How do you export an American Express statement to CSV?
By Kayabyte · Last updated 2 November 2026
Download your activity from your American Express online account: the Amex help centre says recent activity and past billing statements can be downloaded as a CSV, or for Quicken or QuickBooks. If you only have PDF statements, convert them, and use the card setting that flips signs so purchases export as money out. We are not affiliated with American Express, and their menus and date ranges change.
1. Try the online download first
Sign in, open the account’s statements or activity area and look for a download option. Choose CSV for a spreadsheet. The range available differs by account, so read the options on your own account.
Things to know:
- Amex files are for a card, so purchases may be positive and payments negative, the opposite of a bank account.
- Columns differ between card types. Open the file and read the headers.
- Excel may read dates in the wrong order.
2. For PDF statements
Copying from the PDF splits wrapped descriptions and repeats headers. Compare the result with the statement: previous balance + purchases - payments = new balance. A difference of exactly twice an amount usually means a flipped sign.
3. Where Balanced helps
Balanced is a Mac app we make. It reads the Amex PDF on your Mac, with nothing uploaded and no AI guessing. In the Columns bar, turn on “Card statement (flip signs)” so purchases export as money out; if the totals only add up with money in and out swapped, Balanced flips the signs itself and says so in a yellow note. Check a few lines: spending should be negative. Then export CSV, Excel or an import format.
Limits to know: the free version exports the first 10 transactions per file, Pro is USD 59 per year or USD 7.99 per month. Download Balanced and test your own statement.
Steps with Balanced
- Download the statement PDF (or the activity CSV) from your Amex account.
- Open it in Balanced with Add Files or by dragging it in.
- Turn on “Card statement (flip signs)” and check that spending is negative in the preview.
- Read the totals check: previous balance plus purchases minus payments equals the new balance.
- Export CSV (or Excel, YNAB, QIF or another format).
Questions
Can you export an American Express statement as CSV? Yes, the online account offers a CSV download of activity and recent statements, according to Amex’s help centre. Ranges vary, so check your account.
Why are my Amex purchases positive? Card statements show purchases as positive and payments as negative. Use “Card statement (flip signs)” so they export as money out.
Can I import the CSV into YNAB or QuickBooks? Export in the matching format from Balanced (YNAB CSV, QBO, Xero and others) and import it with that program’s import option.
Related guides
- Capital One statement to Excel
- Apple Card transactions export
- Import a PDF bank statement into YNAB
- Why converted statements don’t add up
American Express is a trademark of its owner. Balanced is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by American Express.
More guides
- How do you import an Amazon settlement report into QuickBooks Online or Xero?
- Balanced vs DocuClipper, ProperConvert, Dext and Craftybase
- How do you convert a Bank of America statement to Excel?
- How do you turn a bank statement into Beancount?
- What is the best bank statement converter for Mac?
- How do you convert a Chase statement to Excel or CSV?
- How do you convert a PDF bank statement to CSV?
- How do you convert a PDF bank statement to Excel?
- What are the alternatives to Dext, Hubdoc and AutoEntry on a Mac?
- What are the alternatives to DocuClipper on a Mac?
- How do you get an eBay transaction report into Excel or QuickBooks?
- How do you reconcile your Etsy 1099-K with your sales?
- How should you book Etsy sales tax, fees and deposits?
- How do you convert an Etsy monthly statement to a Schedule C worksheet?
- How do you import a bank statement into Actual Budget?
- How do you import bills into QuickBooks Online from a CSV?
- How do you import a PDF bank statement into Xero?
- How do you import supplier invoices into Xero as bills?
- How do you get invoice line items from a PDF into Excel?
- How do you do bookkeeping for Etsy, eBay, Amazon and Shopify sales on a Mac?
- How do you get a PayPal activity report into QuickBooks or Xero?
- Can you upload a PDF bank statement to QuickBooks Online?
- How do you convert a PDF bank statement to OFX?
- How do you turn a PDF bank statement into a QBO file for QuickBooks?
- How do you get a PDF bank statement into Quicken as QIF or QFX?
- Is there a bank statement converter that does not upload your files?
- What are the alternatives to ProperConvert on a Mac?
- How do you turn a receipt into a CSV on a Mac?
- How do you reconcile Shopify payouts with your orders?
- How do you reconcile Stripe payouts with a CSV report?
- How do you convert a Wells Fargo statement to CSV?