INTRODUCTION

This guide outlines how to view statements and pay bills to help avoid mis-postings and Account delinquencies. We look forward to making your payment process as straightforward and efficient as possible.

YOUR PROGRAM

Important Payment Information

Please save this guide for future reference. Before starting your American Express Corporate Card program, you and your Accounts Payable team should be familiar with:

• Your Commercial Card program hierarchy structure and your billing/payment methods
• The 6-digit load number (if applicable)
• Your billing cycle schedule and payment terms
• The remittance (payment) channels we offer at Corporate or Card Member level (i.e., electronic remittances, direct debit, online payment)
• If your Account setup requires a Remittance Advice (Allocation File) to instruct American Express how to apply the payment

Payments conforming to the remittance requirements that American Express receives no later than 5PM ET will be credited to the Company’s American Express Account as of the day received. Paying on time and providing all the necessary information to American Express will enable us to process your payments timely and efficiently. It also reduces the risk of Account delinquency, which can lead to charge disruption.

Additional Considerations

Please ensure the contact details for your Accounts Payable representative(s) (email and business contact number) are regularly updated. Ensure that you have your Customized @ Work¹ Reporting switched on. Please contact the Program Administrator (PA) Helpdesk at 1-888-800-8564 from 8AM–8PM ET for assistance. American Express has separate bank accounts designated for particular countries and products. Your statement will display the account to which your payment should be made. Please do not combine payments for different Card products or currencies you may have with American Express.

Payment Channels with this icon are considered Preferred Channels and have the following benefits:

BILLING & REMITTANCE: INDIVIDUAL PAY

Viewing Your Statement (Individual Pay)

Card Members may review their Account to confirm the amount due on their statement and/or access their statement by logging into americanexpress.com.

BILLING & REMITTANCE: CENTRAL PAY

Viewing Your Statement (Central Bill)

Please refer to the Card Member Activity Report based on your billing cycle in the American Express @ Work Reporting Platform. (Please note that recent transactions may take up to 72 hours to appear on this report due to processing times incurred by the Merchant’s bank provider for pending transactions.)

There are several options available for you to submit your payment (under the Card Member Payment Channels section).

3. Electronic Remittances (Wires/ACH)

The following payment channels are the preferred payment submission options for companies whose employees are responsible for managing their own payments. Wire/ACH payments allow you to submit a payment from your preferred financial institution on a date and time of your choosing.

(Please note: this type of payment may be subject to fees by your bank.) What must be included in the payment?

1. If your account has been assigned a 6-digit Load Number
   • You must include the valid 6-digit Load Number in the Wire/ACH details. The Load Number should be in the format “LOAD 012345.” If your Load Number is less than 6 digits, please add leading zeroes.
   • If you have an Approved Expense Account requiring an Allocation File, then you can submit the file electronically to American Express.

      

      

2. If your account does not have a Load Number
   • Paying a single account: include the full 15-digit individual account number (without dashes and/or spaces) in the Wire/ACH details. Listing multiple accounts may result in posting delays.
   • Paying multiple accounts, you must send the Allocation File via email to: AmericanExpressPaymentServicesUS@aexp.com.

Please submit your Wire/ACH payment to:

What must be included in the payment?

• Wires

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. C/O Chase Manhattan Bank Demand Deposit Account # 910-2-753010 Routing # 0210-0002-1 Chase Manhattan Bank 1 Chase Plaza New York, NY 10081

• ACH

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. Corporate Card CTX account C/O Mellon TR of New England, NA Demand Deposit Account # 09-1960 Routing # 011001234 Mellon TR of New England, NA 1 Boston PL Boston, MA 02108

It is recommended that you make your payment to the above bank account no later than three (3) business days prior to your cycle cut or prior to the date you want the payment posted.

SENDING YOUR PAYMENT ALLOCATION

Important Considerations

Payments received without an Allocation File will be subject to processing delays. In some cases, they may be impossible to process at all, which could affect the availability of credit to your Account. This could also result in charge disruption for Card Members as well as delinquency fees.

Electronic Allocation Files (Wires/ACH)

Payment Allocation Files can be sent via American Express Secure File Transfer. To ensure the payment can be processed correctly, please follow these guidelines:

The Allocation File must include your company’s 6-digit Load Number. The number must match that referenced in the Wire/ACH payment.

• Secure File Transfer (SFT) should be completed at least 24 hours before submission of payment for faster processing.
• The payment amount in the Wire/ACH must exactly match the amount in the Allocation File to avoid payment posting delays.
• Do not include any foreign accounts within the Allocation File or payment.
• Do not include any zero balance amounts in the Allocation File.
• Ensure that any fees associated with your wire are not deducted from the amount received by American Express; i.e. bank origination fees, intermediary bank fees, etc.

Quick Reference Guide for Electronic Remittances

This is a guide to ensure successful submission of payment and Allocation Files. Below you will find outlined the top items that cause delays in the processing of payments.

1. Requirement number one and the possible consequences if not met

   Include 6-digit remit Load Number on both the Allocation File and ACH/ Wire funding (LOAD 012345).

   • File: The file will reject, prompting a call from American Express for correction and resubmission of file if Load Number is missing.
   • Funding: A missing or unrecognizable Load Number on the ACH or Wire will prevent the payment from posting to your account, resulting in posting delays

 

2. Requirement number two and the possible consequences if not met

   Payment amount on Allocation File and funding must match exactly.

   The funding amount must be free of any bank fees.

   • Payments will not be posted until full payment is received and matches exactly to the payment amount on the file.

 

3. Requirement number three and the possible consequences if not met

   The payment Allocation File has to be received by American Express at least 24 hours prior to American Express receiving the payment.

   • Payments will not be posted until full payment is received and matches exactly to the payment amount on the file.
   • Payments received prior to receipt of the Allocation File will not be processed until the file is received, which may result in delinquency to the account.

1. Recommendation number 1 and the possible consequences if not met

   Conduct check to ensure the account numbers passed in the file are valid American Express account numbers – this is referred to as the “Mod 10 Check”:

   1. Double every other digit (starting with the second digit) in your account number.
   2. Add all digits as single integers.
   3. Sum should be a multiple of 10.
   4. Please work with your originating bank to ensure any incurring fees are not deducted from the payment.
   5. Add all digits as single integers.

      Invalid account number(s) in the file will result in:

      • Rejection of the entire file.
      • Contact from American Express.
      • Need for resubmission of payment.


2. Recommendation number 2 and the possible consequences if not met

   Ensure funding and files are sent three (3) business days (Monday-Friday) prior to billing cycle close or contractual due date.

   • Depending on the method used to send the information, there can be a longer transit time before it reaches American Express, which may result in payment processing delays.

Glossary

• @ Work: American Express @ Work is a business-to-business suite of online solutions that provides Program Administrators with the ability to conduct business transactions along with a variety of tasks related to the administration and maintenance of Corporate products.
• Allocation File: Payments being made for multiple accounts require an Allocation File to indicate the portion of the payment that is applied to each account. For accounts that are set up as Approved Expenses, Card Members must send an Allocation File via Secure File Transfer (SFT) in order to process the payment. For accounts that are set up as Billed Balance, American Express will create a payment Allocation File at the time of received client payment.
• Billed Balance: The company receives a hard-copy Remittance Advice at cycle cut indicating the full amount due to American Express. American Express will create a payment Allocation File at the time of received client payment, utilizing the Standard Payment Posting Rules to determine which Cards will receive credits under a specified remittance Control Account.
• Do not include any zero balance amounts in the Allocation File.
• Ensure that any fees associated with your wire are not deducted from the amount received by American Express; i.e. bank origination fees, intermediary bank fees, etc.
• Central/Company Pay: The Corporate Card payments are handled by the corporation/company for all Employee Cards. Control Account Number: Account number that identifies a hierarchy of individual Cards
• Direct Debit: An automatic withdrawal from a client’s bank account to pay the balance on a Corporate account.
• Home Banking: Clients who send payments from their bank’s bill pay feature for an individual Corporate Card using the 15-digit Card number.
• Individual Pay: Setup for Corporate Cards in which the employees are responsible for submitting payments for their charges to American Express.
• Load Number: Unique number assigned to a Control Account for payment purposes and required on electronically transmitted payment files and in the payment.
• Preferred Channels: Preferred payment channels for Corporate Cards due to increased efficiency in processing and little to no manual intervention required.
• Secure Email: Email sent using encryption technology.
• Secure File Transfer: Secure File Transfer is an American Express enterprise solution that enables the secure exchange of files.

Important Contact Information

1. Electronic Payment Advice (EPA) Support:

   Team can assist with Load Number and Direct Debit setup. Additionally, any issues/errors with the transmission of electronic files can be reported to this team.

   • M–F, 6:00AM MT–3:30PM MT
   • Tel: 1-844-676-2441
   • Email: AmericanExpressRemittanceImplementationandSupportUS@aexp.com.

 

2. American Express Remittance & Reconciliation Team:

   Team can be reached for any corporate payment inquiries (i.e., missing payments, research, payment confirmation, misposts, adjustments).

   • M–F, 6:00AM MT–3:30PM MT
   • Tel: 1-866-659-1453, prompt #1
   • Email: CPC.Rec.Group@aexp.com

 

3. Corporate Card Program Administrator Helpdesk
   • Tel: 1-888-800-8564

 

4. Card Member Helpdesk
   • Tel: 1-800-528-2122

Additional Payment Channels

American Express also accepts payments for Corporate Cards via these channels, but they are considered less ideal as they can be subject to delays due to transit times and can also fail to reach American Express.

1. Individual Pay/Single Account: Paper Checks
   • All checks should be sent to the address indicated on the statement.
   • It is recommended that the full 15-digit account number be written on the front of the check.

Please allow 7–14 days for receipt and payment posting due to mail delivery.



2. Central Pay/Multiple Accounts: Checks

   All checks should be accompanied by posting details (Remittance Advice included in the statement or a printed spreadsheet) and sent to the following addresses.
   Note: For Corporate Purchasing Cards, a Remittance Advice (posting details) is not needed, but the 6-digit Load Number must be included (i.e., LOAD 012345) on the face of the check. Please mail checks to:

   1. Regular Mail for Corporate Card

      American Express ATTN:

      Payment Processing P.O. Box 96001

      Los Angeles, CA 90096-8000

   2. Regular Mail for Corporate Purchasing Card

      GPS Remittance Processing American Express –

      Suite A 20500

      Belshaw Ave. Carson, CA 90746

   3. Overnight Delivery for Corporate Card

      American Express ATTN:

      Express Mail Remittance Processing 20500

      Belshaw Ave. Carson, CA 90746

   4. Overnight Delivery for Corporate Purchasing Card

      American Express ATTN:

      AMEX CPS Remittance Processing - Suite A 20500

      Belshaw Ave. Carson, CA 90746