OP,
You had previously mentioned 1990 ...twice.
Regardless, congratulations that they were able to locate your information.
You had previously mentioned 1990 ...twice.
Regardless, congratulations that they were able to locate your information.
@longtimelurker wrote:
@Crashem wrote:
Sorry did I just get impression that OP made up member date and just got lucky in fooling Amex as it seems he was picking member dates out of a hat? Hopefully we don't encourage that kind of behavior as it is likely to make backdating harder or impossible for those who really deserve it. I would point out that this has already occurred as Amex has clamped down on acm/AU.I don't know what "really deserve it" can mean! I find the whole backdating thing a little strange, as it (and SP for rejection etc) seems to be destructive to the integrity of the credit rating systems. But the CRAs allow it, and equally, if Amex accepts the OP date, so be it.
Longtimelurker,
I would think "really deserve it" is self explaintory. I agree with you on backdating being a bit strange. But I hope someone making up a member date by asking for it or claiming some phantom card isn't "really deserve it."
Don't be surprised if "continuous membership" becomes the new standard for AMEX given the abuses to the current standards.
LIMITS IN CARD DESCRIPTIONS
@radiomando wrote:i thought about it long and hard and realized it was in fact 1988 that i joined
OP,
I do find it suspcious you use the word "join," instead of phrasing it differently. At this point, doesn't really matter. If you basically lied, then "congrats" on getting away with it. If you are telling the truth, then congrats.
All I do know if "continuous membership" becomes the new standard, it will be due in a large part to those people who decided to apply a low moral standard and lie about their situation.
@longtimelurker wrote:I was just questioning "deserve", which to me suggests that something good/noble etc was done, rather than merely being a card holder at some time but fine!
I just find backdating almost dishonest in itself, especially with the way the month is handled. I don't know how anyone can defend the way a later card can appear to be a few months older than the original, when there was no relationship with Amex during those months.... And, since they know the month/year of the original card, they could at least use that. So, gaming this dishonest system is OK in my view.
I guess we have different moral standards unless I misunderstand your view. Any system causes inconsistencies, but it doesn't necessarily make it dishonest. However even if it is, in your opinion, "dishonest," I have never thought it allows you to act obviously dishonest.
In AMEX case, the "dishonest" backdating is in the consumer's advantage. So if I understand you correctly, AMEX's consumer favoring "dishonest" system should be taken advantage of by whatever means you like because it is "dishonest" even though it is already helping the consumer. I guess it would be like stealing from your fellow thief even though that thief already gave you your fair share of heist you pulled together even though that fellow thief didn't think he was doing anything wrong.
I would argue otherwise:
1) Such as attitude will get this consumer friendly AMEX practice further restricted because of abuses which is detrimental to everyone else who lie safely within the bounds of AMEX's rules today.
2) When you use the term "gaming" the system, the term, "gaming," implies staying within the wording if not the spirit of the rules or staying within both. Can you agree outright lying isn't "gaming" the system, but nothing by lying. "Gaming" the system to me would be applying in Jan to max backdating. If this was the IRS, outright lying can get you jailed, but being agressive with writeoffs will just get you a demand to pay the difference and interest. Hopefully the differerence is self evident.
@Pat94108 wrote:I wonder what they mean by continuous membership. I know what continuous membership means but does it mean no lapses or a lapse of a year or less? In any case, I have been a AMEX cardmember on and off since 2007 but they have always put my MSD in 2007 although I never asked them to. I recently re opened an account with them after not being a member for 8 months and the MSD says 2007, same thing happened when I opened an account with them in 2011 after not being a member for a 1 year.
Right now the standard for member since date generally is from when you first had an AMEX so your MSD date of 2007 is accurate and just as important, to your benefit, your cards are reported to credit bureaus as open in 2007.
But I have heard rumblings from various reps that the standard is "continuous membership," which would mean in your case, that your member since date would have reset at some point. No idea if it means less than year or otherwise as I don't think any big pronouncement has come up and "continuous membership" isn't the defacto standard. But I can tell you internally there have been discussions and obvious abuses to the existing system can't help.