I called AmEx today and did a product change from my Blue-I-Never-Use to Blue Cash (yikes - am expecting news of my FR at any moment!) - apparently said card will be showing up in the next couple of weeks.
It occurred to me that if I could get my husband a card on the account, we'd have some hope of reaching that $6500 milestone before day 364 each year, and actually earning some decent money as well (he buys all the gas, for example, as I don't actually have a car!)... but as I've never either been, or added, an AU, I have no idea what it really 'means', application/approval-wise, least of all with AmEx.
Questions...
Is it 'safe' to add an AU with AmEx, or is that one of those things, like actually taking them up on a BT offer, that is probably best avoided?
Does the would-be AU get a hard pull, and are they judged to the same standards as the main cardholder? My husband's scores are somewhere in the mid to high 600s (haven't checked them in a while), he has cards with balances (not maxed out or anything even close to it, but balances nonetheless!) and three paid collections on his reports? Would having him as an AU just mean a thousand more reasons to fret about upsetting AmEx?
Aaand... anything else I might need to know or consider when thinking about doing this?
Thanks! 
Thank you both, that was quick! And that's very good news... He's never had an AmEx card - at least, not to my knowledge, and there's definitely no mention of them anywhere on his CRs. I will ask him to verify that, though, and if adding an AU is nothing to freak out about, I'll add him as soon as I get the card (just so long as THAT isn't something that would upset AmEx - I have no idea what they do and don't regard as FR/AA-worthy behavior!) and we can get spending!
Oh, one more (STUPID) question, but... whenever I see that you get cashback on spending on gas, that does just mean 'spending done at gas stations', right, or do the CCCs have some cunning way of knowing when you bought gas and when you bought a six pack and some Doritos? I'm sure we could make a (very) small fortune if all my husband's daily purchases of Red Bull and Starbucks Espresso Shots at Speedway qualify as 'gas'!
Thank you again!
Message Edited by fevmlo on 07-24-2008 04:00 PM
fevmlo wrote:
Oh, one more (STUPID) question, but... whenever I see that you get cashback on spending on gas, that does just mean 'spending done at gas stations', right, or do the CCCs have some cunning way of knowing when you bought gas and when you bought a six pack and some Doritos? I'm sure we could make a (very) small fortune if all my husband's daily purchases of Red Bull and Starbucks Espresso Shots at Speedway qualify as 'gas'!
Not a stupid question at all. The answer depends on the card in question, and how the category is defined in the rewards literature.
Some cards give bonuses on "gas purchases at the pump," which includes only, well, gas purchases at the pump. Others give bonuses on gas station purchases, which would also include the six pack and Doritos you mentioned, although it would not include purchases at a Starbucks inside a gas station, since those purchases would show as Starbucks.
Which card is this?
Edit: Duh. Obviously you're asking about the Blue Cash card. Blue Cash includes all gas station purchases in its bonus categories, not just purchases of actual gasoline.
You are aware of the spending requirement on Blue Cash to get to the higher tier, though, right?
Message Edited by cheddar on 07-24-2008 01:00 PM
cheddar wrote:
fevmlo wrote:Oh, one more (STUPID) question, but... whenever I see that you get cashback on spending on gas, that does just mean 'spending done at gas stations', right, or do the CCCs have some cunning way of knowing when you bought gas and when you bought a six pack and some Doritos? I'm sure we could make a (very) small fortune if all my husband's daily purchases of Red Bull and Starbucks Espresso Shots at Speedway qualify as 'gas'!Not a stupid question at all. The answer depends on the card in question, and how the category is defined in the rewards literature.Some cards give bonuses on "gas purchases at the pump," which includes only, well, gas purchases at the pump. Others give bonuses on gas station purchases, which would also include the six pack and Doritos you mentioned, although it would not include purchases at a Starbucks inside a gas station, since those purchases would show as Starbucks.Which card is this?Edit: Duh. Obviously you're asking about the Blue Cash card. Blue Cash includes all gas station purchases in its bonus categories, not just purchases of actual gasoline.You are aware of the spending requirement on Blue Cash to get to the higher tier, though, right?
Message Edited by cheddar on 07-24-2008 01:00 PM
Thank you, Cheddar - that is good to know! And yep, I'm aware we have to rack up $6500 in spending on the card before we get to the good stuff. With our combined spending, we might actually have some hope of doing that - and as he spends so much at gas stations, we'll then be able to benefit from the 5% on that once we DO get to that $6500 mark!
I know the Blue Cash isn't the best cashback card out there... but as I have my Blue anyway and never use the thing, well... I couldn't resist! I was tempted to go for the Clear, but after all I've heard about it being possibly harder to get, I thought if I was going to push my luck with a product change, the Blue Cash might be the safer bet.
(edited to add... I'd been thinking that given the fact that my husband spends rather a lot on gas and at gas stations in general, he could do with a card that would get him something back for that... but as he's not quite as interested in this stuff as me, I wouldn't want to talk him into apping for something he might get declined for, etc... then as soon as I did the product change from the Blue to Blue Cash I thought 'wait... THIS could be his gas-cashback card!!' 
Thank you, again!
Message Edited by fevmlo on 07-24-2008 04:10 PM
fused wrote:Make sure hubby doesn't go wild with the spending. His charges become your debt.
Oh, he won't! The only money he ever really spends these days seems to be at gas stations, and that would be coming straight out of our checking anyway, so the card will be just like a debit card that I'll be PIF-ing on a weekly basis. Thank you, though - that is a very good point, and the very reason why I've always been wary of either being or having an AU!
