Friends,

In May, I went from casually putting a few hundred dollars a month on my Amex Platinum to charging over $5,000 on a handful of business expenses. Around the same time, I applied and was approved for the Business Gold card with a flexible $45,000 spending limit.

I felt fine about the new setup.

Then Amex shut down everything.

No warning, no soft flags. One afternoon, I received a notification that my Platinum card was removed from my apple wallet. Thinking this odd, I logged into my Amex app to discover that my entire account had been frozen. No new charges. No payments going out. Limited access to points. It felt punitive — and bluntly, a little extreme.

This was my first experience with what’s called a financial review.

I’ll stop here to recognize there are real problems in the world and this is not one of them. But the whole experience was unique enough that I thought it might be helpful to profile it.

Here’s what happened, what I learned, and how you can avoid it — or at least be prepared.

The Trigger: Big Jump, Big Ask

American Express doesn’t like sudden shifts. The combination of a sharp increase in spend and a high-limit business card approval raised red flags. I went from predictable, low monthly usage to looking like a different customer altogether. That pattern, especially when paired with multiple card actions in a short window, seems to be one of their biggest triggers.

For those who’ve never been through this, Amex’s financial review isn’t really about fraud — it’s about risk. They want to confirm that your reported income can back up your recent behavior. In my case, they asked for an IRS transcript (via Form 4506-C) so they could independently verify income.

The Reality: You’re Frozen Until Further Notice

Unlike some reports I’ve seen where people can continue spending while under review, my cards were frozen — completely. No charges went through. I was also told I could not use any of the benefits associated with the cards, such as accessing the airport Centurion Lounges via my Platinum card.

It’s a bit jarring, especially if you use your cards for their travel perks, recurring bills or business expenses. The whole process felt a bit like being scolded by a teacher for turning in homework early.

What Helped: Fast Compliance, No Drama

Once I got over the surprise, I submitted the IRS form immediately and talked through the process with their team on the phone. They were legitimately kind, patient, and very helpful.

And sure enough — about ten days later, Amex completed their review of my info in conjunction with the tax transcript provided by the IRS. They called to notify my they had restored full access to my account, and I was back in business.

So while the shutdown was aggressive, the outcome was clean. But I was fortunate — these things can drag on, and sometimes don’t end so neatly.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

• Ramp up spend slowly. If you go from $500/month to $5,000 overnight, it sends the wrong signal.

• Avoid stacking changes. Applying for a new card and changing your spend habits in the same billing cycle is asking for scrutiny.

• Keep records ready. Income verification via the IRS is the standard ask. Having that on hand made it easier to respond quickly.

• Expect the freeze. If you’re ever placed under review, assume your cards might be unusable for a bit — and plan accordingly.

Obviously as well: tell the truth. Trying to game the system or do anything unethical (with points or money) is a fast-track to account closure, etc.

I still like Amex. I still think their cards are incredibly valuable — especially the Platinum card while traveling. But this was a good reminder that with these high-trust, high-reward programs, they’re watching. And they’re not shy about pulling the brakes when something looks off.

Fly well.

P.S. I’ll have an update and final call on the Turkish million-miles promo — soon.

NEWS

You can now keep your shoes on at TSA checkpoints. Huzzah!

Long lines to get into the new-ish Delta One Lounge at JFK: not a great look.

DEALS

Southwest announced a 50% off fare sale through July 10 — worth checking out.