American Express pre-selected

[Anonymous]

Hi, I got 2 offers today in the mail from Amex, I was 'pre-selected' for the gold card and also the green card. I went on to American Express web site and it says I have also been pre -selected for the zync card. 

I'd love to get in with American Express.

Does being pre-selected improve my chances of being approved?

Is the zync easer to get than the other 2?

Which should I app for? Are the gold cards or the green cards worth the higher Annual Fee?

I opened a Barclay card in December, would apping for these get Barclay upset? I have seen on this board that they are sensitive to new accounts and inquiries.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Open123]

While not certain, there is a very high probability you will be approved.

The Zync is the easiest, but the others aren't that much more difficult.  You should take a look at Amex's compare and contrast of their different charge cards and find the one most suitable to how you're going to use the card.

[pizzadude]

I agree, it is not a guarantee of your approval, but it is better than a random app in terms of your likelihood of success.

I would recommend starting with the Green or Zync ~ they have the lowest AFs of the charge cards, and will get you in the door.   Then you can decide if you want to move towards one of their revolver cards, or upgrade your charge card to gold or plat.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input guys. 

I was leaning towards the Zync because of the lower annual fee to start out with but I think I remember reading somewhere that Amex wont do product changes for the Zync card like they will for the others? Any truth to this? Not sure it that even really matters.

I really just want to get in with them and maybe apply for a revolver card in a year or 2. The blue or the clear look very nice.

[Open123]

For personal use, their Zync is actually my favorite card.  The packs are great, and the rewards system is top notch if you use it correctly in conjuction with a future card that will upgrade your points to full MR status.

It is true that this card cannot be upgraded; not without some intervention by a very senior executive.  The reason is that it's the "only" charge card with MR express points.  You can't upgrade to other charge cards because they're full MR.  And, you can't PC from charge to credit.

So, if you app for the Zync, it's a standalone card for now, and always.  

[tinuviel]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the input guys. 

I was leaning towards the Zync because of the lower annual fee to start out with but I think I remember reading somewhere that Amex wont do product changes for the Zync card like they will for the others? Any truth to this? Not sure it that even really matters.

I really just want to get in with them and maybe apply for a revolver card in a year or 2. The blue or the clear look very nice.

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Are they still offering to waive the first year's AF on the Green? If so, that may be a good way to get your foot in the door.

[-Cain-]

First year AF on green waived is still a current offer as of yesterday, I was poking around the website. Gotta find the link and apply through it though.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I have a limited credit history, my oldest credit card is only 6 months old, and my other 5 cards are only 1-2 months old. I do have a auto loan that is 2.5 years old and about to be paid off. No baddies on any reports.

I decided to app for the Zync card because with all my new credit I was afraid to get denied and rack up another hard inq.

And I was just approved for my new Zync!!!

I'm very happy right now, but I'm kinda kicking myself for not apping last month so I could have been able to back date future cards to 2011. Oh well, I'm still thrilled and excited to get my new card!

But now I  have one more question for y'all.

How will this card effect my utilization? With it being NPSL I am confused on how this will work.

Thanks again

[pizzadude]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the info everyone.

I have a limited credit history, my oldest credit card is only 6 months old, and my other 5 cards are only 1-2 months old. I do have a auto loan that is 2.5 years old and about to be paid off. No baddies on any reports.

I decided to app for the Zync card because with all my new credit I was afraid to get denied and rack up another hard inq.

And I was just approved for my new Zync!!!

I'm very happy right now, but I'm kinda kicking myself for not apping last month so I could have been able to back date future cards to 2011. Oh well, I'm still thrilled and excited to get my new card!

But now I  have one more question for y'all.

How will this card effect my utilization? With it being NPSL I am confused on how this will work.

Thanks again

---

Congrats on the approval !!!

FICO does not factor Charge Card utilization into your revolving %util with the exception of TU 98 FICO, which is the version that is available here at MyFico.   It DOES factor it in, however it is an older version and not used as widely.

And I have heard of some people getting upgraded from Zync to other charge card ~ there have been a few people reporting that they were offered an upgrade, but I think it is an exception to the rule though....

[Anonymous]

It "helps", but it doesn't mean you're actually pre-approved. It just means you at least have some chance of getting one.

Then again, I originally got invitations to apply for some Amex cards (for example the Delta one) with no real credit history, and they denied me without any hope of recon. Same has happened to me with Citi. So you shouldn't really apply for something just because you get an invitation in the mail.

All it means is that in theory, someone with a credit profile vaguely reminiscent of yours might have some hope of meeting the criteria for their card under certain circumstances. Maybe. Also, maybe not.