Freezing a credit card has several valuable benefits, such as preventing new unauthorized charges or potentially disallowing additional transactions in case you left it somewhere (say, a restaurant) temporarily — only to go back and retrieve it.
Like most renowned organizations, American Express has made the feature of freezing a credit card available for its users online or via its app.
Guide to Freezing an American Express Credit Card Online (and via the App)
As mentioned, an Amex card can be freeze-ed online or via its app. This guide will cover how to achieve this feat online while specifying the equivalent step in an Android App, assuming that the steps would be similar for iPhone users.
Step 1: Log In to Your Amex Account
As self-explanatory as this can be, log into your Amex Account.
App: ^same; log in.
Step 2: Go To Account Services > Card Management
After logging in, head over to Account Services > Card Management, as shown in the image below.
App: Navigate to Account > Freeze or Unfreeze a Card
Step 3: Freeze Your Card
On the online website, once you’re inside the “Card Management” section, you can freeze your card. Please select it and follow along to completion.
App: Select the card you want to freeze and switch the toggle to on.
What Happens When I Freeze My American Express Card
As per American Express, a card freeze event means the following:
- It blocks new purchases.
- Recurring bills or subscriptions will continue to function as normal.
- Further, wherever your card is saved online or on file with any online merchants, it can continue to process transactions.
In short, the most significant advantage of freezing an Amex card is that it helps you protect from “new” charges and fraud. It buys you time to figure things out or gives you peace of mind that everything will continue to function as usual, despite an event where you don’t have your card with you physically or a trigger that leaves you a little concerned about charges.
Most Asked Questions Around Freezing an Amex Credit Card
Yes, you can. It’s the same process. Amex allows freezing any credit card.
Yes. Freezing and canceling are distinct events and, for the most part, are not tied to each other. Freezing a card does not automatically imply you want to cancel it.
It should not. If it does, it’s merely a coincidence, and another event was responsible for it.
No. If you’re unsure, you can always call customer service to confirm.
According to Amex, you can unfreeze your credit card anytime after freezing. See attached image for proof.
When you freeze your card for the first time, Amex’s system will automatically unfreeze it after seven (7) days. It might be possible to ask for a longer freeze time; however, the advice would be to discuss this with their customer service rep.
An alternate solution can be to see if the system allows you to freeze your card again and for how long. Most credit card companies do not place restrictions on the credit card freeze frequency.
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A Nifty and a Handy Functionality
When used correctly and when truly needed, freezing an Amex Credit Card does come in handy. The biggest concern of losing or misplacing a credit card is fraud and unauthorized purchases.
With the freeze option, one can easily thwart those attempts. This ability feels even more practical with Amex because they are famous for their charge cards — primarily the Amex Platinum and The Amex Gold — with no preset spending limit.