Amex India Removed Lakhs of Reward Points on 9 November, Then Restored Them — What Cardholders Should Check Now
- 9 NovPoints linked to cancelled cards deducted
- -21,48,040Lowest balance reported after the deduction
- 8 Nov levelsBalances to be restored, per Amex
Credit cards · Rewards · November 2026
Amex India Removed Lakhs of Reward Points on 9 November, Then Restored Them — What Cardholders Should Check Now
American Express India deducted Membership Rewards points tied to cancelled cards, leaving some balances negative, then said it would restore balances to their 8 November levels within 48 to 72 hours. Separate per-card balances start on 15 November.
On the morning of 9 November, some American Express cardholders in India opened their app to find their Membership Rewards balance had not just fallen, but turned negative. One saw more than 23 lakh points disappear. Another estimated his loss at about ₹4.5 lakh. An email blamed a “technical issue” that had let points from long-cancelled cards stay visible. Within a day, after a wave of complaints on social media, Amex said it would put the points back. The episode is over for now, but it raised questions every multi-card holder should understand before a separate change takes effect on 15 November.
A deduction that left balances below zero
Outlook Money, citing NDTV Profit, reported on 10 November that screenshots shared online showed adjustments of 3,11,990, 75,715 and 53,528 points, all dated 9 November. Cardholder Sumanta Mandal said on X that 23,88,090 points had been deducted, leaving his balance at minus 21,48,040 points. Roshan Agarwal estimated the points removed from his account were worth about ₹4.5 lakh.
Membership Rewards points. Sources: cardholder posts and screenshots reported by NDTV Profit, Outlook Money and EconoTimes. Not independently verified; no official total has been published.
The negative balances were the most confusing part. Readers who commented on travel blog Live From A Lounge reported balances of minus 67,000, minus 1,53,000 and minus 2,27,000 points. A negative balance means the bank’s system concluded you had already redeemed more points than you were entitled to keep, which is why many customers asked how Amex had matched past redemptions to specific cards.
Membership Rewards points below zero. Sources: Outlook Money (Mandal) and reader reports on Live From A Lounge, which the blog did not verify.
Why Amex said it removed the points
Amex’s Membership Rewards terms say points earned on a cancelled card must be redeemed within 30 days of cancellation, provided nothing is outstanding on that card; after that, unused points are forfeited. Until now, points from all basic cards held by the same customer and billed in the same currency sat in one pooled account. According to NDTV Profit, an Amex email told customers that a technical issue had allowed expired points from cancelled cards to remain visible beyond the permitted period, and that balances had been adjusted under existing terms.
- Amex’s position, as reportedPoints from cancelled cards are forfeited 30 days after cancellation. A system issue left them showing. The 9 November adjustment corrected that, in line with the terms and conditions.
- Cardholders’ objectionsPoints sat in one pooled balance with no card-wise view, so tracking deadlines was not possible. Many relied on the understanding that points do not expire while at least one card stays active. Redemptions from the pool were allowed after cancellations.
The pooling problem at the heart of the dispute
Live From A Lounge reported that redemptions were taken from the pooled balance on a first-in, first-out basis, not from the card that earned the points. When Amex later separated out points attributed to cancelled cards, some customers’ past redemptions were charged against their live cards instead, which did not hold enough points. That is how balances fell below zero. Amex’s email reportedly gave no breakdown of points earned, redeemed or deducted per card.
What people get wrong: assuming that pooled points belong to the customer rather than to each card. Under the terms, points are linked to the card that earned them, even when they appear in one balance. That is why separate balances from 15 November matter: from then on, you will see which card’s points face the 30-day clock.
The reversal, less than a day later
NewsBytes reported on 11 November that Amex said it would “restore affected members’ Membership Rewards points balances to their levels as of November 8, 2026”, with restored points credited to one active Amex card within 48 to 72 hours. Amex maintained that the 9 November adjustments were in line with its terms and that “unredeemed points associated with canceled cards are forfeited 30 days after cancellation”. It also said existing terms will apply to cards cancelled on or after 15 November.
- ₹4.5 lakhOne cardholder’s estimate of points removed, per NDTV Profit
- 3Screenshot adjustments cited by NDTV Profit, all dated 9 November
- 1Active card account to which restored points will be credited
- 2+Basic cards needed for separate balances from 15 November
- 0Official total of affected customers or points published
- 7 daysClosure timeline banks must meet under RBI rules
What the reversal does not do: it restores balances to where they were on 8 November. It does not change the 30-day forfeiture rule, which Amex says applies going forward. If you plan to cancel any Amex card, redeem or move its points first.
How the rewards rules changed this year
The deduction did not come out of nowhere. Amex India has been reshaping its rewards programme through 2026, according to InsideFlyer and Live From A Lounge.
- Amex India announces the end of its Reward Multiplier programme after six years.
- Changes announced to stop pooling points across cards, effective 11 October, per InsideFlyer.
- Reward Multiplier closes; accelerated earning ends from 1 October.
- Points attributed to cancelled cards deducted; some balances turn negative.
- NDTV Profit and Outlook Money report cardholder complaints.
- Amex says it will restore balances to 8 November levels within 48 to 72 hours.
- Separate Membership Rewards balances per basic card begin, per Amex’s update.
What these points could be worth
Membership Rewards points have no fixed rupee value. Their worth depends on how you redeem them: transfers to airline and hotel partners can be valuable, while statement credits or vouchers usually give less. That variation is why Roshan Agarwal’s ₹4.5 lakh figure is an estimate rather than a fixed loss.
₹ lakh. Our calculation using assumed values of 25 paise to ₹1 per point, for illustration only. These are not Amex’s published rates; actual value depends on the redemption option chosen.
Worked example: why the 30-day rule matters. Suppose you hold two Amex cards and cancel one that has earned 1,00,000 points. Under the terms, you have 30 days to redeem those points. If they are worth 50 paise each in your preferred redemption, that is ₹50,000 at stake. Our illustration. Once balances are separate from 15 November, you will be able to see exactly how many points sit with the card you are closing, and redeem or use them before the 30 days run out.
Why this matters beyond Amex
Reward points are a liability on a card issuer’s books until they are redeemed or forfeited, so issuers have a financial reason to tighten expiry rules and to clean up balances that should have lapsed. That does not make a sudden deduction acceptable, but it explains why programme changes keep coming. Amex itself ended its Reward Multiplier programme in September, and other Indian card issuers have also trimmed rewards on popular cards in recent years.
The practical lesson is the same whichever card you hold: treat points as a perishable benefit, not a savings account. Redeem regularly, read every programme notice when it arrives, and never close a card without first checking what happens to the points it earned.
What RBI rules say, and what they don’t
The RBI’s Master Direction on credit and debit cards, 2022, does not set a specific rule on what happens to reward points when a card is closed. But it does give cardholders several protections that are relevant here.
| Issue | RBI Master Direction, 2022 | Time limit | How it applies here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reward programme details | Para 23(i): benefits must be displayed on the issuer’s website and provided transparently | Ongoing | Ask Amex for the exact terms on forfeiture |
| Change in terms | Para 24(f): 30 days’ notice of changes; cardholder may withdraw | 30 days | Relevant to whether a rule was applied retroactively |
| Consent to changes | Para 11(b): explicit consent for changes in terms and conditions | Before change | Customers may cite this in complaints |
| Card closure | Para 8(a): closure within 7 working days, ₹500 a day penalty for delay | 7 working days | Redeem points before asking to close |
| Credit balance at closure | Para 8(c): transferred to the cardholder’s bank account; points not covered | At closure | Points do not convert to cash automatically |
| Grievance | Para 26(c): reply within 30 days, then RBI Ombudsman | 30 days | Route for unresolved disputes |
Whether any of these provisions applies to a particular customer’s case is a matter for Amex, the RBI Ombudsman or a lawyer to decide. We are summarising the text, not giving a legal view.
What to do if you are an Amex cardholder
- Check your Membership Rewards balance after 72 hours and compare it with your 8 November balance.
- Keep screenshots of your balance, any adjustment entries and Amex’s emails.
- If points are not restored, write to Amex customer service and its grievance officer, asking for a card-wise statement of points earned, redeemed and forfeited.
- If you get no satisfactory reply within 30 days, file a complaint with the RBI Ombudsman through the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme.
- After 15 November, review each card’s separate balance before closing any card.
- Redeem or use a card’s points before cancelling it; the 30-day window starts on cancellation.
Your rewards safety checklist
- Balance checked against 8 November level
- Screenshots of every adjustment saved
- Points redeemed before any card closure
- 30-day post-cancellation window tracked
- Per-card balances reviewed from 15 November
- No outstanding dues on a card you plan to close
- Grievance raised in writing, with a 30-day follow-up date
- Rewards terms page saved with today’s date
- Large balances redeemed periodically, not hoarded for years
- Devaluation and programme notices read within 30 days
Amex reward points questions cardholders are asking
Why did Amex India deduct reward points on 9 November 2026?
Amex said a technical issue had let points from cancelled cards remain visible beyond the 30-day redemption window, and adjusted balances under its terms. It later said it would restore balances to their 8 November levels.
Will Amex restore my deducted Membership Rewards points?
According to NewsBytes, Amex said affected balances will be restored to their 8 November 2026 levels and credited to one active card account within 48 to 72 hours.
What happens to Amex points when I cancel a card?
Under Amex’s terms, points linked to a cancelled card must be redeemed within 30 days of cancellation, provided there are no dues on that card. Unredeemed points are then forfeited.
What changes on 15 November for Amex cardholders?
Customers with two or more basic cards will see separate Membership Rewards balances for each card instead of one pooled balance, and transfers between cards end.
Why did some Amex balances become negative?
Past redemptions from the pooled balance were reportedly matched against live cards after points from cancelled cards were removed. Where the live cards did not hold enough points, the balance fell below zero.
How do I complain about missing reward points?
Write to Amex customer service and its grievance officer with screenshots. If you get no satisfactory reply within 30 days, approach the RBI Ombudsman under the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme.
Do RBI rules protect credit card reward points?
The RBI’s 2022 card directions require reward details to be disclosed and 30 days’ notice of changes in terms, but do not set a specific rule on points at card closure.
How much are Amex Membership Rewards points worth?
There is no fixed value; it depends on the redemption option. Transfers to travel partners often give more value than vouchers or statement credits.
The short version
On 9 November, American Express India removed Membership Rewards points it said belonged to cancelled cards, citing a 30-day redemption rule and a technical glitch that had kept them visible. Some balances turned negative, with one cardholder reporting a deduction of more than 23 lakh points. After a backlash, Amex said it would restore balances to their 8 November levels within 48 to 72 hours. From 15 November, points will be shown separately for each card, and the 30-day rule will bite on cards cancelled from then. Check your balance, keep screenshots, and redeem before you close any card.
