This guide is for anyone who needs to view statements, manage payments, file disputes, or take over an American Express credit card or savings account for a parent, spouse, or loved one who can no longer do it themselves. AmEx actually has a cleaner path than most financial institutions - the Account Manager feature - but only if your loved one can still log in and add you. If they can't, you're in POA territory, and the process is different for cards vs. AmEx National Bank accounts. This guide covers both, so you know exactly which path applies to your situation and what to do next.
The American Express Guide is a downloadable PDF built for caregivers and POA holders managing someone else's AmEx card or bank account. Here's what's inside:
5 step-by-step paths based on your exact situation:
Adding yourself as an Account Manager (the fastest and cleanest route when the Card Member can still participate)
Setting up an Additional Card for authorized purchases — including when not to use it and how to set spending controls
AmEx National Bank forms — two separate workflows depending on whether you need information-only access or full POA authority
Submitting POA for a Card account when the Card Member is incapacitated
Handling a deceased Card Member's account — who to call, what to bring, and why POA stops working the moment someone dies
The critical AmEx distinction most people miss:
Card accounts and AmEx National Bank (savings/checking) are treated as separate institutions with different phone numbers, different forms, and different processes — the guide explains both
Account Manager vs. Authorized User vs. POA — what each one does, what it doesn't, and which one to reach for first
7 documented problem scenarios — with real fixes:
Being told you can't speak about the account without the Card Member present
A rep suggesting you share the Card Member's login — and why you shouldn't
Account Manager being rejected because you don't have a U.S. address or SSN
AmEx rejecting your POA as incomplete or insufficiently worded
Trying to use POA to make purchases (it doesn't work that way — the guide explains the fix)
AmEx National Bank refusing to discuss deposit accounts because Card POA doesn't cover them
Attempting to use POA after the Card Member has died
Practical tools:
Word-for-word call script for every scenario
Cover note template for POA document submissions
Direct links to AmEx's POA Information Sheet and Third-Party Disclosure Authorization form
Contact numbers for Card accounts, AmEx National Bank, the Security Center, and the dedicated Deceased Cardmembers line