@Anonymous wrote:See . . . I've always known Amex to not even allow you to be an AU if you've burned them within X amount of years in the past. They wouldn't put me on my Mom's. I have employees that can't get on the company I work for's corporate program either due to personal accounts they've had with Amex in the past.
I'm STILL on CapOne and Barclay's blacklists and am almost 2 years post d/c with everything reporting correctly and scores quickly approaching 700. I haven't gotten around to calling them yet, but need to do so.
Well, I couldn't remember the name of the Amex program that let you repay BK discharged debt to get back into their good graces, so I Googled "amex repay bk program", and top hit was this article that I thought was pretty good: How to get off the American Express black list
I personally know someone who was on the black list for 15 years. It was only after employing the following method that this person was able to get an American Express card again. Since American Express requires a social security number for authorized users, it may be possible to get yourself dropped from the list by being added to someone else’s card. I know a few people who were removed from the blacklist within a few months of being added as authorized users on other people’s cards.
The theory is that once you are accepted as an AU, you once again become an active cardholder in their system and your social security number is no longer blocked. Again, I know of several people who this has worked for and I highly suggest at least trying this.
There are a select group of people on a super-blacklist that aren’t even allowed to become authorized users. These people normally have enormous unpaid debts or other severe problems with American Express. Fortunately this doesn’t represent most people on the blacklist, but if this is you, then your only option is to wait it out.
- Read the comments at the end of the article, they're pretty interesting. On guy says Amex claims he defaulted on $2k almost 30 years ago, he says he didn't. His wife tried to add him as an AU and they actually sent her a letter saying that he had defaulted on accounts so they would not add him as an AU. I would be roaylly PO'd at them making that assertion to a 3rd party! Another guy says he defaulted on $35k and actually setup a payment plan & repaid it in full but was still black listed. After being added as an AU for a year they finally approved him for a card.
I'm not sure I'll app for Amex even though their pre-qual page says I'm approved, I've never liked them. I got a pre-approval for a Gold card back in the 80s when I was a grad student in college. Didn't use it much while at college but then spring break I took a trip. I had it up to around $500 & tried to make a purchase at a dept. store for around $50. Back then they used the phone to call for approval, and the clerk handed me the phone saying "they want to talk to you". Amex rep demanded to know why I was "charging so much", and what was I buying. I told her "none of your business, either approve the purchase or not". She started to say she would approve the purchase but mark the account not to approve any more purchases until I apid the balance in full. I told her not to bother, I'd put the purchase on my Visa card w/$5k CL and I knew where I stood. When I got home I closed the account. Same thing happened in the 90s when I was an AU on a corp.. Amex card. Tried to buy a computer while on a biz trip for a biz client, Amex demanded to know why I was charging so much & what was I buying. Same answer "None of your business", I put it on my own CC & got reimbursed. Now with their pre-set CL cards maybe that's so much of a problem, but I've read about them suddenly demanding you sign a form that authorizes the IRS to release your tax returns to them. I provide tax returns for a mortgage; a month of pay stubs gets me a car loan, I would never provide tax returns for a effing credit card.
I have read that Barclays is pretty touchy about being included in BK. I never had Barclays until after BK and they've been a great rebuilder for me. I got the Rewards MC as my 3rd post BK CC, just a little over 1 year after discharge. Now at 6 years post DC I have $16.2k CL with them between the Rewards & Cash Forward CCs. So, keep trying, at least if you're still black listed they won't hard pull you CR.
@Anonymous that seems really strange you're still black listed with Cap One almost 2 years post DC. The were one of my largest creditors, a couple cards with over $18k, so I avoided them thinking I would be black listed. But once I joined MyFico & read how forgiving they were I app'd in Oct. 2014, less than 3 years post DC - instant approval for Quicksilver w/$10k CL. Now I have a 2nd QS @ $10k CL and a Spark biz card w/$8k, they mailed me a pre-approval for Spark. So. keep trying.
