Other Income & Expense
Interest Expense
American Express Interest Expense decreased by 4.2% to $1.97B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 0.4%, from $1.97B to $1.97B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Interest Expense shows an upward trend with a 59.2% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.
Analysis
StatementIncome Statement
SectionOther Income & Expense
CategoryLeverage
SignalLower is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ1 2013
Last reportedQ1 2026
How to read this metric
Increasing interest expense may signal higher debt levels or rising interest rates, which can reduce net profitability.
Detailed definition
Interest expense represents the cost incurred by a company for borrowed funds, such as loans, bonds, or other debt instr...
Peer comparison
Highly dependent on the company's capital structure; peers with lower debt-to-equity ratios will show lower interest expenses.
Metric ID:
interest_expenseHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $322.00M | $307.00M | $292.00M | $321.00M | $439.00M | $796.00M | $1.21B | $1.43B | $1.67B | $1.80B | $1.95B | $2.01B | $2.06B | $2.14B | $2.04B | $1.97B | $2.08B | $2.13B | $2.06B | $1.97B |
| QoQ Change | — | -4.7% | -4.9% | +9.9% | +36.8% | +81.3% | +51.6% | +18.7% | +16.5% | +7.7% | +8.3% | +3.0% | +2.9% | +3.8% | -4.9% | -3.6% | +5.6% | +2.6% | -3.3% | -4.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +36.3% | +159.3% | +313.4% | +346.4% | +280.4% | +125.9% | +61.4% | +40.0% | +23.6% | +19.2% | +4.7% | -2.0% | +0.6% | -0.6% | +1.0% | +0.4% |
Range$292.00M – $2.14B
CAGR+46.5%
Avg YoY Growth+88.1%
Median YoY Growth+30.0%
Current Streak2 quarters decline
Business Segments
| Segment | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USCS | $771.00M | $806.00M | $815.00M | $757.00M | $782.00M | $789.00M | $820.00M | $751.00M |
| CS | $430.00M | $448.00M | $442.00M | $432.00M | $450.00M | $462.00M | $461.00M | $432.00M |
| ICS | $303.00M | $311.00M | $318.00M | $306.00M | $335.00M | $350.00M | $362.00M | $360.00M |
| GMNS | -$176.00M | -$169.00M | -$160.00M | -$143.00M | -$165.00M | -$181.00M | -$172.00M | -$169.00M |
| Total | $2.06B | $2.14B | $2.04B | $1.97B | $2.08B | $2.13B | $2.06B | $1.97B |
Interest Expense at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is American Express's interest expense?
- American Express (AXP) reported interest expense of $1.97B in Q1 2026.
- How has American Express's interest expense changed year-over-year?
- American Express's interest expense increased by 0.4% year-over-year, from $1.97B to $1.97B.
- What is the long-term trend for American Express's interest expense?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), American Express's interest expense has grown at a 59.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.28B to $8.23B.
- What does interest expense mean?
- The cost of borrowing money, paid as interest on debt.