Amex Illegally Miscommunicated Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and Military Lending Act (MLA) Benefits — Then Charged Me $695I never thought I’d have to write a review like this — but American Express has left me with no other option.As the spouse of a newly commissioned U.S. military officer, I reached out to American Express to ask a very specific question: If I upgrade to the Platinum card, will I be eligible for the military spouse fee waiver under SCRA or MLA? I made it absolutely clear to the representative that I could not afford the $695 annual fee. I told her I would only upgrade if I qualified for the military benefit. She assured me, multiple times, that I did.That assurance — which turned out to be completely false — has now cost me nearly $700 I cannot get back.Amex charged me the full annual fee right after the upgrade. Then, months later, they sent me a cold letter saying I didn’t qualify. Why? Because I live in a residence that isn’t considered “community property” — something they had on record the entire time. They knew I didn’t qualify before I even upgraded, but they never disclosed it. Not once.Instead, they allowed the upgrade to proceed, took $695 from me, and then waited months to inform me I was disqualified — after I had no time to reverse it.Let me be brutally clear:I never used the Platinum card beyond a single transaction that was immediately paid off. I got zero value out of the card. I upgraded based solely on the false promises of an Amex representative. And when I contacted them to explain this and ask for a refund, they stonewalled me.Over the course of several months, I made dozens of calls, wrote multiple letters, and explained the situation again and again — and each time, I got the same response: “Sorry, we can’t refund the fee.”Meanwhile, that $695 sat on my account like an anchor. We’re not a wealthy family. That money was supposed to go toward our basic expenses — groceries, school fees, utilities. Instead, it vanished into Amex’s balance sheet, taken under false pretenses, leaving me feeling helpless, angry, and exploited.This isn’t just bad customer service. It’s systemic deception.Amex miscommunicated federal protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and the Military Lending Act (MLA). They failed to disclose disqualifying information they already had. They never explained the difference between SCRA and MLA, nor the exact eligibility criteria — and when pressed, they hid behind legalistic responses and refused to acknowledge their failure.And now? I just received a notice saying my Platinum card will automatically renew, and I’ll be charged another $695 next month.This is what Amex does:They dangle military benefits to lure you in.They misinform you or hide disqualifying info.They take your money before telling you the truth.Then they refuse to make it right.Let me ask you — what kind of company treats military families this way?What kind of financial institution preys on confusion around military benefits and then digs in when they’re caught?I’m canceling this card and cutting all ties with Amex. But before I go, I’m writing this so others don’t get trapped the way I did.To every military family out there: be careful.Amex talks a big game about supporting our troops, but their actions — at least in my case — speak louder than any empty marketing slogan.They took $695 from a military spouse, lied to do it, and refused to give it back. That’s all you need to know.#AmexScam #SCRA #MLA #MilitaryFamilyScam #ShameOnAmex #CustomerServiceFail #AmericanExpressExposed #ServicemembersRights #DoNotTrustAmex
