Reason code · American Express
Amex A08: authorization approval expired
A08 means you submitted the charge after its approval had expired. Amex’s guide says to submit within 7 days, with exceptions for cruise lines, lodging and vehicle rental. Your answer is a valid approval record or a refund already processed.
What A08 means
An approval doesn’t last forever. A08 means the charge reached Amex after the approval behind it had expired. Amex’s guide gives two causes:
- You didn’t submit the charge before the approval expired.
- You tried to submit in time, but Amex never received it, for example because of a technical problem.
Who raised it
A08 is an authorization code. The customer may have no complaint about the sale at all. The question is timing: did a live approval cover the charge when it arrived?
Time limit
Amex’s guide gives Card Members (Amex’s word for cardholders) up to 120 days from the transaction date to dispute most charges. Processor guides list this code under the same 120 days.
Your side of the clock is short. Amex’s own guide tells merchants to respond within 20 days. If you accept Amex through a processor such as Stripe or Square, the processor sets its own date, often a shorter one. The due date on your notice is the one that counts.
What proof matters
Amex accepts proof that a valid approval was obtained under your agreement, or proof that a refund directly offsetting the charge was already processed. In practice that means the approval date and the date the charge was submitted, side by side.
The 7-day rule bites delayed work
Amex’s guide tells merchants to submit within 7 days of the approval, with exceptions for cruise lines, lodging and vehicle rental. Past that, get a new approval.
Here’s where service businesses get caught. You take a card when the job is booked and charge it when the work is done three weeks later. Amex’s guide covers this directly: when goods ship or services are provided more than 7 days after the order, get an approval when the order is placed and again when you ship or perform. One approval at booking isn’t enough.
The common mistake
Assuming a charge that went through was approved in time. A late charge can settle and still be charged back months later under A08. Check the approval date, not just the charge date.
Dispute Daddy builds this for you
Upload the notice and your records. Dispute Daddy builds a response around the reason Amex actually gave, and you approve it before you submit. See how the method works.
