How to ask about an Amex Cobalt card fee
You get the card fee American Express prints for the Cobalt card, the words to look for on a statement, and a short list of questions. Asking American Express to remove a fee already charged is a request. They can say no. This page does not promise a waiver.
What this fee is
The Cobalt card fee is a charge for having the card. It is not a store purchase, not a subscription, and not a refund. A refund is money back. It is not a new expense. Interest, a foreign currency conversion, and a cash advance fee are different lines.
Match the card name on the statement. Another American Express card can have a different fee. Your card agreement controls the fee, not this page. How to ask about a card annual fee is the general page. This page is only the Cobalt card.
The fee on the Cobalt page
These amounts are in Canadian dollars. They come from the American Express Cobalt card page.
American Express lists the card fee as $15.99 a month, which it says equals $191.88 a year, for residents outside Quebec. It lists $191.88 a year for Quebec residents. The same page says there is no annual fee for additional Cobalt cards.
Do not take $15.99 and multiply it by 12 a second time. American Express already states that the monthly amount equals $191.88 a year. If your statement is the Quebec version, look for one yearly charge of $191.88, not a monthly charge. Multiplying $15.99 by 12 produces $191.88, which matches the yearly figure on the Cobalt page. That result is arithmetic. It is not money American Express has agreed to return.
The Cobalt page also says purchases in a foreign currency are converted to Canadian dollars and a 2.5% foreign currency conversion commission applies. That commission is not the card fee. Foreign transaction fees explains that kind of charge.
Find the fee on the statement
Look in the fees section and in the transaction list. The line may say annual fee, membership fee, or a monthly card fee. Write the date and the amount. A purchase from a store is not this fee. How to read a statement PDF separates fees from purchases and payments.
If American Express later credits the fee back, that credit is money returned. It is not a new expense, and it is not a subscription.
What to ask
Use the phone number on the statement if it is printed there. Have the date, the fee name, and the amount. Ask whether the account is charged monthly or once a year, and whether an additional card fee was included. Then ask American Express to review the fee or remove it. They can say no. This page has no success rate, because a made up rate would be a guess.
If the answer is no, ask what would have to be true before the next fee, and ask for the complaint steps. For a Canadian card, start with American Express, then the outside office the issuer names. Canadian bank fees explains that path. Expenvo does not file the complaint.
Upload a statement in Expenvo to see the bank fee lines it recognizes, listed on their own. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo does not call American Express, and it does not promise the fee will be removed.
Questions
- Is the Cobalt fee the same in every province?
- No. The Cobalt page lists $15.99 a month, equal to $191.88 a year, for residents outside Quebec, and $191.88 a year for Quebec residents.
- Does an additional Cobalt card have its own annual fee?
- The Cobalt page says there is no annual fee for additional Cobalt cards. The primary card still has the fee described above.
- Will American Express remove a Cobalt fee it already charged if I ask?
- They might, and they might not. Asking is a request. Nothing on this page says American Express has to waive a fee already on the statement.
- Can Expenvo tell me the next Cobalt fee will be $0?
- No. Expenvo can list a fee that is already on a statement. It does not know what American Express will charge next.
Sources
Related guides
Free is $0 USD. The PDF stays on your device.