Disclosures | Privacy Statement | American Express Australia

Australia – American Express Online Privacy Statement

Effective Date: 22 September 2024

At American Express, we are committed to safeguarding your privacy. We want you to know how we may collect, use, share, and keep information about you and the choices that are available to you.

This online privacy statement applies to American Express websites, online applications that run on smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices (“apps”) as well as your use or access of any of our online services or content and other online programs that we offer with our partners that link to this statement.

Which American Express products & services do you use?

The types of information we collect, how we use the information and who we may share it with depends on which of our websites or apps you use. It also depends on which American Express product or service you use. For example, we will hold different information about you depending on whether:

You have an American Express Card issued by American Express;
You are a merchant who accepts American Express Cards;
You use our Foreign Exchange Service or Travel Services; or
You participate in one of our offers, promotions or competitions.

Generally, we will give you more specific details about how we will use your Personal Information in relation to a particular American Express product or service around the time when you apply for it.

Online Information

Not all the information described in the online privacy statement is ‘Personal Information’ under the Privacy Act - some of the Online Information we collect does not identify you (for example, some information we collect using cookies or information that is aggregated or de-identified).

Our websites and apps are not intended for children under 18 years of age.

We do not knowingly solicit data online from, or market online to, children under 18 years of age. Since we may change this online privacy statement, we recommend that you check the current version available from time to time. If we make changes to this statement, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page.

Complaints about our handling of your personal information

American Express is committed to customer satisfaction as part of its service philosophy.

American Express has established internal procedures to resolve complaints, whilst also being a member of an external dispute resolution service.

If you have a complaint about the provision of our services or any privacy related matters, please take the following steps:

Please contact us by calling the number on the back of your card, or alternatively please call the following numbers: 1300 132 639 (Consumer Card Members) 1300 363 614 (Merchants) 1300 362 639 (Corporate Card Members) 1300 139 060 (Foreign Exchange) 1300 366 549 (Small Business Card Members)
If your complaint is not satisfactorily resolved within twenty (20) business days, please address your complaint in writing to:
The Customer Relations Manager American Express Australia Limited GPO Box 1582 SYDNEY NSW 2001
American Express makes every endeavour to resolve complaints in a prompt and fair manner, having regard to the law. If however you continue to remain dissatisfied with American Express’ decision, you may seek to have your complaint 6 considered by the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), an independent, external dispute resolution service of which American Express is a member. You may contact AFCA by the following means:
Australian Financial Complaints Authority GPO Box 3 MELBOURNE VIC 3001 Tel: 1800 931 678 Fax: (03) 9613 6399 Email: info@afca.org.au Website: afca.org.au

Our Privacy Policy

In addition to this Online Privacy Statement, American Express Privacy Policy describes our general processes and procedures for collecting, using and safeguarding Personal Information. For a copy, click here

What's in this Online Privacy Statement?

What information does this online privacy statement cover?

This online privacy statement describes how we (and our Service Providers) may collect, use, share, and keep information that we get about you online. We gather Online Information if you:

Visit or use our websites or apps;
Participate in the online programs we offer with our Business Partners;
Receive or reply to electronic communications from us;
View or click on our ads or other online content; and
Interact with us through social media websites and other websites and apps.

In this statement, we also explain how we may combine Online Information with Other Information about you and how we then use the combined information.

What information do we collect online and how do we collect it?

The types of information we collect depends on which product or service you use.

Sometimes you give information directly to us (or to our Service Providers). For example, you might give us your name, account number, email, mailing address, phone number, or date of birth when you:

fill out an online form or survey, including when you book travel with us;
register, log into or update the settings on your account using our online services;
register or enroll in our programs;
enter a competition or register for a marketing offer; or
buy something on our websites or apps.

We (and our Service Providers or Third-Party Ad-Servers) also collect information through Cookies and Similar Technologies. Most Cookies and Similar Technologies will only collect De-Identified Information such as how you arrive at our website or your general location. However, certain Cookies and Similar Technologies do collect Personal Information. For example, if you click Remember Me when you log in to our website, a cookie will store your username.

We (and our Service Providers or Third-Party Ad-Servers) may collect information using Cookies and Similar Technologies about:

the device you use to access our websites or apps (for example, we may collect information about the operating system or the browser version and the type of device you use to open electronic communications from us);
the IP Address and information related to that IP Address (such as domain information, your internet provider and general geographic location);
browsing history on our websites or apps (such as what you search for, the pages you view, how long you stay, and how often you come back);
how you search for our websites or apps, from which website or app you came from, and which of our Business Partners’ websites you visit;
which ads or online content from us and our Business Partners you view, access, or click on;
whether you open our electronic communications and which parts you click on (for example, which links you use); and
the location of your mobile device (for example, to help prevent fraud or when you register to receive location-based content on our mobile websites or apps).

We (and our Service Providers or Third-Party Ad-Servers) may also collect information made publicly available through third-party platforms (such as online social media platforms), through online databases or directories, or that is otherwise legitimately obtained.

We and our Service Providers may collect or use your biometric information, such as your image, to verify your identity with your express consent. We and our Service Providers will collect and use such biometric information lawfully and will only store such data for so long as is strictly necessary to verify your identity. All biometric information will be deleted by no later than within 12 months of collection.

How do we use the information we collect about you?

We may use Online Information we collect about you on its own or combine it with Other Information to:

deliver products and services, including to:
- recognise you when you return to our websites or use our apps;
- complete transactions;
- tell you about updates to your accounts, products, and services;
- update you about new features and benefits;
- answer questions and respond to your requests made through our websites or apps and through third-party websites (including social media);
- use the location of your mobile device for location-based services that you may request;
- determine how to best provide services to you and manage your accounts, such as the best way and time to contact you;
- improve our websites or apps and make them easier to use;
advertise and market our products and services – and those of our Business Partners – including to:
- present content that is tailored to your interests, including Targeted Advertising;
- send or provide you with ads, promotions, and offers;
- analyse whether our ads, promotions, and offers are effective;
- help us determine whether you may be interested in new products or services;
conduct research and analysis, including to:
- better understand our customers and our website and app users;
- allow you to give feedback by rating and reviewing our products and services and those of our Business Partners;
- produce data analytics, statistical research, and reports;
- review and change our products and services;
manage fraud and security risk, including to:
- detect and prevent fraud or criminal activity;
- safeguard the security of your information;
to assess your application for a card, account or other product including to:
- assess your credit worthiness and suitability for credit offers;
- make decisions about whether or not to approve your application;
- manage your existing accounts.
use it in other ways as required or permitted by law or with your consent.

How do we share your information?

Some Online Information is Personal Information.

How we treat your Personal Information?

We do not share Personal Information with anyone except as described below.We may share Personal Information as required or as permitted by law, such as:

with credit bureaus and similar institutions to report or ask about your financial circumstances, and to report or collect debts you owe;
with regulatory authorities, courts, and governmental agencies to comply with legal orders, legal or regulatory requirements, and government requests;
with our Service Providers, regulatory authorities, and governmental agencies to detect and prevent fraud or criminal activity, and to protect the rights of American Express or others;
within the American Express Family of Companies;
with our Service Providers who perform services for us and help us operate our business (we require Service Providers to safeguard Personal Information and only use your Personal Information for the purposes we specify);
in the context of a sale of all or part of the American Express Family of Companies or their assets;
orfor specific products or services, when you have given your consent.

Overseas Transfer: We may transfer Personal Information to Service Providers or companies within the American Express Family of Companies throughout the world, for example, to process transactions and provide you with our products or services. Regardless of where we process your information, we still protect it in the manner described in this online privacy statement and according to all applicable laws.

How we handle Aggregated Information and De-identified Information?

Aggregated Information or De-identified Information does not identify you individually; it helps us to analyse patterns among groups of people. We may share Aggregated Information or De-identified Information in several ways, for example:

for the same reasons as we might share Personal Information;
with Business Partners to help develop and market programs, products or services and present targeted content including Targeted Advertising;
with Business Partners to conduct analysis and research about customers, website and app users; or
with Third-Party Ad-Servers to place ads (including ads of our Business Partners) on various websites and apps, and to analyse the effectiveness of those ads.

How do we keep and safeguard your information?

We use administrative technical and physical security measures to protect your Personal Information. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and facilities. We take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify Personal Information when we no longer need it.

We will keep your Online Information only as long as we must to deliver our products and services, unless we are required by law or regulation or for litigation and regulatory investigations to keep it.

What are your choices?

You will always have a right to access, update, and change or correct your Personal Information. If you want to do so or if you have any questions about how we process your Personal Information, follow the links on the next pages or click here

You have choices about how American Express uses your information, such as how we market to you or how we manage Cookies and Similar Technologies.

If you do not want us to collect information about you using Cookies & Similar Technologies you can disable or delete them. Most computer systems and browsers offer their own privacy settings. We encourage you to use them to enhance your choices. Most browsers’ advanced settings (such as those in Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari) allow you to disable Cookies & Similar Technologies. 

Important - If you do disable or delete Cookies & Similar Technologies, some site features and services may not work. You will need to manage your settings for each computer and browser you use to access the Internet.

For more information, go to About Cookies

Advertising in Social & Online Media

American Express participates in advertising programs offered by various social media and online partners such as Facebook and Twitter. These programs allow us to serve you with advertising when you use those services. We use information we hold about you to ensure those advertisements are relevant to you. We do not share any of your personal information with these partners directly.

Opt-Out

We encourage you to learn more about social advertising and the choices you have. You can opt-out of these advertising programs at any time with our advertising partners by following the links below:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/help/56813749330221

Twitter https://support.twitter.com/articles/20170405?lang=en

Google https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en-AU

eBay http://cgi6.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?AdChoiceLandingPage&partner=0

What are your choices about how we directly market to you?

You can choose how you would like to receive marketing communications, including direct marketing - whether we send them to you through postal mail, email, SMS and/or telephone. If you choose to not receive marketing communications from us, we will honor your choice. Please be aware that if you choose not to receive such communications, certain offers attached to the products or services you have chosen may be affected. We will still communicate with you in connection with servicing your account, fulfilling your requests, or administering any promotion or any program in which you have elected to participate.

For additional information and to manage marketing click here

Do you have questions about the online privacy statement or how we process your personal information?

American Express Cards & Services

Consumer Card Members 1300 132 639

Merchants 1300 363 614

Corporate Card Members 1300 362 639

Foreign Exchange 1300 139 060

Global Travel Business 1300 666 083

Glossary

Aggregated Information - data or information relating to multiple people which has been combined or aggregated. Aggregated Information includes information that we create or compile from various sources, including card transactions or certain data from Cookies and Similar Technologies.

American Express (we, our, us) - the American Express Company as identified at the beginning of this online privacy statement.

American Express Family of Companies - any affiliate and subsidiary of, and any company owned or controlled by, the American Express Company.

Business Partners - any third parties with whom we conduct business and have a contractual relationship, such as a business that accepts American Express branded cards.

Cookies and Similar Technologies - a cookie is a small data file that an app or website transfers to your computer's hard drive. We may place cookies when you use our websites or apps or where you use another company’s website and apps that our ads appear on. We may also place cookies when you make purchases, request or personalise information, or register for certain services. If you accept these cookies, you may give us access to information about your interests. We may use that information to personalise your experience. Similar technologies such as web beacons, pixels, gifs, and tags also do the same thing. We use the term Cookies and Similar Technologies in this statement to refer to all technologies that collect information in this way. For further information go to About Cookies

De-identified Information - data or information used in a way that does not identify you to a third party. We often derive De-Identified Information from Personal Information. It includes information that we may collect from various sources, such as card transactions or certain data from Cookies and Similar Technologies

IP Address - a number assigned to a device when connecting to the Internet.

Online Information - data or information which may include Personal Information, Aggregated Information and De-Identified Information collected on the American Express websites and apps as well as on websites and apps of third parties relating to topics about our business.

Other Information - American Express internal information (for example, Card transaction data), information from our Business Partners, external data that financial companies use to process applications and complete transactions, and other online and offline information we collect from or about you.

Personal Information - means information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion (such as name, address or telephone number).

Service Providers - any vendor, third party and/or company that performs business operations on our behalf, such as printing, mailing, and other communications services (email, direct mail, etc.), marketing, data processing, servicing, collections, or ad management.

Targeted Advertising - ads we, or our Service Providers, display on websites or apps outside the American Express Family of Companies based on the preferences or interests inferred from data collected from a particular computer or device regarding web viewing behaviors over time and across different websites.

Third-Party Ad-Servers - companies that provide the technology to place ads on websites (and apps) and track how ads perform. These companies may also place and access cookies on your device. The information they collect from our websites or apps is in a form that does not identify you personally.