Are you still having issues with your Lloyds Avios Rewards Amex after the November hack?

In November, Lloyds suffered a very serious fraud issue on the American Express cards issued as part of the Lloyds Avios Rewards MasterCard and Amex double pack.  We first highlighted it on HfP and it was picked up by a lot of the national press including the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail.

A large number of fake cards – apparently with functioning signature strips – suddenly started being used across the US.  Someone had got hold of enough Amex card data to be able to physically create fake cards, presumably with some sort of fake card design in order to fool shop assistants.

The response from Lloyds was to block all of the affected American Express cards from working in the US and to re-issue them with new numbers.

A reader got in touch last week with an update on his situation.  Despite having got a new Amex card with a new number, Lloyds was still blocking it in the US.  This was a major problem for the reader who makes a lot of $ purchases for his small business using the card.

Before Lloyds actually admitted to this, in a later separate telephone call, he was fed a stack of nonsense from the Lloyds call centre:

• “I was told (repeatedly) that it was the fault of the retailer as they were blocking it and Lloyds couldn’t do anything because it wasn’t them blocking it
• I escalated to a manager but they just told me the same thing over and over and would not accept it was the fault of Lloyds and suggested I contact the websites about it.
• When I told them it is happening on multiple US websites (I buy a lot of service for my business), I was told I had to speak to each of them individually as they may be blocking all American Express cards
• I explained that my Amex-issued Amex cards worked fine, as did my Lloyds Mastercard and it was happening on ALL US websites so it must be related to my Lloyds Amex but they wouldn’t accept this at all
• I was told this wasn’t affecting any other Lloyds cardholders “or they would have known about it”
• I was told repeatedly and categorically that it wasn’t related to the recent “issue” in the US
• I asked to make a complaint but was told this wasn’t possible as it wasn’t the fault of Lloyds and therefore all I could was offer my feedback”

Getting Lloyds to finally admit in a follow-up call that they were still blocking his new card was not the end of the matter, unfortunately.

His new Amex card is not earning any Avios.

Now, a small but significant percentage of Lloyds Avios Rewards credit cards do not earn Avios points.  No-one seems to have got to the bottom of this.  We first wrote about it here.  Lloyds promises to fix it for you in six months but in reality even that is beyond them.  They are at least now paying cash compensation to people impacted.

What is odd here is that the reader was earning Avios, but it was only when his Amex was reissued that he dropped into the minority who do not receive points.  It is all very odd.

Do let me know if you are still having issues with your Lloyds Avios Rewards American Express card following the November hack.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review