her accounts and then telling her that she could open a new account in two months’ time. Ms O said she wanted the investigator to listen to the call. The investigator reviewed all available calls and advised Ms O that they had been unable to identify a call where Ms O had been provided with this information. Ms O still didn’t agree so I’ve been asked to review the complaint.

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What I’ve decided – and why I’ve considered all the available evidence and arguments to decide what’s fair and reasonable in the circumstances of this complaint. I know it will disappoint Ms O, but I agree with the investigator’s opinion. I’ll explain why. I’ve read and considered the whole file, but I’ll concentrate my comments on those points which are most relevant to my decision. If I don’t comment on a specific point, it’s not because I’ve failed to take it on board and think about it, but because I don’t think I need to comment on it in order to reach what I think is the right outcome. I’ve reviewed the terms and conditions of the account. These state that AESEL can end the agreement without giving any reason by giving two months written notice. Ms O agreed to these terms and conditions when she took out the account. I can see that AESEL wrote to Ms O on 26 May 2025 to advise her that her accounts were being closed. Based on what I’ve seen, I’m satisfied that AESEL acted in one with the terms and conditions when it terminated the accounts. I haven’t seen any evidence of an error in the termination of the accounts. I can see that the accounts were incorrectly closed immediate after the correspondence was sent to Ms O rather than two months later. AESEL has provided compensation for this error which I think is fair and reasonable. Ms O has expressed concern that her accounts were closed in retaliation for a complaint that she raised at around the same time as she received write notice of the termination of the accounts. I’ve thought about this carefully as I’m aware that Ms O feels very strongly about it. The first point to make is that a business isn’t allowed to penalise customers who raise a complaint. AESEL isn’t obliged to provide the specific reason why it decided to close Ms O’s accounts and this service isn’t able to require it to disclose the reasons. However, what this service can do is look at whether the decision to close the accounts was fair and reasonable. I’ve reviewed the information provided by AESEL and I’m satisfied that it acted fairly and in line with the terms and conditions when it took the decision to close Ms O’s accounts. I’m unable to share the reasons for the closure of the accounts with Ms O as this is commercially sensitive information. However, I can confirm that the accounts closures were nothing to do with Ms O’s complaint(s). Ms O has said that she was told during a call with AESEL that she could open a new credit card account in two months’ time. She’s queried why her accounts were closed if she cold simply open another one. I’ve listened to all the available calls but I haven’t found any evidence that Ms O was told this. Even if there was a call where Ms O was told that she could apply for a new card at a later date, this doesn’t change my decision in relation to the closure of her accounts, because I’m satisfied that AESEL closed the accounts fairly and in line with the terms and conditions. My final decision My final decision is that I don’t uphold the complaint.

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Under the rules of the Financial Ombudsman Service, I’m required to ask Ms O to accept or reject my decision before 27 April 2026. Emma Davy Ombudsman

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