What should I do if I have a question about a charge on my Account/statement?

If you are unable to resolve your inquiry with the merchant directly, please contact us at the number on the back of your Card or you may set up a dispute online by logging in to your Online Services Account (Personal and Small Business Cards only). We will take all reasonable and appropriate steps to provide the information you request or attempt to resolve the billing dispute on your behalf.

Some potential reasons you might need to open a dispute are an unexpected charge, you have been billed more than expected, a non-received item, you are missing a refund or have been charged more than once.

Not recognizing a charge on your statement or if you are expecting a refund and it hasn’t yet appeared on your statement doesn't necessarily mean there's been fraudulent activity on your Account. Below are some tips on when to open a dispute and steps on how to open a dispute.

Step 1 – Verify Your Concern

First, you should review our checklist of common reasons for unexpected charges. Often, your inquiry can be resolved right here.

Hotel Charges

• Is it possible that the hotel required payment in advance? Sometimes hotels charge the reservation to your Card in advance. This is typically the case when booking through third-party travel agencies online.

• Often, hotel bookings are billed under the name of the hotel chain rather than the individual hotel.

• Did you cancel a hotel reservation? You may have incurred a cancellation charge. Hotels may bill for a reservation cancelled outside of their cancellation policy.

• Did you incur additional charges for parking, health spas or a meal after checking out?
  
  

Car Rental Charges

-Could it be that you pre-booked a car rental for a future date? Some companies may charge a holding non-refundable deposit to your Card. If you then cancel the reservation, this deposit may be forfeited.

-Any extra charges incurred? Extra charges on your bill may include extra mileage, gas, damages, late returns, car insurance, child seating, toll road or highway usage and traffic violations/tickets.

Internet Charges

-Did you order anything on the internet for the amount stated, even if you don't recognize the name of the company? Many companies use other, separate companies to collect payments made online. Therefore, the name appearing on your statement may in fact be that of a third-party online payment provider.

-Could it be that you entered into a free trial period or annual subscription for an online service provider? Many service providers' terms and conditions allow them to automatically collect subscription charges if you don't cancel within the specified time limit (e.g. 3 month trial period).

-Do you have an online subscription that is renewed automatically by the service provider? Did you order an item that would have incurred Shipping and Handling charges?

Other

Do you recognize the amount, but not the name of the company? Some companies are registered under their legally incorporated name rather than the business name that you may be familiar with. The legally incorporated name may be the one printed on your statement.

Missing a refund may be due to one of the following reasons:

Returns   - Have you checked your recent transactions within your Online Services Account for any refunds or credits? Merchant return and refund policies may vary. Please check that you are within the merchant’s terms and conditions. If sufficient time has passed‚ what we need from you is a proof of return.

-Did you return the purchased goods back to the company or cancel a service more than 30 days ago? Because companies can take up to 30 days to credit a refund‚ we cannot begin our investigation until this time has expired. If the 30 days has expired‚ what we need from you is a proof of return.

-Have you checked your recent transactions within your Online Services Account?

Hotel Cancellations

Is the refund due to the cancellation of a hotel booking? Is so, did you cancel within the hotel’s terms and conditions – most require 24 to 48 hours notice or you may be liable for one full night’s stay.

Step 2 – Contact the Merchant

We recommend you contact the merchant directly. Often this can be the fastest way to get the answers you're looking for.

Step 3 – Open a Dispute

If you are certain that you did not authorize the charge in question and unable to resolve the inquiry on your own, you can contact American Express Customer Service to begin an investigation.

There are two ways to open a dispute investigation:

• Open a dispute online. From your Online Services Account homepage, click “Recent Activity” to access current and previous charges posted on your Account. Select the charge in question and click ‘Have a question about this charge?’. Follow the prompts to open a dispute case. Online Disputes are available to Personal and Small Business Cards only.
• Call American Express Customer Service. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find our Customer Service number on the back of your American Express Card.
  
  

Please note: the charge in question will be suspended until the investigation is resolved. This will appear on your statement as a Suspension of Disputed Charge.

Stage 4 – We help with Your Dispute Case

You've reported your inquiry. Now we'll take it from here and do our best to help address your concerns.

First, we will contact the merchant on your behalf. The company in question may either:

• Acknowledge the error and refund your money – we will contact you if this is the case.
• Provide us with proof and information regarding the transaction – in this case we will provide the supporting documents to you for your review

Please note, we are obliged to give them sufficient time to respond to an inquiry.

Stage 5 – Conclusion

At this stage, we explain what the possible outcomes of your inquiry may be. When we do, we will write to you to confirm one of the following outcomes:

Outcome One

The company that posted the charge has authorized a credit to your Account. The suspension will now become permanent on your Account and will appear on your statement as a Credit Adjustment.

Outcome Two

We have sent you information on the charge from the company and you have recognized it as one you made. The temporary suspension will be removed from your Account and will appear on your statement as a Reversal Suspension of Disputed Charge. You will now need to make payment for the disputed amount.

If you are unsatisfied with the conclusion of our investigation and you continue to have questions over whether you authorized the charge or not, you may have to deal with the merchant directly.