American Express autopay payments scheduled for August 23, 2026 failed to
process. Doctor of Credit reported the problem on August 25 and described it
as widespread. Cardholders who had autopay set up and enough money in the linked
account still saw the payment go missing, and the balance was treated as unpaid.
Two things followed. Affected accounts were charged a late fee, with cardholders
reporting amounts of $28 and $29. Separately, Amex forfeited the Membership
Rewards points earned in the affected statement period, which is its standard
handling of a late payment. One cardholder reported a $29 late fee on a Blue
Cash Preferred account on August 24 despite an autopay date of August 23.
The failure does not appear to have hit every account. At least one cardholder
said autopay failed on one Amex card and posted normally on another with the same
due date. Several reported that the missed payments finally processed on
August 24, a day late.What to do
Check any Amex account with autopay enabled for a late fee posted around August
24, and check your rewards activity for a points reversal. Phone and chat
representatives have been acknowledging the error and reversing the fee, in some
cases within one short chat and in others after two or three attempts. Refunds
are being quoted at two to three business days.
Points are the part worth watching. Some cardholders saw their balance restored
without asking, while others had to request reinstatement specifically and were
told to compare against the prior month's earnings. Doctor of Credit said it has
asked American Express for comment, and Amex has not published a statement or
confirmed an automatic fix.