SPG Preferred Guest Business Approved After Verification.

[Anonymous]

Greetings,

As most know I am in the garden on personal credit stuff so I been building business credit up. I noticed I finally had an experian business file populate so I figured I wouls apply for a business card.

I applied for Amex SPG business as I stay in a lot of hotels for business reasons and it will compliment my personal Hilton Card. I was told they needed to verify information but they were closed for the holiday. I called yesterday morning and they just asked the same questions on the application like "the address of the business, if in the owner, what's the tax ID and etc" once I answered said I was approved for $3k SL.

Something to note, I thought it would be a soft pull since in an Amex card holder so no dings. Thats why I applied because I didnt want more hard pulls as in in the garden. They pulled experian though. So just be mindful they may or may not pull, even if you are a member already.

Data points:
Personal EX 646, 30+ inquiries, 30+ accounts in 24 months. (Includes car loans, refinanced ans closed accounts.
Business EX 85 (just 1 account reporting as of 5 days ago)
Business Income $45k/year
Length business open 8 years

[bizcredit11]

Congrats on your approval! A complimentary card for your business.

Your DP points are very helpful/useful.

Why didn't you lock your personal accounts to protect yourself?...just in case. You obviously didn't want a HP, right?

Appreciate you sharing.

[Anonymous]

Funny thing is so locked Transunion and Equifax. I tried to lock or freeze Experian but the website said I had to call in and they were closed. I applied anyway just knowing Amex was gonna soft pull but I was wrong. I will call experian hopefully tomorrow if I can remember.

[bizcredit11]

You can lock your Experian for $4.99 a month. The others are free like you mention.

Do you have a personal Experian account? It's worth signing up.

I am partial to your beliefs. Soft pulls normally, but we have to protect ourselves. No one will do it for us. Certainly not AMX- they do what they want.

[Anonymous]

Facts! I have the free account.,welp 4.99,it is. Thats Probably why they said call lol

[bizcredit11]

You gave them permission/unlocked your account (Exp) after you locked all your accounts initially? Or never got a chance to lock your Experian in the first place?

[imaximous]

You can freeze your EX for free online. You don’t have to pay at all. They just don’t offer the option on their mobile app like EQ or TU.
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

[bizcredit11]

Look into the difference between locking your account and using a security freeze...

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/whats-the-difference-between-freezing-or-locking-my-cred...

[19eighty5]

Congratulations!

[imaximous]

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@bizcredit11 wrote:

Look into the difference between locking your account and using a security freeze...

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/whats-the-difference-between-freezing-or-locking-my-cred...

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I read that a long time ago. There's no real difference between the two other than the additional services Experian is selling with their "CreditLock" product. For the purpose of blocking access to your credit, which seemed to be the goal here, you can simply put a freeze on your file. Sure, it may not be as convenient as tapping on and off to freeze/unfreeze, but it beats having to pay every month to do the same.

If you want monitoring and the other stuff they're trying to sell you, then go for it. However, both accomplish the same goal, and one is free (including reports and scores).

BTW, even the part about the fees you may incur to freeze or unfreeze is inaccurate at this point. The article was written before the new law passed late last year that makes all freezing/unfreezing free for consumers.