I pay mine couple of days before the due date. Paranoia if the due date payment takes longer to post (PTSD from the past) 
@CreditEd wrote:If you have a new card be sure to pay at least twice/month foir the first 6 months (per my conversations with SEVERAL CSRs). This will establish a history where they will continue to support your higher spending limits against your NPSL (no calls or questions if you breach over 10k spending).
After six months ALWAYS make a payment of 200-500 the day or two before bill closing. This will ensure that you have spending room and CSR coonsideration between the time that you statement date closes and your pay bill by date is.
I thought Amex likes one large payment more, then couple smaller once? So why should I pay twice a months in the beginning and not make one large payment, when my statement cuts?
And what is the idea of paying 200-500 before the bill closing? If I have a large internal limit, this will make no difference. And in my eyes it looks a little bit funny to pay $500 right before the statement cuts and several thousands shortly after the statement cuts.
Sorry, no offense to anyone, just wondering.
@adavis425 wrote:
@shakalaka wrote:
@CreditEd wrote:If you have a new card be sure to pay at least twice/month foir the first 6 months (per my conversations with SEVERAL CSRs). This will establish a history where they will continue to support your higher spending limits against your NPSL (no calls or questions if you breach over 10k spending).
After six months ALWAYS make a payment of 200-500 the day or two before bill closing. This will ensure that you have spending room and CSR coonsideration between the time that you statement date closes and your pay bill by date is.
I thought Amex likes one large payment more, then couple smaller once? So why should I pay twice a months in the beginning and not make one large payment, when my statement cuts?
And what is the idea of paying 200-500 before the bill closing? If I have a large internal limit, this will make no difference. And in my eyes it looks a little bit funny to pay $500 right before the statement cuts and several thousands shortly after the statement cuts.
Sorry, no offense to anyone, just wondering.
Yeah, I would have to disagree with CreditEd. I have made one single payment per month to AMEX since day 1 (for 11 years). Several payments may not show them anything except uncertainty about whether funds are really available for payment. I think if you just pay them on or before the due date, you're golden. I have never had any spending issues following this pattern. In fact, when I was laid off, they let me continue to use my card with no hard limits and no hassles even though I had a couple of late pays. AMEX is the bomb!
All this is probably "superstition" because even the CSRs have different experiences with different clients. My experience however is that paying two or more times per month allows you to grow your spending ability far faster. An NPSL does NOT mean that you can buy a Porsche Carrera 4 the second month after getting the card. If you charge more than say 2,000 in the first month and you stated a certain income level on your new card, AMEX is gonna call you to verify purchases, or worse yet send a message to the vendor to have a manual apoproval of the charge.
You must build a history of higher and higher charges with AMEX before they allow you to go out to Tiffany's and buy that new engagement ring scott free. I charge in the neighborehood of 8-10k/month through my amex cards and have had to answer the "calls" when I get to a new spending plateau. You also get the "calls" if you've had high spending in a couple of days, then you travel to a place where you've never been before and spend. For example I bought a car rack and a great deal of out door equipment in prep for a trip with my AMEX card (3,000+), then while travelling to my destination my wife wanted to do some outlet mall shopping along the way. While in Nike Town buying $100 worth of apparael, The registrar is forced to call AMEX.
Until your spending habits are established and your charge tolerances become part of your account profile, you can face a denial at any time by AMEX. Thus two or more times per month in the beginning will help to justify your trend for spending more than 4-5k in a month.
BTW I got a call at a Nordstrom makeup counter buying my mother in law a $36 makup pack. What I didn' know was that the washington redskins just processed my final ticket payment of $3500 for my season tickets.
Don't have to, just strongly suggesting.
DISCLAIMER: I'm certainly no expert, just a guy who got a Gold Business card 20 months ago, lost his NPSL, got an upgrade to Platinum, got his NPSL back in full and went through the gauntlet to get a very nice 10k limot on an SPG card. Again all in less that 2 years.
I'd never seend or hear anything about large payments as being the key to better internal reviews. AMEX like all other card companies get paid on merchant swipes. And the more money you run through the card would seem to me as being the key to larger credit lines and a more gavolable relationship...
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@trishdadish wrote:For a NPSL Amex, if one has a new account and is trying to create a positive credit image, when is the best time to pay one's balance? This card is a non-revolver (a charge card). My statement close date is Oct. 5th; should I PIF now, or wait until after the statement closes, or wait until they e-mail me a bill?
With a normal CC, there is the issue of "utilization" to consider, and one usually knows where one stands; I did check and see how much $ I had access to online, putting in $5,000, and gettthat it approved. Balance due amt. is currently $141. But is this even relevant?
Hi, trishdadish!
Congrats on the new account! And you are correct, the $141 is not relevant to utilization. It's a charge card, so it doesn't count.
The only reasons to pay anything to anyone before the statement cuts* are to lower reported utilization (on the particular card or overall), or to free-up credit availability on that particular card. Prompt payment (= on or before the due date) is what counts, and IMHO, the only thing that counts in creating that "positive credit image" you want with Amex.
With all due respect to CreditEd, spending patterns are one thing, payment patterns are another. Two different animals, and I'd give CreditEd's advice a shot for increasing the internal limits. But you'll be golden with Amex if you merely pay your charges in full and on time.
Hope this helps!
P.S. Your PPB date will probably be the 19th of the month.
Uborrow-Upay
*Of course, to lower interest also, if you're carrying a balance on a revolver. Mea culpa.