Rise in the cost of living:
The support we can offer you
If you are struggling financially and are worried about being able to pay your American Express bill, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.
We are committed to supporting our customers through any life event or on-going situation that is affecting day-to-day life or finances and are here to help, either via phone or online chat. Together, we can find a payment solution that works for you.
If you would like to discuss your personal situation with us, including any change in circumstances, you can contact us via phone or online chat.
Please visit our Financial Hardship web pages if you are struggling financially or have missed credit card payments, we can assess your situation and offer support.
If you’ve received a letter from us about Persistent Debt and would like to know more about what this means for you, see our dedicated Persistent Debt page.
Some simple tips to manage your money
If your finances are starting to feel tighter than usual, there are some simple steps you can take to review your situation and identify ways to budget.
1. Check your monthly budget in detail
You may not have reviewed your day-to-day spending in a while; breaking down your income and outgoings in detail is a critical step to understand how much you need to cover your bills and essentials, what makes up your basic living costs and how much you have left for the other important things in your life.
Complete an income and expenditure form via Financial Hardship-Where Can I Start? to calculate your current situation.
We understand it can be difficult to fill forms out online, so if you require any assistance, we can take you through the Income & Expenditure process on our Live Chat or over the phone.
Please see the Get in Touch section in the link above for contact information.
If you’re worried about missing a payment – whether that’s a monthly statement, an energy bill, or your rent – speak to the provider as soon as you can. This includes any credit card provider like American Express, we want to support you through challenging times.
2. Check your regular payments and direct debits
A lot of recurring payments and direct debits include subscriptions that aren’t regularly used.
You may also want to consider shopping around to ensure you are getting the best possible price, even for the short term. Make use of price comparison websites where appropriate.
3. Check your tax code is correct
It is worth double-checking your tax code, especially if you have had a significant change in income. If it’s wrong, you could be paying either too much tax or too little, meaning you’ll have to pay a separate bill. See the HMRC site https://www.gov.uk/income-tax/check-youre-paying-the-right-amount to find out how to check this.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice
There are many organisations and charities that offer free, independent advice.
The American Express Foundation supports Money Advice Trust for their debt advice services, National Debtline and Business Debtline. These debt lines will provide resources and guidance to help you to take actions to improve your financial situation and manage your money.
5. Look after your mental health
If you think financial concerns are affecting your mental health, please see our Customer Support pages for more information, a series of helpful links and avenues of support.