American Airlines’ $100K Refund Blunder Turns Into a $28 Million Nightmare for Honest Flier

An American Airlines flier got the surprise of his life when he received a $100,000 refund instead of $1,000. The conscientious flier, knowing that the money was not his, immediately contacted American Airlines. However, to his utter surprise, the airline insisted that the refund was correct and processed according to the rules.

Knowing that the airline’s contention was wrong, the flier escalated the matter and even filed a dispute with American Express. It was revealed that there was a currency conversion error when the amount was refunded since the ticket was purchased outside the U.S.

The flier’s efforts soon bore fruit, with the airline finally acknowledging that there was a mistake and implementing a fix. What followed was a rude awakening for the consumer, who, instead of being applauded for his honesty and perseverance in trying to return American Airlines’ money, has just been charged $28 million.

The customer stated:

“I’d like to think that American Express knows I could never pay a $28 million charge and wouldn’t approve it! Although, I guess they’ve just earned 140 million Membership Rewards points for the airfare spending, since this was billed to their Platinum American Express card, which earns 5 points per dollar on airfare?”

However, the consumer’s woes have not ended. The $100,000 refund, which was sent by the airline into the consumer’s account, has plummeted his Membership Rewards account balance into the negative. In other words, if the consumer writes a check in the name of American Express, he will be constantly in a points deficit because of the transaction.

Additionally, the consumer also faces a foreign exchange risk. Billing a new charge will be dearer if exchange rates move higher, and even a minuscule 2% increase in rates could mean an additional $2,000 expense.

The big question bothering the consumer is whether American Express will close his account or place it under review due to the huge credit balance. The consumer is also worried about his credit score or, even worse, whether his account will be closed.

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