Don't upgrade from Zync to any of the other AMEX charge cards!

[FinStar]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

The sad lesson is: be careful who you make an AU (and especially if you give the AU the card to use).  There have been several recent posts involving family members.  Though it may be very hard not to share with the family, a less-responsible AU can certainly mess up the account and impact your whole CR.  I know, too late for the OP.

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+1

Exactly.  Responsible use (and common sense) by all parties on the account(s) never gets AA.

[jamesdwi]

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@chris6291 wrote:

Yup! I didn't know that and it's not like I did it anyways!

I guess I forgot to add that since AMEX statements are itemized such that each card gets a section on the statement, I didn't really look onto my sister's statements as she was responsible for them. Anyhow, looking back as to when I first had the Zync, there are transactions like those. Many transactions throughout the two year period I had the Zync.

So this means that the Zync isn't (or wasn't) quite monitored for such activities such as Paypal. If my sister was already doing this, the system didn't flag it until I upgrade to PRG.

So i'm thinking ANYTHING you do that is suspicious in PRG will flag you for a financial review. In fact, there are people who get flagged for no reason.

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I guess the only reason this is related to upgrading away from the ZYNC is the OP wouldn't of been able to add a AU, currently Zync card holders can't add AU's to the card, and he would still have his AMEX relationship in good standing. 

[DavidZeng]

Does it mean never using AMEX card to buy things from Ebay? And never use AMEX with anything related to Paypal?

[jamesdwi]

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@DavidZeng wrote:

Does it mean never using AMEX card to buy things from Ebay? And never use AMEX with anything related to Paypal?

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no, I have paid lots of things on ebay, its not a problem. but its not a good idea to pay yourself via paypal with any credit card. Sure you can get away with it a couple times for a couple hundred dollars, do it to the tune of 15k a month as the OP reports his AU doing is a recipe for getting shutdown no matter what your card you do it on.

[CredittotheMax]

I think you could app again. If they decline, call in for recon and explain the whole late payment thing to them. Amex is very understanding because I had baddies from my sister on my credit report and I called in to explain everything and they approved me my first amex.

[Boragard]

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@chris6291 wrote:

Yes, I know. Many of you wouldn't upgrade because of the yearly fees. I was able to upgrade with just a simple phone call from Zync to Amex Preferred Gold Rewards after being approved for Zync in March 2011. Never did I miss a payment or pay late. So I HAD 2 + years solid history with AMEX until December.

So here is my story...

Last August I upgraded. At first, the CSR said I would have to reapply. Then I told her I wanted to talk to a supervisor and she said to hold... Came back and asked me what charge card upgrade I would like. I told her the Gold Rewards.

So I got my new card and used it for approximately 3 months. Along with my card, I have two other cards that I give to my sister and my mom. I pay for my card as well as my mom's purchases. My sister is responsible for her own.

So I got an email at the end of November saying that my charging privileges were suspended. That I needed to call. I called and they said I was under financial review. Reason? Apparently my sister was using Paypal (for eBay) and the credit card app for iphone to put cash into her bank account. I didn't lie about my income, but we were spending, on average, 15k per month total and my tax statements didn't quite reflect an income of 15k per month as this was COMBINED.

So I just decided to close my account because I want to get my sister off of it. She was mad and since she was just an authorized user, she took her time to pay her ending balance back. As of today, she still owes $400. I'm thinking she is having financial difficulties. Anyhow, Amex reported me 30 days late, which has impacted my credit significantly.

She is family, so suing her is out of the question, specially for $400. I'm upset, but it's not like the world will end, right?

So in the end, what are my chances of applying for AMEX again and being approved? Also, won't they backdate it if, say, I applied in 2016? I heard Amex looks down upon lates specially with their charge cards. But I loved my charge card! It almost paid for my entire Cancun trip! (when I had the zinc 3X points for flights, etc. Packages).

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I once had a zync card opened in December 2011 and my card was cancelled by AMEX in July 2012 because of "late" payments after losing my employment.  I joined the hardship payment plan, and although I paid all of my payments on time under the hardship plan.  AMEX reported them as 30 & 60 days late on my credit report, I called and they explained that even though I was on the payment plan I have not paid my account in full (because it was a charge card)  Therefore, as long as I had a balance  it would report as late on my credit report until paid in its entirety  I have disputed this information and it still sits on my credit report today as a dispute. 

That totally depends on your view of the situation.  I know people who has been sued for far less than $400 as family members.  $400 can be a large sum of money for someone who really needs it. 

As long as you pay your balance off, you are not on AMEX black list, however, it will probably be a while before being approved for any other card.  Since my Zync was cancelled in July 2012 I had tried every 3 months to get a new card, and finally just on 01/06/14 I was able to get approved but for a REVOLVER.  All other attempts at a charge has been DENIED  However, I was also able to get my new card back-dated to 2011 though, which is a nice touch.  So yes, it is possible. 

[Repo-ed]

 NEVER mix family/friends and credit

#NEVER

[phonic]

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@jamesdwi wrote:

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@chris6291 wrote:

Yup! I didn't know that and it's not like I did it anyways!

I guess I forgot to add that since AMEX statements are itemized such that each card gets a section on the statement, I didn't really look onto my sister's statements as she was responsible for them. Anyhow, looking back as to when I first had the Zync, there are transactions like those. Many transactions throughout the two year period I had the Zync.

So this means that the Zync isn't (or wasn't) quite monitored for such activities such as Paypal. If my sister was already doing this, the system didn't flag it until I upgrade to PRG.

So i'm thinking ANYTHING you do that is suspicious in PRG will flag you for a financial review. In fact, there are people who get flagged for no reason.

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I guess the only reason this is related to upgrading away from the ZYNC is the OP wouldn't of been able to add a AU, currently Zync card holders can't add AU's to the card, and he would still have his AMEX relationship in good standing. 

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Not true. Just last week I readded myself to my wife's Zinc as an AU. I never had one, since I removed myself when she had the Gold and we downgraded to the Zinc. Since it's considered a rare card and I'm a sucker for stupid crap like that I decided to get one (also to maybe help my profile with Amex when I go for my 3xCLI on my BCP). While I couldn't add myself online, I called in and the CSR had no problem putting me on the account.

[flowfaster]

I'm going to ditch my Zync.  It was cool for a while but Amex will never let you get a charge card sign up bonus while holding another one.

[compassion101]

Im still not following why OP allowed it to be 30 days late or why she closed the card since she said she could support the income stated on the app.