If you have other Amex cards, when you hit "apply" on the gold, what is the wording on the top? (Make sure you're logged in) If you see "Expanding your relationship with Amex..." then you're not pre-qualified (You will see something like "You're prequalified..." or something similar otherwise), but that doesn't mean it's a denial, only that it's not a sure thing. Generally Amex doesn't do a hard pull if you already have a card with them. There's a very good chance it would be a soft pull and should they deny you, it won't have any impact on your credit.
@Anonymous wrote:My scores Fico8 are all pretty much 650+ at the moment due to utilization which will be paid down this month.
Also, keep in mind Amex updates their score about once a month, and when that happens it's about 2-3 weeks after that before they use that score. In my case, during my rebuild - my last baddie dropped and I apped, instant denial and the reason was that baddie. Despite my account on Amex not showing it and my score in the 760's. I waited a couple weeks, instant approval, the baddie was gone.
Also, none of my cards after my first resulted in a hard pull. I've been approved for four in total, only the first was a HP. That's not a guarantee you wouldn't get one, but in general Amex does SPs for additional cards.
Contrast that with Capital One 