The Application:
American Express
Credit Card 1 - AMEX Everyday Preferred: 15k sign up bonus / 1k in 90 day spend
Credit Card 2 - AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest: 30k sign up bonus / 3k in 90 day spend
I completed both applications (in the order listed) online through the AMEX site.
The Pull:
Luckily AMEX did not complete a HP on any of my credit bureaus. It was only a SP (Experian is my best guess - I reside in CA).The only reason I can assume, is that I have been a Platinum Card member since 2006. I've been current and in good standing for the past 4 years. A slight hiccup previous to that, but clean otherwise.
The Score:
FICO Score 8
700-735 Across EQ, TU, EX
Credit Utilization - approximately 28%
Open Accounts - 13
Inquiries - since this was a soft pull (I'm assuming this wasn't factored into my approval)
The Approval:
Both cards were instant approvals.
AMEX Everyday Preferred - 15k SL (Starting Limit)
AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest - 8k SL
In both cases, I was given the option to obtain my credit card number immediately. It stated this was offered in case I wanted to use the cards immediately and/or add them to my online account. For both cases, I declined and opted to wait for the physical card. Within a matter of 20 minutes, I received emails confirming that my cards were processed and preparing to ship. Starwood Preferred Guest arrived within 3 business days and Everyday Preferred was approximately 7-8 business days.
*note - I was already a SPG rewards member through my AMEX Platinum card. I notated that on the application, but when the card loaded on my online AMEX account, the numbers did not match. A simple call to customer service correct that problem and ensured my current points were linked properly.
Finally, I do intend on applying for a 3X CLI (3X credit line increase) in the next day or so to bring my Starwood Preferred Guest card to 24k. I know some posts have stated that you must wait 60 days to do so, but I will take one for the myFico community and intend to do so sooner. Check back in with me in the next day or so for an UPDATE.
-PointsYoda
May the Amex force be with you! 