American Express Settlement Payments: Approved, No Payment Date Yet
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As of October 12, 2026, no payment date has been announced for the $17.5 million American Express antitrust settlement (Moskowitz v. Am. Express Co.). The court gave final approval on July 7, 2026. Only people in the Illinois non-rewards credit card class who filed a claim by May 19, 2026 will be paid — equal shares, sent by email link or paper check.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
The Short Answer on the American Express Payment Date Settlement
This page covers only the payout. For the case itself — who is in the classes and what the lawsuit alleged — see our American Express lawsuit page.
Is it paying yet? No. The official settlement site, AmexAntitrust.com, lists as its latest update: “Settlement Update – July 7, 2026. The Court issued a Final Approval Order for this settlement.” It names no payment date. Its FAQ says only that eligible class members “will receive their payments after the Court grants final approval to the Settlement and any appeals are resolved.”
How much? Nobody knows yet. The official FAQ says: “At this time, it is unknown how much each Class Member who files a valid claim will receive.” Any per-person figure you see online is an outside estimate, not a court number.
Case Details
The settlement is in Moskowitz v. Am. Express Co., No. 1:19-cv-00566 (NGG)(JRC), in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, before Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. The case has also been called Oliver v. Amex. The claims administrator is A.B. Data, Ltd. On July 7, 2026 the docket shows three entries: the order approving the settlement (No. 410), the order on attorneys’ fees (No. 411) and the Judgment (No. 412).
Contact for status questions: call 1-877-315-0587, or write to Amex Antitrust, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173092, Milwaukee, WI 53217.
Status: Approved, Waiting for a Distribution Order
1. The judgment must become final. Under the agreement, if no appeal is filed, that is “thirty (30) days after entry of the judgment.” Counting from the July 7, 2026 Judgment, that window ran to August 6, 2026 (our calculation). The court index we checked, current to September 30, 2026, lists no filing after July 7, 2026 — so no appeal appears there. We could not open the live docket to confirm.
2. The Effective Date. It falls on the first business day after all conditions are met, including that “the Judgment has become Final.”
3. A Class Distribution Order. Class counsel must ask the court for an order approving which claims are accepted or rejected and, “if the Effective Date has occurred, directing payment of the Net Settlement Fund.” As of October 12, 2026, neither the official site nor the docket index shows that order. That order is the step that comes right before money is sent.
Who Gets American Express Settlement Payments
Nobody is paid automatically. Only people in the Illinois non-rewards credit card class who submitted a valid claim form by May 19, 2026 will be paid. That deadline has passed. The official site states: “If you do nothing, you are still bound by the Court’s decisions. You will not get any money from the Settlement.”
The debit card classes and the D.C. and Kansas classes get nothing, even though they are bound by the settlement. The FAQ says: “If you are not a Class Member in the Illinois non-rewards credit card class, you cannot file a claim, and you will not get any money.”
People who are currently Amex credit or charge card account holders or authorized users, or who were during the class period, are not in the classes. This settlement is about purchases made with Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards, not Amex cards.
How Much and How You Will Be Paid
How the money arrives. Per the court-filed Plan of Distribution: “Settlement payments will be sent digitally to each Eligible Claimant using the email address they provided on their submitted Claim Form.” You will be offered options “such as through a virtual debit card, PayPal, Venmo, or other ecommerce platform,” or you can request a paper check by mail. So watch the email address you used on your claim, including the spam folder.
Uncashed payments. Money left over from uncashed checks or unclaimed payments is, if feasible and with court approval, redistributed to claimants who “deposited, cashed, or otherwise accepted” their first payment. If you do not accept your first payment, you will not share in any second round. Whatever cannot be distributed goes back to the court for a decision. “No remaining funds will be returned to Amex.” No cashing deadline or replacement procedure has been published yet.
“American express settlement deposit on bank statement” — two different things. If you run a business that accepts Amex, a “settlement” deposit is usually American Express paying you for card sales. Its merchant guide explains that settlement payments are “paid based on your submissions (Card transactions taken at your business) minus fees.” That has nothing to do with this lawsuit. Class settlement money comes through the administrator’s email link or a mailed check, not as an unexplained deposit. If you see a deposit you cannot place, ask your bank before you spend it.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 6,924 antitrust casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026, 37.3% of them filed as class actions:
- 19.1% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14.5% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 19.1% and 33.6%.
- 11.4% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 119 reached a trial (0.8%), after a median of 37.1 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 11.9 months.
- Almost none record a money award in this data (33 of 6,924), and the recorded figures are capped, so we do not publish an average.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal antitrust cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
American Express Settlement Payment Timeline
- 1
August 28, 2025 — Trial Ends
The jury finds that Amex violated Illinois law, and that only the Illinois non-rewards credit card class was damaged.
- 2
January 15, 2026 — $17.5 Million Settlement Signed
The parties sign the settlement agreement before the court enters a final judgment. A.B. Data, Ltd. is named claims administrator.
- 3
February 3, 2026 — Preliminary Approval
Judge Garaufis signs the preliminary approval order (docket No. 398) and sets the final approval hearing.
- 4
May 19, 2026 — Claim Deadline
Last day to file a claim. Only Illinois non-rewards credit card class members could file.
- 5
July 7, 2026 — Final Approval and Judgment
The court approves the settlement and the fee award and enters the Judgment (docket No. 412). Without an appeal, the 30-day window ran to August 6, 2026.
- 6
As of October 12, 2026 — No Payment Date
No Class Distribution Order and no payment date appear on the official site or the docket index we checked. Payments go out by email link or check after that order.
Three Things to Watch For
An approved settlement with no announced payment date is easy to imitate:
“Release your Amex settlement payment” for a fee
The plan says payments are paid out of the fund itself. Nobody needs a processing fee, tax prepayment or card number from you to release your share. A message asking for one is not from the administrator.
Payment emails to an address you never used
Real payment links go to the email address on your submitted claim form. A payment email to an address you never used is fake. Before you click any link, check the claim ID it quotes against your own records, or call 1-877-315-0587.
“You qualify too” offers to debit card holders
Only Illinois non-rewards credit card claimants who filed by May 19, 2026 can be paid. Anyone offering to get debit card holders, out-of-state class members or late filers a share is selling something that does not exist.
American Express Settlement Payments — Questions People Ask
What is the American Express payment date for the settlement?
As of October 12, 2026, there isn't one. The court approved the settlement on July 7, 2026, but no payment date has been announced. Payments follow a Class Distribution Order, which the court has not entered as far as the official site and the docket index we checked show.
Why has nobody been paid if the settlement was approved in July?
Approval is not the last step. Under the settlement agreement, the judgment first has to become final. Then the Effective Date has to occur. Then class counsel must ask the court for a Class Distribution Order that approves the accepted and rejected claims and directs payment. The agreement sets no fixed number of days for that last step.
How much will each person get?
Unknown. The official FAQ says it is “unknown how much each Class Member who files a valid claim will receive.” The net fund — $17.5 million minus fees, expenses, administration costs and taxes — is split equally among approved claimants. The number of claims has not been published.
Will the American Express settlement deposit show up in my bank account?
Not on its own. The plan says payments are sent by email to the address on your claim form, with options such as a virtual debit card, PayPal or Venmo, or a paper check on request. The money reaches your bank only through the option you choose.
I did not file a claim. Will I get anything automatically?
No. Only Illinois non-rewards credit card class members with a valid claim submitted by May 19, 2026 are paid. Everyone else in the classes is bound by the settlement but receives no money.
How do I check my claim status?
Check AmexAntitrust.com for updates, or call the administrator at 1-877-315-0587. You can also write to Amex Antitrust, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173092, Milwaukee, WI 53217. Keep your claim ID and the email address you used.
Is the $350 million American Express fine paid to customers?
No. On October 8, 2026 the OCC announced a $350 million civil money penalty against American Express National Bank over anti-money-laundering failures. The OCC says that penalty “will be directed to the U.S. Treasury.” It has nothing to do with this settlement and has no claim process.
Will American Express settle credit card debt?
This page cannot help with that. The antitrust settlement does not touch any card balance: current and former Amex cardholders are excluded from the classes, and the case concerns purchases made with Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards. For a balance on your own Amex account, contact American Express directly.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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