Amex BCE Approved, Holy **bleep** & Questions

[DaveInAZ]

I did the **bleep** in the title myself, choose your own expletive. My usual one is in honor of the man who invented the flushing toilet, Thomas Crapper.

I filed BK7 in 2010, mostly medical, discharged 1/31/2011. I've been checking their prequalify page for a year, as I had heard they wouild approve 5 years post BK discharge. But I always got a "we don't find anything for you" until I hit the 6 year post discharge earlier this year when they pre-approved for BCE & Amex EveryDay. Amex was not included in BK, I've never had an Amex account except as an authorized user on a corporate card from my then employer, 1996-2005.

I've been thinking it over for a few months, I have 5 new accounts within the past 2 years, kinda alot; and to be honest I was waiting to see if they'd sweeten the offer.As I recall the first offer was $100 spend bonus for $1k purchases in 90 days, plus the 10% restaurant offer, and 12 months 0% APR. Restaurant offer didn't interest me, I live in a rural area and it's too darn far to drive to a nice restaurant very often.

But I decided to app today, and here's what I got:

- $15k SL!!! My highest SL ever!

- $150 spend bonus for $1k in 90 days, no AF, 3% rewards on groceries, 2% gas, 1% all else. Guess where I'll be using the card?

- 17.74% APR - high, but I don't care, I never carry a balance on a CC unless it's a 0% promo/BT, and if I ever did need to carry a balance I have a low interest CU CC.

Questions:

- When does Amex report the new account? On approval, or on first statement?

- I setup my account online from an email link. It says "Member since 1978"??? I'm in my 60s, and I suppose it's possible I had an Amex card back then, but who remembers stuff like that from almost 40 years ago? Question: Does Amex still do back dating on credit reports? That would really fantastic if they do.

I've learned so much about responsible credit management since I joined MYFico in 2014. Thank you all, MyFico'ers! And thank you Amex for your confidence, you won't regret it.

[austinguy907]

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@DaveInAZ wrote:

But I decided to app today, and here's what I got:

- $15k SL!!! My highest SL ever! beat mine by $5K

- $150 spend bonus for $1k in 90 days, no AF, 3% rewards on groceries, 2% gas, 1% all else. Guess where I'll be using the card?

- 17.74% APR - high, but I don't care, I never carry a balance on a CC unless it's a 0% promo/BT, and if I ever did need to carry a balance I have a low interest CU CC.

Questions:

- When does Amex report the new account? On approval, or on first statement?  usually takes a couple of months to report aka 61 day CLI timeframe

- I setup my account online from an email link. It says "Member since 1978"??? I'm in my 60s, and I suppose it's possible I had an Amex card back then, but who remembers stuff like that from almost 40 years ago? Question: Does Amex still do back dating on credit reports? That would really fantastic if they do.  nope, backdating went away back in 2015

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[AverageJoesCredit]

Way to go Dave. Amex is a great card to have. Can you say $45k

[Anonymous]

Fan-%#!*-tastic!! 

From one BK'r to another, awesome approval! 

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the approvals, Dave!!

[MrsCHX]

Congrats OP! That's an amazing starting limit!

I opened my BCE 2/20 and it reported 4/15; after my 2nd statement. My Delta Gold, opened 3/3, still isn't reporting.

[JustBPatient]

Well done, congrats

[Anonymous]

congrats on joining the AMEX family! (again)

[K-in-Boston]

Congrats! At least in addition to your online account, your actual card should say "Member Since 78." Sometimes there is a glitch, though, and if you ask for a replacement card it'll work. Case in point, I am a member since 2002 (late Credit bloomer) and my wife has been an AU on 3 of my AmEx cards since 2003. When I was approved for the SPG this year, I added her as an AU. When our cards arrived (together) hers said Member Since 03 but mine says Member Since 17. It's not bothering me too much but I know if I request a replacement card it will says 02.

Had I known about the backdating I would have had a wallet-full of AmEx cards rather than just the 3.

[DaveInAZ]

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@K-in-Boston wrote:
Congrats! At least in addition to your online account, your actual card should say "Member Since 78." Sometimes there is a glitch, though, and if you ask for a replacement card it'll work. Case in point, I am a member since 2002 (late Credit bloomer) and my wife has been an AU on 3 of my AmEx cards since 2003. When I was approved for the SPG this year, I added her as an AU. When our cards arrived (together) hers said Member Since 03 but mine says Member Since 17. It's not bothering me too much but I know if I request a replacement card it will says 02.

Had I known about the backdating I would have had a wallet-full of AmEx cards rather than just the 3.

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I've been racking my brain and I sure don't remember getting an Amex card back then. My father was very fiscally conservative and warned me of the danger of going into debt for anything but a mortgage for a home, and 1978 was when I got my first mortgage for a condo in Ft. Collins CO at age 26. I only remember having a Montgomery Ward store card (anyone remember them?), and a Bankamericard (anyone remember that?) for "emergencies" But, I'm not going to argue with them.

I called the morning after approval to request that the card be a contactless card. The rep said my card had already been produced & was preparing for shipment (they're fast!). I asked if the Amex mobile app had a wallet feature for smartphone contactless payment and she assured me it did, so I told her I'd try that out first. I have an Android phone and Android Pay makes you lock your entire phone with a PIN, which I refuse to do - I'm not going to enter a PIN 20 times a day just to check email/text/etc. just for the couple times a week I encounter a terminal with contactless payment.