topic Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers in Credit Cards

Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 04:12:23 GMT

I was going to post this in another thread about Amex prequal offers but it was locked. Hope people find this useful.

There has been a lot of debate about seeing pre-approved offers when you are already a card member. Often times the incognito method to "check for offers" leads to a login and never gives actual results.

Apparently, you can view all cards, select a card you are interested in, hit the apply button which will prompt you to login, then at the actual application page where it asks for income info it will tell you if you are preapproved.

For me, it stills shows the full range for the APR but YMMV. I checked this, the new Blue Delta, and the SPG the other day when I apped Disco and all three showed Pre-approved. Decided to go for the SPG for some upcoming hotel stays I have. Approved for $2K! Seems they are pretty solid.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 11:30:29 GMT

My issue has been that I will click on the Pre-Qualified Offers link, and find the card I want. Then when I click on apply it takes me through the process and then -- bam, denied. I even went through the whole process *again* with Apply by Phone with a very nice woman who swore up and down that pre-qualify and pre-approve mean the same thing (despite the fact they don't where mortgages are concerned) and that I was sure to be approved if I found the card on the site.

Denied again.

She was confused, and I was rather miffed about having to sit through the whole ordeal again. Not sure what's going on there.

Thoughts?

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

UncleB — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 12:15:52 GMT

@Anonymous, thanks for showing what a pre-approval looks like!

In case anybody is wondering, here's what it looks like when you're not pre-approved:

FWIW all of my Amex apps have been 'cold apps', but so far they've always been approved.

Also, it's possible I'm not eligible for pre-approvals due to an Amex account that was IIBK 17 years ago (I've never had a CLI request approved for this reason... my only CLI was an auto-CLI).

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:04:15 GMT

Thanks this is great information.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:21:25 GMT

Woops this didn't work for me and now I have a Starwood Card. I was just seeing if I was pre-approved or not and was expecting to get the login request but I never got it. So instead it went straight through. And only at the 30k point level.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:31:39 GMT

DH has 2 Amex cards...He went incognito and tried pre-qual site, where it prompted him to login. Selected the Apply for BCP and definitely got the "pre-approved" message at the top of the page. Finished app and instantly denied! So even pre -approval message isn't solid. He did app for the Amex Plenti card and got a 14 day message. Is that a denial? Why not do instant denial like the BCP?

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:42:18 GMT

I would call the reconsideration line for that one, for sure, if you're interested in the card. Don't let them send you to the New Accounts team, but ask specifically for the Credit Bureau team. Those are the analysts that can reverse a denial. I can dig through my notes to find the number if you need it, but it's somewhere on the boards.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:44:39 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Woops this didn't work for me and now I have a Starwood Card. I was just seeing if I was pre-approved or not and was expecting to get the login request but I never got it. So instead it went straight through. And only at the 30k point level.

Did it never ask you for income? I find it odd that you never hit a point where it would ask for input before fully submitting the application.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:45:41 GMT

For the BCP or Plenti? He def wants the BCP for the 6% grocery category. I'll look for the number unless you find it...thanks!!!

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:46:29 GMT

DH has to enter income even though it said pre-approved.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:48:40 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I would call the reconsideration line for that one, for sure, if you're interested in the card. Don't let them send you to the New Accounts team, but ask specifically for the Credit Bureau team. Those are the analysts that can reverse a denial. I can dig through my notes to find the number if you need it, but it's somewhere on the boards.

This is good information. I called recon back in april about an app and ended up with the New Accounts team which got me no where. Would you mind posting that number just for reference?

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:51:37 GMT

Yeah it asked for income when I hit apply but never asked me to login. I figured after I entered all my information it would ask me to login but never did. That is what has happened in the past when I applied after getting my initial card. I guess I should have never entered income but figured it would take me to login page.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:13:24 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah it asked for income when I hit apply but never asked me to login. I figured after I entered all my information it would ask me to login but never did. That is what has happened in the past when I applied after getting my initial card. I guess I should have never entered income but figured it would take me to login page.

Were you already logged in for some reason? Thats only reason I can see for it never to ask you to.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:20:08 GMT

Over the weekend I was also checking out the card offers while logged into my account since I was curious with the new Blue Delta Skymiles card. Each time I logged in, it kept saying that I was pre-approved but I did not apply. Each time I revert back to my account homepage, it automatically requires me to log back in. Today I tested the page again and was showing the similar message from Uncle B's post. What's interesting was that at the time that I was getting the pre-approved message was when I had a balance on both the Green and the BCE, I paid them both yesterday down to 0. Not sure if that is related to the change in pre-approvals. They just SP'd my EX as well and has since increased by 10 points from their last pull.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:37:15 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah it asked for income when I hit apply but never asked me to login. I figured after I entered all my information it would ask me to login but never did. That is what has happened in the past when I applied after getting my initial card. I guess I should have never entered income but figured it would take me to login page.
Were you already logged in for some reason? Thats only reason I can see for it never to ask you to.

Maybe it was confused as I have two American Express log ins. One for my corporate card and one for my personal cards. I even closed the website down as soon as it started showing message that I was applying. But then I got an email that I was approved.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:59:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah it asked for income when I hit apply but never asked me to login. I figured after I entered all my information it would ask me to login but never did. That is what has happened in the past when I applied after getting my initial card. I guess I should have never entered income but figured it would take me to login page.
Were you already logged in for some reason? Thats only reason I can see for it never to ask you to.
Maybe it was confused as I have two American Express log ins. One for my corporate card and one for my personal cards. I even closed the website down as soon as it started showing message that I was applying. But then I got an email that I was approved.

That is weird. Are you going to keep the account? Did you recieve a HP?

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:03:49 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah it asked for income when I hit apply but never asked me to login. I figured after I entered all my information it would ask me to login but never did. That is what has happened in the past when I applied after getting my initial card. I guess I should have never entered income but figured it would take me to login page.
Were you already logged in for some reason? Thats only reason I can see for it never to ask you to.
Maybe it was confused as I have two American Express log ins. One for my corporate card and one for my personal cards. I even closed the website down as soon as it started showing message that I was applying. But then I got an email that I was approved.
That is weird. Are you going to keep the account? Did you recieve a HP?

I just got the Ameriprise Platinum last week so I did not get a hard pull. I will keep the card. I am in the middle of a 4k spend on a CITI AAdvantage and wanted my wife to get a Chase card next but I will manage the 3k spend.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

jesseh — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 20:04:31 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Woops this didn't work for me and now I have a Starwood Card. I was just seeing if I was pre-approved or not and was expecting to get the login request but I never got it. So instead it went straight through. And only at the 30k point level.

Did it never ask you for income? I find it odd that you never hit a point where it would ask for input before fully submitting the application.

That would be odd indeed. Discover always says federal regulations require them to "use updated income when determining your credit line needs".

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

jesseh — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 20:02:43 GMT

Data point here. Works great, thanks OP. When I go to the "Charge & Credit Card Offers" when being logged in, and click 'Apply now' on any card, it shows it like this:

you are pre-approved!

Get a decision in as little as 30 seconds.

Re: Amex Cardmember Pre-approvals/Prequalified Offers

jesseh — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 20:03:57 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I would call the reconsideration line for that one, for sure, if you're interested in the card. Don't let them send you to the New Accounts team, but ask specifically for the Credit Bureau team. Those are the analysts that can reverse a denial. I can dig through my notes to find the number if you need it, but it's somewhere on the boards.
This is good information. I called recon back in april about an app and ended up with the New Accounts team which got me no where. Would you mind posting that number just for reference?

Good information indeed, didn't know that either!

The number I have on file for the Credit Bureau Unit is 800-874-2717