Amex curiosity question

[Anonymous]

My first two credit cards were from a gas company and a Amex.     It was about 1989 and I was approx 20yrs  old at the time.   I bought my wife a engagement ring with the American Express and dont remember if I ever even made a payment??   I was wild  and didnt care about credit at all.    Needless to say I lost both cards.   Well 25yrs later i regret all this and am working to make it better.    My question is when I get my credit  cleaned up  and apply for another Amex will they remember internally or do they just have the info off my CR which hasnt shown any of this for many years?     I was more committed to my wife than credit as we are headed to our 25th wedding anniversary next May.   Thanks for your opinions.  

[gdale6]

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@Dug3x3 wrote:

My first two credit cards were from a gas company and a Amex.     It was about 1989 and I was approx 20yrs  old at the time.   I bought my wife a engagement ring with the American Express and dont remember if I ever even made a payment??   I was wild  and didnt care about credit at all.    Needless to say I lost both cards.   Well 25yrs later i regret all this and am working to make it better.    My question is when I get my credit  cleaned up  and apply for another Amex will they remember internally or do they just have the info off my CR which hasnt shown any of this for many years?     I was more committed to my wife than credit as we are headed to our 25th wedding anniversary next May.   Thanks for your opinions.  

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Its different with every individual the only way you will know if you are on their BL it to apply, for myself I am still BL for BK in 1983 yet I read nearly every day people getting approved with them with BK just 9 10 years ago and they were included...

[leegreen]

Congrats on nearing your 25th wedding anniversary! As far as your question I have no idea.

[MT936]

They should still have you in their system and should remember i'm not 100% sure though

[longtimelurker]

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@MT936 wrote:

They should still have you in their system and should remember i'm not 100% sure though

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Right, all issuers will have records of who has burned them in various ways, but they have different reactions and timescales.   What you mostly hear about Amex is that you have to pay back the money before you can get another card, ever, but I'm sure there are some exceptions.

[Transmogrifying_Bee]

Amex most certainly keeps cardholder records that go beyond those visible on your credit report!  How far back I can't say, although it is very common for readers in these Forums, especially those who have had BK's with Amex, to comment how long Amex's "memory" is of such past events!   When I renewed a few years ago my Amex CC's that I had cancelled in 2001, they were able to find my Member Since Date (MSD) going back to 1998 - no big deal!  However (and unfortunately!) they couldn't find any information on the Green card I obtained for the first time back in the early 1980's!  So, at least in MY experience, they probably don't keep such information indefinitely, at least on accounts from that era!  Not sure if they would have handled older BK affected accounts any differently? 

In YOUR case, I'm guessing that they still have you in their system. One way to find out, of course!  Contact them via phone or an application!
 
BTW, Congratulations on your upcoming 25th anniversary wedding celebration!  Hope this event is complimented by some good news from Amex, if you choose to go that route! 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all the responses.    Im a ways away from asking Amex for a card but Im in no rush.    I have some bad things falling off my reports in Nov , Dec and feb 2015.  So I think this will up my score .   Great site here look forward to keep learning.   Thanks

[ezdoesit]

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@Dug3x3 wrote:

My first two credit cards were from a gas company and a Amex.     It was about 1989 and I was approx 20yrs  old at the time.   I bought my wife a engagement ring with the American Express and dont remember if I ever even made a payment??   I was wild  and didnt care about credit at all.    Needless to say I lost both cards.   Well 25yrs later i regret all this and am working to make it better.    My question is when I get my credit  cleaned up  and apply for another Amex will they remember internally or do they just have the info off my CR which hasnt shown any of this for many years?     I was more committed to my wife than credit as we are headed to our 25th wedding anniversary next May.   Thanks for your opinions.  

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I would say you have to wait til all you baddies are off to even have a chance.  You didn't pay them in 1989 and when they look at your report now it still has baddies on it.  Most people would probably say it is hard to get back with Amex a clean report after previously burning them.

Why Amex anyway?  There will be plenty of CC to chose from no need to jump thru hoops for Amex.

[Anonymous]

ezdoesit -  I guess in my mind I want the Amex because to me its a elite card to have.  But after reading here and learning more about cards maybe it isnt the best for me.  We'll see.   Thanks.