to $4.7 billion. It marked a third consecutive quarter of growth. Including corporate travel and commercial cards, the company's Global Commercial Services unit posted quarterly net income of $184 million, down 4 percent. GCS revenue rose 3 percent to $1.2 billion, which "primarily reflected higher [cardholder] spending, partially offset by lower travel commissions and fees," according to Amex. GCS expenses also rose, up 2 percent primarily due to costs associated with the planned
business travel joint venture still expected to close during the current quarter. GCS billed business increased 6 percent to $45.5 billion, average cardholder spending grew 5 percent to $6,429 and total cards in force edged up 1 percent to 7.1 million. Across the full company, Amex net income jumped 12 percent to $1.4 billion.