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.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend 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 Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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