(Reposting 6/16/22 as a reminder)
There’s an easy way in your online login to turn off the Pay Over Time feature on your American Express charge cards. Use one of the following three ways to find the unenrollment page:
- Click this direct link (login required), then navigate to your AmEx charge card
- Navigate to your Amex charge card > Account Services (top bar) > Payment & Credit options (side bar) > Manage Pay Over Time Settings
- Navigate to your AmEx charge card > Statements & Activity (top bar) > Suggested for you: Pay Charges Over Time (left side bar, bottom)
- In the Amex app: you can find it within the Statements page.
It may have always been possible to unenroll in Pay Over Time online, but I’ve always thought you had to call in or chat. Thanks to our friend Mark at Milestomemories who realized this and reported on it here.
People like unenrolling in Pay Over Time with the hopes of getting targeted again for a Pay Over Time bonus offer. Lately, there have also been some indications that being enrolled in Pay Over Time might actually result in the card be considered internally by AmEx as a credit card, not a charge card. This could affect your 4 credit card limit which AmEx imposes. This is far from a certain thing (and it does seem strange), but there have been some indications in this direction, so it can’t hurt to unenroll in Pay Over Time to be safe.
Hat tip again to Milestomemories
I got a letter in mail with a URL, a QRCode and a code to apply for Pay Over Time. When I log into the account and then do either the QRCode on phone or via the URL it says you have already activated this promotion for this account. I do not have Pay Over Time activated, BUT I think for the ACCOUNT I have gotten one Pay Over Time 20K bonus. Therefore the repeat piece is not working for me…
Thanks! AmEx enrolled my Platinum card into pay over time without any bonus and without asking me. Just sent me an email notifying me they’ve done it fore me. This is a nice “f u” to them. Turned it off. We will see if they’ll offer a bonus.
After unenrolling a few months ago I got a promo to activate a few weeks later and get the bonus… think it was 10k. Still have not received my bonus after a month plus. Going to inactivate and try again in a year. Think I might have did it too soon after I unenrolled, dunno.
Chuck, you are a direct gift from above.
And how thoughtful of Amex to set my new 100k Gold “Pay over Time” default to “On”. 😉
How often can you do OFF->ON->OFF->ON…? Any data points?
Just enrolled and got the 20K pt bonus. Any DPs on when it’s safe to unenroll?
I think we’re all dying to know this. Until I get an answer I’m planning on waiting 6 months.
Can confirm. Unenrolled last summer June/July. Just got offer for another 20k lfg
Well, I deactivated that option a while ago, still no bonuses for enrolling. Ugh.
Thank you so much for posting this! In the past, I tried to opt-out, but chat was either clueless or I was never convinced that they actually did it. I’m sure they sent some sort of request, but who knows if it was at the right department.
There seems to be a lot of variability here: my Gold card has “active/inactive”, which doesn’t actually unenroll the card from the program, and my Platinum card just says I have to call to discuss pay-over-time.
Edit to add paranoia: maybe I’m on some complaint list with AmEx re pay-over-time. I used to get the 10k signup bonus offers regularly until one direct offer I received by mail, signed up but no points ever posted. I contacted them a few times to complain or escalate but nothing ever happened except I stopped receiving the offers, even on new charge cards.