Changing your name with American Express

How do I change my name with American Express?#

American Express changes a name on a form: its Name Change Request Form, sent with a photocopy or scanned image of the document that changed your name. Its help page says you can upload the form to its online Document Submission Centre or "download the form and send it to us via post", and that once your account has been updated, "we can issue a new Card that reflects your new name". No fee is mentioned.

The form asks for:

• your previous name and previous signature, and your new name and new signature;
• the card account number of every active account, so one form covers them all;
• your signature on the declaration, which asks you to "use new signature", with the date;
• for a supplementary card, the main cardmember's signature as well.

Which documents does American Express accept?#

The form says you "must also include a photocopy or scanned image" of one of three documents:

American Express sets no condition about enrolment, and does not ask for a passport or driving licence in the new name beside a deed poll, as some banks do. A deed poll you have signed in front of a witness is enough. A statutory declaration is not on its list, so ask American Express before relying on one.

Because it asks for a copy, your original never leaves home. That matters, because HM Passport Office and DVLA both ask to see the original. Photograph or scan the whole document, so every signature, the witness's details and the date can be read.

Uploading or posting the form#

Upload. The form says to use the Document Centre and "select the 'Name Change' drop-down option". It takes PDF, DOC, DOCX, TIF, JPG, EMP and GIF files. American Express's forms page says you need an American Express online account to use the Document Centre, and links to the page where you set one up. The form asks for your old and new signatures, so print it, sign it, then scan or photograph it to upload.

Post. Send the form and the photocopy to American Express Services Europe Limited, 1 John Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN88 1NH. Send a photocopy, not your deed poll.

American Express's help pages give no timescale for either route. If you have a question, its contact page lists the ways to reach it, including chat once you have logged in to your account.

Can I change my name in the Amex app?#

American Express's own help is not consistent on this. Its page on personal details lists what you can change online, under Account Management and Edit Contact Details: your billing address, phone numbers, email address and income. A name is not on that list, and its page on changing a name points to the form. But its Account Information Update Form, which American Express sends when it reviews an account, says most personal details "such as Legal name and address" can be updated in the app or online. If the app offers you the change, you can use it; otherwise the form is the route American Express's name change page gives.

What happens after American Express changes my name?#

• New cards. The form says American Express "will automatically send you a new Card(s) and your new name will appear on all future Cards".
• Your PIN. American Express says that on a replacement or renewal card "your PIN will remain the same".
• Regular payments. American Express says it may pass your new card details to merchants who hold your card on file or take recurring payments, so they continue without a break. You can ask it not to, through its contact page.
• Supplementary cards. An additional cardmember can manage only their own card, such as its PIN or freezing it, not the account, so a change to their name goes on the same form with the main cardmember's signature added.
• British Airways cards. British Airways says its American Express cards are "offered in conjunction with American Express", so their name changes on this form too. Your British Airways Club account is separate: changing your name with British Airways.

In what order should I tell everyone?#

American Express can be one of the first, because it takes a deed poll or certificate on its own and only a copy. Banks differ: Lloyds, Halifax and Santander accept an unenrolled deed poll only with a passport or driving licence in the new name, and Barclays wants government photo ID in the new name for a new first, middle or full name. Changing your name with your bank compares them, and changing your name on a credit card covers Capital One, Tesco Bank, MBNA, Virgin Money and Barclaycard.

Lenders report your new name to the credit reference agencies, so tell every card issuer and lender, and ask for your old name to be kept as an alias: does changing your name affect your credit rating?.