Personal Amex through corporate card, part 2

[Anonymous]

So, they did what I said they would do w/ the 2nd app appearing as Cancelled.

Here's the next step.  Call them and dig into it with a rep to see if it's something that can be turned into an approval.  Cancelled apps aren't a denial.  They simply mean they're in a manual review of sorts usually.  

[KJinNC]

Thanks - should I just call the number on the back of my corporate card, or is there a better number to call?

[Anonymous]

I think the corp # might get you further.  I don't know of a specific # that's used for recon w/ Amex that's more beneficial than any other.  Maybe hop on chat through your corp login and ask them for the best number or start with the chat agent (usually not able to recon on the personal side).

[Namaste7]

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@KJinNC wrote:
[...] But, I have a corporate Amex card, and there is a rumor that if you apply via the "welcome offers" list you see when you log into your corporate account that you are guaranteed approval.[...]

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Greetings OP. I think expection of a guaranteed approval is strong position to take. Even with companies that participate in AMEX's Corporate Advantage Program (aka CAP), approvals are not fully guanrateed and may include stipulations that impact the approval success rate (e.g., previously unpaid debts with AMEX, current or recent BK, FICO score is below internal threshold etc...).

Note: The CAP program is targeted to large corporations that use the AMEX Corporate program. Given the relationship with the corporation, AMEX will offer certain cards (Platinum, Gold, and BCP) with an annual fee offset credit and possibly less stringent approval requirements.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Im stunned your oldest account is 2 months old and you were able to open 8 accounts in 2 months. Nothing is ever guaranteed with Amex and even if you are just shooting for data points, your behavior might rub them wrong and put you on some kind of list. Not saying it exists or would happen, but, in todays credit environment where data is king i wouldnt be suprised to see excessive credit seeking doesnt factor somewhere in their databases. Good luck though

[KJinNC]

Namaste: Thanks - none of those factors would apply (I have not burned Amex, I have never declared bankruptcy etc), aside from possibly falling below a scoring threshhold, as described.

I don't see "guaranteed offer" or "pre-qualified offer" etc, I just see "welcome offer".

The card I want is the Amex Gold. My understanding is that the underwriting is the same or very similar for green/gold/platinum. Gold fits my needs the best.

There is nothing else I intend to apply for in the next 6-12 months, other than secured cards graduating and maybe some CLIs for the cards in my signature. Thanks!

[KJinNC]

AverageJoe: Well, see my signature - those are the accounts. The only one that could be considered a bit difficult to qualify for is the car loan, because it's a good rate. For that, I can thank my mom for creating a Coastal Federal Credit Union account for me back when Mark Wahlberg was Markie Mark. Being a member for 32 years 2 months paid off there.

I think a human looking at my activity would probably figure out what's going on. Not like I am going to open a bunch of secured cards so I can run up charges and then declare bankruptcy, or, like I am going to open secured cards so I can keep the lights on. But for computer scoring, they are scary. In any case, the thing I am testing is "does having a corporate Amex all but guarantee getting a personal Amex?" If I need to be able to qualify for the card without the corporate card factor, that's not much of a test of the corporate card factor.

[Namaste7]

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@KJinNC wrote:

Namaste: Thanks - none of those factors would apply (I have not burned Amex, I have never declared bankruptcy etc), aside from possibly falling below a scoring threshhold, as described.

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Advice - Garden for 12 months (but at least 6 months) to give time for your Experian score to generate and your profile reflects several months of on-time payment history. AMEX is an Experian puller and without a score, you could end up with a denial. Within a year, you'll have a stronger profile and you may be able to close any secured, high-interest rate or AF cards.

I doubt that the CAP program is going anywhere. It's an easy way to entice AMEX Corporate cardholders to transition their personal spend to AMEX--that's a win for AMEX.

[KJinNC]

Thanks - in 6-12 months, I think I'd qualify for the card without any benefit of the corporate card thing. The reason I've applied now is that if the corporate card thing works and I get approved, it would be a June 2019 account age, nearly the same as my other stuff, so it'll all age together. If it doesn't work (and so far, it hasn't, and I am skeptical it will), it doesn't matter, because I am not worried about inquiries or account age at this point as they are already far-gone for the near future. I am gardening other than this Amex situation, and if I give up on that, I'll be just gardening entirely. Meantime, posting here for info for others about whether the corporate card thing is a major factor.