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Read the Contract
The Travel Troubleshooter · August 16, 2002

Q: I read two of your recent articles regarding American Express Rewards points that were forfeited and I hope that you can help me recover the over 55,000 miles that I lost.

I have been a card member since 1989 and approximately a year-and-a-half ago I decided to cancel my American Express Membership Rewards Card and switch to an American Express Platinum Rebate card.

I asked the customer representative that I was dealing with whether I would forfeit any of my rewards or whether they would expire when I switched cards. She indicated that for so long as I remained and a cardholder - with any type of card - my miles would be valid.

More than a year after I cancelled my first card, I checked on the status of my rewards, since I was considering taking a trip. Again, a customer service representative confirmed the rewards that were in my account and that they would remain valid for so long as I held any American Express card.

Two weeks ago I called to have some of my miles transferred to a frequent flier account and I was told that my miles were wiped out because the account had been closed for 12 months. I was told there was nothing they could do (although they could still "view" my miles) and that I would have to write a letter to a department that did not accept phone calls.

It is so frustrating that American Express has set up a system so that you can not speak with anyone who will be making the decision, or even confirm with anyone that your complaint is being reviewed. I would appreciate any help you could give me.

-- Aine Santry

A: Doveryai, no proveryai. That's Russian for "trust, but verify," a proverb made famous by Ronald Reagan during the Cold War. You trusted the American Express representative - but you should have verified what you were told by reviewing your cardmember agreement.

I know it's a hassle. But if you'd taken a look at the contract, you would have read the following: "If a Cardmember maintains at least one American Express Card in the franchise, but cancels their Membership Rewards account, the Cardmember still has six months to redeem points accrued."

I checked with American Express to see what went wrong. Just in time, it turns out. Your old account information, including all of your miles, was about to be purged out of the American Express computer system. The company agreed to contact you with a possible solution. It would allow you to redeem the endangered points if you open a new Membership Rewards account.

"We apologize for any incorrect information that Santry may have received," American Express spokeswoman Desiree Fish told me. "Membership Rewards representatives are aware of the terms and conditions as well."

That was a close call - you almost lost 55,000 miles. I'm glad to have helped. But the unpleasant bottom line is that you're responsible for knowing the terms of your cardmember agreement.

Don't take the word of a telephone reservationist. Remember: Doveryai, no proveryai.

Christopher Elliott is National Geographic Traveler's ombudsman. The Travel Troubleshooter appears weekly on this site.