Why should she suffer? Sister has CL Cut by AMEX

[amp0804]

Join the club. It has not only happened to your sister but to me and half of the population that uses AMEX. As much as I despise them at the moment for closing my card for no apparent reason, I would love to get another one.

[haulingthescoreup]

This sort of thing always reminds me of elementary school, where the entire class has to stay inside for recess, because a few kids were cutting up all morning.

Since American Express is supposed to have these amazing internal risk predictors (at least, according to their stalwart defenders), you'd think that they could apply them.

My guess is that it has nothing to do with other borrowers' behaviors, and everything to do with getting in APR increases while they still can.

[score_building]

amp0804 wrote:
Join the club. It has not only happened to your sister but to me and half of the population that uses AMEX. As much as I despise them at the moment for closing my card for no apparent reason, I would love to get another one.

if you've carved out a relatively strong profile with solid history and pif in the future you'll likely be able to reapp successfully. 

probably worth keeping in mind that they're known to have a spendcentric model.

playing their game can lead to better customer relations outcomes, YMMV.

in my case my amexes are propping up my AAoA, so i'd love to get another one too.

[plasticguy]

I went crazy back in the day and hit the luv button every 30 days when they allowed stopping at 23K. I have never had a a balance higher than $3800, I never charge more than $300 per month. I have had the Blue card since Jan 2007 and the only notice I've ever received was a month ago, telling me the 5.24 was going to 10.24. Why they've never come after me for not spending enough is beyond me, especially when they know I defaulted on the green back in 87, which is how my blue got backdated.

So every time I go to my account, I see the pre approvals for the gold and platinum and I keep on moving

I

[plasticguy]

And BTW I PIF 2 days before statement generates.

[marty56]

Perhaps your sister should take one for the FICO forum members and max the card in Nordstroms then default on the card.  That will create havoc with their internal scoring forumla and maybe even get a few of their bean counters fired.

Seriously I would sock drawer the card, take it out once in awhile and charge a pack of gum, and let it age and help her towards a nice CU card or a crd in the store she used the Amex in.

[GregB]

My Amex Optima was CLD from $28,800 to $3,100. My Amex Business Capital Line from $82,000 to $11,000. I have no other CC that have received any CLD. This includes 3 BofA CC with a total CL of $109K and 2 Chase CC with a total CL of $34K.

When I first heard that Amex might have had an issue with WHERE the card was used, I went through my statements for the last few years. There was nothing that would have indicated that I was poor even though my personal income has decreased 75% during that time. If I was looking at the charges it seemed to indicate that I was still making lots of money. There were individual charges for $600 fuel at an airport, $900 of diesel at a marina, several dinners at $200+, etc.  They don't have any way to know the airplane belonged to a friend and the yacht was borrowed.

The only negative I could find was a payment that arrived a few days late in 2005. There was a late fee but, of course, that does not appear on a credit report.

[KimberH]

"maybe even get a few of their bean counters fired."

As an accountant, I resent that remark.

"Bean counters or Accountants" do not make decisions on a credit account. We just report on the "whole", the "bean counter" does not carry about the ones and twos.

But thanks for the "low down"

Geesh.