To import an Amex statement into Xero, download the card's transactions as a CSV from your American Express account, or convert the PDF statement if the months are too old to download. Make charges negative and credits positive, upload the file to a credit card account in Xero, and record each payment to Amex as a transfer.
Should the Amex file for Xero come from the download or the PDF?
Start from the download when you can. American Express's help page says you can download recent activity and your past six billing statements to Quicken, QuickBooks or as a CSV file from your online account. For Xero, take the CSV.
When the PDF is the only source
Anything older than those six statements usually exists only as a PDF. A digital PDF can be converted into rows. A paper statement that was scanned is harder, because the text must be recognised first; importing a scanned bank statement into Xero covers the extra checks a scan needs. SimpleBankConvert is being built to turn digital card statements into a Xero-ready CSV, with outgoing money marked by a minus; the get started page is where to ask for access.
Why not the QuickBooks download?
The QuickBooks option produces a file meant for QuickBooks. Converters that make QuickBooks files, like a PDF to QBO converter, serve a different program. For Xero, a CSV you can open and check is the safer start.
Flipping Amex charge and credit signs for Xero
Xero needs card purchases as negative amounts and payments or refunds as positive, because a purchase reduces what you have. Card files often show it the other way, with charges positive. Look at your Amex CSV before uploading, and if charges are positive, multiply the amount column by minus one.
The rule behind it
The OFX standard signs card amounts from the customer's point of view, and Xero's import expects the same. The guide to which signs credit card lines carry in Xero explains the rule in full.
A worked example
These rows are made-up examples, assuming a file that lists charges as positive.
| Date | Description | Amount in the Amex CSV | Amount for Xero |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/02/2026 | Lakeside Air ticket | 412.00 | -412.00 |
| 09/05/2026 | Fennel & Co catering | 186.50 | -186.50 |
| 09/12/2026 | Lakeside Air refund | -412.00 | 412.00 |
| 09/20/2026 | Online payment, thank you | -2,000.00 | 2000.00 |
After the change, the payment and the refund are positive and the purchases are negative. The column layout for the rest of the file is in the Xero bank statement import CSV guide.
Supplementary cards
If employees hold additional cards on your account, their charges usually appear on the same statement. Keep them in the same file and the same Xero account, since they share one balance.
Recording the Amex payment once in Xero
Your payment to Amex shows up twice: as money out of your checking account and as a credit on the Amex statement. Both lines are real. Reconcile the checking line as a transfer to the Amex account in Xero, then match the Amex credit line to that same transfer. Code neither side as an expense.
Why this matters
The purchases on the card are your expenses. Coding the payment as an expense as well would count the same spending twice. After a few months, the card account in Xero should show the same balance owed as the latest Amex statement, as a negative figure.
Is an Amex feed in Xero better than a file import?
For ongoing months, a live feed saves the monthly download. If Xero offers a connection for your Amex card, connecting it means new charges arrive on their own; connecting a bank feed to Xero covers that setup. Files remain the way to fill months before the feed began or days a feed missed.
Using both
If you connect a feed and also import files, keep a firm boundary. Note the date of the first line the feed delivered and end every imported file the day before. Any overlap creates duplicate charges that you then have to find and remove. Write the boundary date in the Xero account's name or notes, so anyone importing a file later sees it before they start.
Amex months older than the download window, in Xero
If you need statements older than the six that Amex lets you download, get the PDF statements from your account's statement archive and convert them. Import them into the same Xero card account, oldest first, ending before your earliest downloaded or fed line.
Checking each older month
For each converted statement, the previous balance plus new charges, minus payments and credits, should equal the new balance printed on the statement. Check that before uploading. In Xero, the card's balance after each month's import should equal that new balance as a negative number. If it is off by twice one amount, one line has the wrong sign.