topic Re: AMEX Question in Credit Cards

AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:11:01 GMT

So I had an AMEX Blue card while in college, small limit, like $500. It was CO'd, and I settled for less than the full balance. It has fallen off my CR for a while, but I am sure I am on the AMEX blacklist. I am now in a much better financial situation than back then. I have a secured CC for $1K through my CU and a $700 Target Card and have been 'gardening' for a while and my CR is looking pretty good. Have a couple 60 day lates from 2007 that look to fall off in early 2013 but outside that, everything is stellar or is off the current CRs. My current CS is between 720s-740. I'm wondering if I should try calling AMEX to see if I can pay whatever the balance is from the settled card to get back in good standing with them for a new card? Has anyone done this and come off the blacklist? What number should I use to contact AMEX to make this request? The balance was so small when I settled I would have no problems paying it 10x over right now, but when I was in college $500 was a lot of money! I really want to get back in with them in the hopes they can backdate the card to the early 2000s.

Re: AMEX Question

patsfan1453 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:26:39 GMT

You have nothing to lose by calling the executive office, you can get the number through the "backdoor numbers" thread. Worst thing that can happen is they say no.

Re: AMEX Question

wallyworld123 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:05:57 GMT

westcoastpirate wrote:
So I had an AMEX Blue card while in college, small limit, like $500. It was CO'd, and I settled for less than the full balance. It has fallen off my CR for a while, but I am sure I am on the AMEX blacklist. I am now in a much better financial situation than back then. I have a secured CC for $1K through my CU and a $700 Target Card and have been 'gardening' for a while and my CR is looking pretty good. Have a couple 60 day lates from 2007 that look to fall off in early 2013 but outside that, everything is stellar or is off the current CRs. My current CS is between 720s-740. I'm wondering if I should try calling AMEX to see if I can pay whatever the balance is from the settled card to get back in good standing with them for a new card? Has anyone done this and come off the blacklist? What number should I use to contact AMEX to make this request? The balance was so small when I settled I would have no problems paying it 10x over right now, but when I was in college $500 was a lot of money! I really want to get back in with them in the hopes they can backdate the card to the early 2000s.

Hello and welcome to the forums! amex blacklist bankruptcy i don't believe they blacklist collections or charge offs.You should call amex. (YMMV) your mileage may vary.

Re: AMEX Question

LS2982 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:34:16 GMT

patsfan1453 wrote:
You have nothing to lose by calling the executive office, you can get the number through the "backdoor numbers" thread. Worst thing that can happen is they say no.

Totally agree!

Good luck to you!! :smileyhappy:

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:30:58 GMT

Thanks everyone! I've been lurking these forums for a while now and have read some great advice to help rebuild my credit. I'll report back after I contact AMEX!

Re: AMEX Question

Repo-ed — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:32:31 GMT

They will not blacklist you for CO - I should know! They've REALLY taken care of me post CO.

Re: AMEX Question

distantarray — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:32:06 GMT

Try disputing to the CRA's about your lates as NEVER LATE, and also the OC's. I would say half or more of the time they don't have documentation to prove you were ever late. Remember send certified mail (no return receipt) to CRA and just regular postage to the OC's stating you were never late. Since they almost never have documentation that you were ever late, plus it's been so long since the lates the will almost always deleted from my experience. ymmv.

If they can prove it keep firing off goodwill letters to the OC til they get sick of you =) a guy wrote a python script to email the executive office everyday and got a response eventually lol! oh yea with the CRA write it with yellow legal notepad with purple in in cursive (not kidding) cause they will not read your disputes otherwise and feeds it into a machine to auto process your disputes, this forces a manual review.

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:39:44 GMT

I didn't have a chance to call AMEX today, however, I just app'd for the Barclays VISA Apple card for the hell of it and got instantly approved with a CL of $3,700! Wow! This is my first unsecured CC in a long long time! Looks like it's harvest time in my garden! I'm feeling a little more confident about calling AMEX now!

Re: AMEX Question

JusdoNit — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:19:30 GMT

Go for the Ames. If all is paid. U may be in a real good position:smileyhappy:

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:59:10 GMT

So I just called the AMEX Executive office and spoke to a very nice individual. I didn't have any of the account details so he was able to pull that through my SS number. I asked him some questions and after putting me on hold a couple times corresponding with different departments, he confirmed that yes, if I paid off the CO balance that would definitely improve my chances of receiving a future AMEX card, but that they can't guarantee approval based off paying the balance.

He gave me an address where I can send a check. I am planning on including a letter explaining what I am paying and I am also going to ask for a letter or some sort of confirmation that my account has been PIF once the check clears. Any suggestions on what content I should include in the letter?

Also, how long after I receive confirmation that my balance is all good before trying for a new AMEX card?

Thanks again for all the help, guidance, and reassurance!

Re: AMEX Question

Bay_Area_Joe — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:29:54 GMT

My I ask how long ago the CO was ?

I have a sistuation where I had a green card back in 1992, then upgraded to gold in 1994, all **** hit the fan and had ruined my credit, badly. Had AMEX charged off for about 7k I think, it might have been less.

Never any contact, ever.... Not even with collection companies.

Of course life is way different today. Lots of good cards and limits.

I am almost ready to apply once all my existing new accounts hit 1 year, which will be in March 2013.

I am wondering if they will "find" me in the system from 1994 ?

And, what gain, if any will it do for me, I were to pay pack the CO. I have the money now to pay it now a days.

Is AMEX really worth it. Due to erasing my credit file(letting time clean it up), my AAoA is so so so low, can AMEX really help if I were to get an account backed dated over 20 years ?

Thank you for any input...

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 03:13:07 GMT

My CO was from 2005.

Re: AMEX Question

Wahoo — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 04:05:39 GMT

I am helping a family member with a similar situation. I called Amex on his behalf (called 800-700-7619), According to the backdoor numbers thread located on this forum this is the reserves department that handles closed accounts. Spoke with a very nice lady. Gave her the SSN and she pulled it right up. Account was settled for less than owed in the early 1990's. Gave me the exact amount owed ($2k) and told me that after a payment is made I will be in a good position to apply for a new card.

She stated that Amex updates accounts like this one on the 8th of every month. She said my account will reflect the payment 2 days after the 8th. My family member is planning to pay the amount owed at the end of the year. Will keep everyone updated. Hope this helps.

Re: AMEX Question

beb86 — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 04:57:37 GMT

You may find my thread helpful... I had a AMEX CO in 2007 and was able to get back in

AMEX Optima/Oasis

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:56:26 GMT

UPDATE: I sent AMEX the check for the balance of the CO from 2005, and the check has cleared my bank account. I'm still waiting for the confirmation letter. If I don't get one by early December I will call the backdoor number again and check the status.

I also requested my CR from Teletrack last week which I should receive in the mail shortly. I understand that AMEX sometimes uses this report to calculate their in-house score. I'm going to compare the Teletrack report against the reports I pulled from the 3 CRAs this month and call Teletrack back to correct any mistakes. I read Teletrack doesn't update their reports as frequently as the big 3 CRAs, so baddies may be on there which should be removed.

Once I have some sort of confirmation the CO is in good standing and the Teletrack report looks good/similar to my other CRs, I am going to move forward with apping for an AMEX card. I read in the Optima/Oasis thread that I should wait 3 months, but I think if everything looks good I can app before the end of the year.

On a side note, one of the reports has an INQ from AMEX in 2010 for the Costco card. I would think if I was blacklisted the app wouldn't have been a HP? Or, because this was a co-branded product with Costco it goes through a different review process?

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:31:35 GMT

MORE UPDATES: The Teletrack CR was waiting for me in the mail when I got home from work, clean as a whistle. The only thing on it was the AMEX HP for the Costco card I applied for in Dec 2010. Of course I was denied the card at that time because I was still in the process of cleaning up my CR. But I'm wondering if I had been blacklisted for the CO if they would have just SP me and not done the HP. If someone knows let me know.

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:11:11 GMT

Wow, today has been insane! So I called the AMEX backdoor number to see the status of my account since I paid the balance of the CO. They said my account had been updated to PIF. I went to lunch, came back and decided to apply for the Green.

And...BAM! Approved for the Green instantly! So I decided to open another browser and try for the AMEX BCE. Went all the way through and got the 7-10 pending verification message. Bummer.

I went back to check the application status, and BAMARAMA!!! BCE APPROVED! HOLY S#!%!!!!! I am on cloud 11 right now! I need to call AMEX to get more info! But I want to thank this forum for guiding me and all the advice, I couldn't have done it without everyone here!!!

Re: AMEX Question

gettnthere — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:08:52 GMT

Wow! Congrats on your success with AmEx!

Re: AMEX Question

armbenderc — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:16:41 GMT

WTH :smileysurprised: Congrats!

Amex BCE..... Best of the best.

Re: AMEX Question

westcoastpirate — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 03:01:32 GMT

I was surprised as you. AMEX is giving me a second chance, with an awesome card, I really can't believe it.