topic Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending... in Credit Card Approvals

Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:10:58 GMT

Hello everyone,

I currently have a optima card with amex with a $0 balance for a while now. I called to see if I could get a better card and the CSR tells me im pre-approved for a couple blue cash credit cards. I applied and now my application is pending. Is this normal ? I thought I'd get approved right away.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:26:01 GMT

Did you apply over the phone? If not give them a call... when I app'd for my Platinum card last week it went pending as well, after about an hour I called and they just wanted to confirm it was me since i had app'd for a CLI a couple of weeks ago. after a couple security questions I was approved instantly

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

09Lexie — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 18:12:17 GMT

Don't you have to close the Optima before they will approve a new Amex?

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:18:31 GMT

I'm in a huge dilemma now that I canceled my optima card to get a blue card that they told me I was pre approved for. They looked at my credit report and saw I have a tax lien that I paid off but they still don't want to approve me. I'm trying to get experian to get delete it and even became a member. I even told them I'll take another card that's easier to get approved for like a charge card. I have been with AMEX for 9 yrs and it's more than double the amount of time I've been with any other credit card company so I really can't lose this account

Re: Amex tells me I'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:20:35 GMT

They do backdate though, so if you lost the account, then opened a new account with them 40 years from now and asked for a backdate, it would show a 49 year old account ^_^

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

09Lexie — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:50:01 GMT

How long since the tax lien was paid? Federal or State? What do you mean you were 'pre-approved'?

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

sjt — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 00:32:44 GMT

@Lou_Rod87 wrote:
I'm in a huge dilemma now that I canceled my optima card to get a blue card that they told me I was pre approved for. They looked at my credit report and saw I have a tax lien that I paid off but they still don't want to approve me. I'm trying to get experian to get delete it and even became a member. I even told them I'll take another card that's easier to get approved for like a charge card. I have been with AMEX for 9 yrs and it's more than double the amount of time I've been with any other credit card company so I really can't lose this account

Was the paid tax lien Federal or State? If it was Federal did you request for a "Withdrawal?"

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Fresh-Start — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 01:16:47 GMT

I think it's normal. I have the AMEX Green, and when I app'd for the Delta Gold, my app was Pending for a day or so. I finally called and confirmed DOB, last 4 of SSAN, and then I was approved. A week later I app'd for the BCE and was Pending, so I immediatlely called that time, and went through the same process, and bam..approved.

Maybe call back in...Good luck!

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:35:24 GMT

When I had the optima card, I wasn't using it at all so I called in to see if I could get a better card and the CSR tells me I was pre-approved for the blue cards. Since I've been a member with them for 9 yrs I really thought this meant something. It's not like an offer you get in the mail to open up a whole new account.

It's a NYS lien that is satisfied. Someone on this board told me to call the NYS comptroller's to get it removed which I'll do tomorrow and hopefully gets removed. I paid it off last year but they have it coming off my CR in 2016.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

09Lexie — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:38:30 GMT

Ask if they will withdraw the lien. Once it's updated on your CR's , fax the information to Amex along with the reference number. The fax number can be found on the Backdoor Sticky. If it's not done within 30 days, chances are they will pull another cr.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

takeshi74 — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:47:42 GMT

@Lou_Rod87 wrote:
I called to see if I could get a better card and the CSR tells me im pre-approved for a couple blue cash credit cards. I applied and now my application is pending. Is this normal ? I thought I'd get approved right away.

It's not unusual. Preapprovals are never guarantees.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

fittiger — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:58:07 GMT

@takeshi74 wrote:
@Lou_Rod87 wrote:
I called to see if I could get a better card and the CSR tells me im pre-approved for a couple blue cash credit cards. I applied and now my application is pending. Is this normal ? I thought I'd get approved right away.
It's not unusual. Preapprovals are never guarantees.

This is still pretty shady of AMEX. If OP's been an cardmember for 10 years, why provide a pre-approved offer for Blue cards. They must AR him regularly so they had to know about the lien before an offer was made.

But OP, why would you close your current account before opening a new one?

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:27:15 GMT

I got declined right away because it's a recovery card so i had to close it to reapply. It's been months since I used it and I was just charged the annual fee so I figured why not give it a shot and see if I could a better card worth paying an annual fee for.

Now I'm in this mess. =\

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

WolfMan — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:11:25 GMT

I was once in the exact same situation.

Couldn't apply until Optima was closed. Waery of closing it after 7 years, but did it.

Applied and shot down!

Then I tried for the Discover IT, Got approved!

Kept that for a couple months, then tried AMEX again, and Approved! (Only 1k limit at the time, but I got back in!)

Because AMEX backdates, it shows on my credit report that I've had the account since 2006, so you don't lost that time of you have a gap without an AMEX.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

budugu — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 21:54:45 GMT

Pre approved is not exactly approved I guess. Citi keeps inundating me with offers but after 2 straight rejects in 6 months I throw them out to the bin.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 02:21:24 GMT

Thanks for the info wolfman.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

Lou_Rod87 — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:49:32 GMT

After all the hassles and misinformation dealing with the new accounts department. I told them on monday when they had to reconsider me for the 3rd time I'd take a charge card or a card easier to get approved for if I couldn't get approved for the blue card and ofcourse they declined me again. I was also told I couldn't reinstatement my old card.

I spoke to a CSR today that finally knew what she was talking about. She told me I could get my old account reinstated. I took a shot before doing that and applied for a gold card premier awards which the CSR in the apply by phone department told me was good to rebuild credit and got approved.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

WolfMan — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 18:40:22 GMT

Awesome! Take care of it, get that score up, and in a few months you can try for a revolver.

Re: Amex tells me i'm pre approved but then my application is pending...

09Lexie — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 20:16:21 GMT

Congratulations! Persistence paid off.