American Express Down? Users Report Problems With Amex Services Thursday Morning as Cause Remains Unclear

American Express customers reported problems with the company's services Thursday morning, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector, though the scope and cause of the disruption were not immediately clear.

Downdetector, which monitors service disruptions based on reports submitted by users, said it began receiving complaints about American Express at 9:24 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The site flagged the issue in a post on X, asking users how the problem was affecting them and using the hashtag #AmericanExpressDown.

American Express did not immediately make a public statement about the reported issues, and it was not clear how many customers were affected, which services were involved or how long the disruption might last.

What is known so far

Downdetector compiles reports from users who visit its website or flag problems on social media. When the number of complaints about a service rises significantly above its usual baseline, the site issues an alert indicating a possible outage.

The alert for American Express was posted shortly after 9:24 a.m. EDT, during the busy morning hours on the U.S. East Coast, when many cardholders check balances, pay bills or make purchases.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported problems involved the American Express mobile app, its website, card transactions at stores, online payments or some combination of those services.

Other outage-monitoring sites did not immediately show a widespread disruption. One tracking service listed American Express as operating normally, while another site that tests whether the company's website is reachable showed normal response times in its most recent checks Thursday.

That mixed picture suggests the problems may have been limited in scope, affected only certain features or users, or been short-lived. Outage reports on tracking sites can also rise when users experience problems on their own devices or networks, or when issues with a single feature, such as logging in, prompt a wave of complaints.

Previous disruptions

American Express has experienced periodic service problems in the past. In February, users reported a disruption lasting about 52 minutes during which account balances and transactions were not displaying or processing, according to outage-monitoring service StatusGator. The company did not publicly acknowledge that incident, StatusGator said.

Smaller numbers of users have also reported isolated problems in recent weeks, including difficulty checking balances and system error messages.

Large financial companies typically process enormous volumes of transactions every day, and even brief technical problems can affect large numbers of customers. Outages can stem from a variety of causes, including software updates, problems with third-party technology providers, network issues or cyberattacks, although there was no indication Thursday of what caused the reported problems.

Part of a wider pattern

Service disruptions at banks, payment companies and other financial institutions have become a growing concern as consumers rely more heavily on mobile apps and online services to manage their money.

In recent years, outages at major banks, credit card companies and payment processors have left customers temporarily unable to log in to accounts, view balances, transfer money or complete purchases. Many of those incidents have been resolved within hours, but they have drawn attention to how dependent consumers and businesses have become on digital systems that can fail without warning.

Widespread technology failures have also affected other industries. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike in July 2024 caused global disruptions to computer systems, grounding flights and affecting banks, hospitals and businesses around the world.

Regulators in the United States and elsewhere have increasingly pressed financial institutions to strengthen their technology systems and improve their ability to recover quickly from outages.

What customers can do

Customers experiencing problems with American Express services can take several steps while the issue is investigated.

Cardholders who cannot access their accounts through the app can try logging in through the company's website, or the reverse, since outages sometimes affect only one platform. Restarting the app, checking for updates or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data can also help determine whether a problem is on the user's end.

Customers who need to make an urgent purchase may want to carry a backup payment method, such as another card or cash, in case transactions fail.

Cardholders should avoid repeatedly attempting the same transaction, which can sometimes lead to duplicate charges once systems are restored. Experts generally advise customers to review their account activity after any outage to make sure transactions were processed correctly.

Customers with urgent questions can contact American Express through the customer service number listed on the back of their card or on the company's official website. Consumer protection experts warn that people should be wary of phone numbers posted by strangers on social media or third-party websites during outages, because scammers sometimes take advantage of service disruptions to target customers.

People should also be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts or calls claiming to be from American Express and asking for personal or account information. Legitimate companies generally do not ask customers to share passwords or full card numbers in unsolicited messages.

About American Express

American Express is one of the world's largest credit card issuers and payment networks. Based in New York, the company issues cards to consumers and businesses and operates a global payments network that processes transactions for merchants around the world.

Unlike Visa and Mastercard, which primarily operate payment networks and rely on banks to issue cards, American Express both issues cards and runs its own network. That means a technical problem at American Express can affect both cardholders' access to their accounts and the processing of transactions.

The company has built a strong following among travelers and high-spending customers, offering premium cards with rewards programs, airport lounge access and other benefits.

What's next

It remained unclear Thursday morning whether the reported problems were ongoing or had been resolved. American Express customers will be watching for an update from the company on the cause of the disruption and whether any services or transactions were affected.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.