He had six American Express credit cards. Before his trip, the bank suspended them all: ‘The rage in me wants to open a different travel credit card’
He didn't see this financial review coming.
Brenley (@brenspoints) was a couple of days away from a trip when American Express allegedly suspended six of his credit cards. He claims that he doesn’t know what triggered the sudden financial review.
“Today, American Express suspended six of my credit cards, and I’m a person that has never missed a payment. I’ve never carried a balance; I pay my card off on time and in full every single month,” Brenley told TikTok last Friday, October 9. He said he’s been an American Express customer for five years and has almost 900,000 points. Brenley alleged that American Express called him and passed off the suspension and financial review as a routine inspection for all members.
“Mind you, this is a travel card, and I’m traveling internationally in two days,” Brenley added. Frustrated, he also asked other social media users for credit card recommendations. It all started when Brenley answered a call from American Express, even though he normally wouldn’t answer. However, he felt he needed to.
A sudden financial review from American Express
“They asked if it was me. They said it was American Express and asked if it was a good time,” Brenley recalled. He agreed to speak with the representative, and they told him that they were placing Brenley under financial review. He continued, “Hey, did something trigger this? I’ve never missed a payment. I haven’t charged anything crazy to my cards recently.” Oftentimes, suspicious purchases could alert a cardholder to the transaction. Another woman from Atlanta reported that Capital One informed her immediately after her card was charged a suspiciously large tip.
Regardless, American Express allegedly told Brenley, “Every card member has to go through this at some point in the life of their card.” Brenley didn’t believe that. He stated, “If every single member had to do a financial review, where you get your cards shut off, I don’t think they would have many card members.” Nevertheless, Brenley asked American Express what they needed from him. In response, they allegedly told him to fill out a form authorizing the IRS to release his 2025 tax returns so they could verify his income. Brenley agreed and said he would send the document.
“The second I hang up the call, they suspend all of my cards,” he alleged. Brenley pulled up a screenshot of an email notifying him that his American Express card has been suspended in Apple Pay. Immediately, Brenley said he filled out and submitted the form. He called American Express back and asked when he could expect an update regarding his cards. Brenley said they would get back to him within ten business days.
“Mind you, I’m traveling internationally in two days, and I booked international travel with my platinum card,” Brenley revealed. He contacted American Express again and asked whether anything had triggered the investigation. They allegedly insisted that it was a routine inspection. Brenley said he called back a third time, and they still had the same response.
Upset with the situation, he took his inquiry online. He said a couple of people got back to him and asked whether he had changed jobs in 2025. Brenley said he did, but he only took a two-week gap between jobs. He continued, “However, I don’t believe that’s grounds for shutting down all of my credit cards.” Brenley explained that he found American Express’s travel perks the best, which is why he routed all his spending through his cards.
“So, the rage in me wants to open a different travel credit card. But I genuinely think that the Amex benefits work really well for me,” he said. However, the experience is making him consider closing his accounts.
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