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Billionaire businessman Lord Alan Sugar has launched a furious attack on American Express after he was refused a credit limit increase.

On Monday, The Apprentice frontman, 79, was left fuming after his request was denied and branded the American-based bank ‘a bunch of idiots’ on X.

The first post written by the star, who is estimated to be worth £1.1billion, read: ‘I spent a [sic] hour on the phone with American Express.

‘I was past [sic] to 4 different people. I was asking for an increase in my credit limit. Finally I got to speak to a person in the UK at Brighton who knew who I was and my financial status. However my request was refused due to their system.’

Aside from pointing out his lack of grammar, Lord Sugar was met with backlash online as one critic accused him of ‘moaning’ and expecting ‘royal treatment’ while ‘flaunting your status’ as a billionaire.

Billionaire businessman Lord Alan Sugar has launched a furious attack on American Express after he was refused a credit limit increase

On Monday, The Apprentice frontman, 79, was left fuming after his request was denied and branded the American-based bank ‘a bunch of idiots’ on X, while also attacking a number of critics

They added: ‘The general public faces the same fate every day. On the one hand, you try to champion your council-housing background, while on the other, you’re now trying to flaunt your status. The height of hypocrisy.’

The business tycoon proceeded to hit back at his critics by replying to them directly on X. He wrote in capital letters: ‘I am not moaning just exposing what a bunch of idiots Amex are’.

When one X user asked: ‘If you are worth £1.1billlion, why do you need a credit card?’

‘Do practice [sic] being an idiot,’ Lord Sugar responded. ‘I don’t walk around with bags full of cash. I need a credit card to buy things.’

Lord Sugar, born in Hackney, was raised on a council estate in East London before leaving school at 16 and briefly working in the civil service as a statistician at the Ministry of Education.

At the age of 21 he set up the electronics company Amstrad and found financial success by mass-producing affordable consumer electronics. In 2007, he sold his stake in the company in BSkyB for £125million.

Lord Sugar, born in Hackney, was raised on a council estate in East London before leaving school at 16 and briefly working in the civil service as a statistician at the Ministry of Education

The television star has further business interests including a property investment firm Amsprop and a stake in Tottenham Hotspur, which he sold for £25million.

Lord Sugar has fronted The Apprentice since the show's 2005 launch and recently defended the cultural relevance as the programme entered its 20th series.

Reflecting on two decades of the programme in an interview with Radio Times, he said: 'Every single year I get a new generation of youngsters, 13- or 15-year-olds, tuning in. The 15-year-old of 20 years ago is now 35.

'If you said to him, "Do you watch The Apprentice any more?" you'll get, "No, it's s. He talks a lot of b****. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

'But the new 15-year-olds are so in awe of it. And the show has created an awareness for business that's done a great service for young people.'

On the show's future: 'It's not down to me but we have agreed another three years.

'I guess there'll come a time when either I'm a bit knackered or viewers are phoning in and complaining that I'm like Joe Biden and losing the plot.

Lord Sugar has fronted The Apprentice since the show's 2005 launch and recently defended the cultural revelance as the programme entered its 20th series

'The BBC will spend a few grand on some market research people and ask, "Should we get rid of Lord Sugar or what?" But, at the moment, I love doing it because it's really about starting a business from scratch with young people.'

Discussing attitudes to work and ambition, Alan said modern consumer culture risked distracting young people from building businesses.

He said: 'All the kids are interested in now is the latest Nike shoes, the iPhone 15 and TikTok. I sometimes think the parents are to blame.

'Get out and get a b* job. Go and work in McDonald's and scrape the hot plates and all that. But oh, no, "Not for me. I'm too busy on Saturday".

'When I was a millionaire I sent my kids out to work on Saturday morning. And they made their own children do the same thing.'