AMEX Backdating Question

[Anonymous]

My wife and I were recently approved for an AMEX BCP.  We applied with her as primary and me as AU because she has slightly better scores than I. This will be our first AMEX but I just remebered that I was added as an AU on my fathers AMEX gold card when I was in college and it definitely shows on my CR's. It has since been closed in good standing with never any negative stuff.  My questions are: 1) I didn't think AU's had the account show on their CR's, am I just wrong or is this something different for AMEX, I know I had to give my SSN to AMEX for my AU card and you don't normally have to do that.  2) Since I was just an AU on the original card and an AU on this card will it show the original date for my new account on my CR's like AMEX does for other cardholders that apply for new AMEX cards  3) if the answer to #2 is yes will it also show this original date on my wife's reports as well?

If I messed this up by apping in her name instead of mine because I forgot about my card from years ago it's gonna be a little frustrating becuase I'm sure I would have been approved I just didn't want to waste a HP just in case. BTW the date of my dad's amex account that shows on my CR's is from when I was 12 lol.

Thanks for any help!

[Anonymous]

If your wife was the applicant, unless she has held an AMEX in her name in the past I don't think you'll be able to get a previous member since date posted there.

[ScarletFever]

A few different things going on there. Without having details on your own situation regarding scores, history, etc, its hard to say what your success would be. If you app'd AMEX on your own having an AU history and everything else in your profile is pretty good, you probably should be approved. Nonetheless, can't say without your stats. Mermber since date should reflect your AU date if you app'd on your own.

[Anonymous]

OK so it looks like I need to be the account holder to get the backdate.  I don't know my exact stats except a couple FAKO scores ranging from 720-743.  I don't really want to apply for another AMEX card but I think my actual score would get a decent bump if I could get an AMEX reporting 1994 so I might do it eventually. So it doesn't matter if the original card is no longer active, they will still backdate is that correct? And if I ad my wife as AU will she also have an account on her CR's showing since 94?  Sorry for all the questions but I appreciate all the help.  I'm not really concerned about if I will get approved or not just more curious as to what the reporting would look like if I did.

[ScarletFever]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

OK so it looks like I need to be the account holder to get the backdate.  I don't know my exact stats except a couple FAKO scores ranging from 720-743.  I don't really want to apply for another AMEX card but I think my actual score would get a decent bump if I could get an AMEX reporting 1994 so I might do it eventually. So it doesn't matter if the original card is no longer active, they will still backdate is that correct? And if I ad my wife as AU will she also have an account on her CR's showing since 94?  Sorry for all the questions but I appreciate all the help.  I'm not really concerned about if I will get approved or not just more curious as to what the reporting would look like if I did.

---

You have a decent chance at changing MSD as AU. Some members have had success, it's worth pursuing if you app on your own and do it via chat if you are approved. With 720-740 FAKOS, you should be okay on BCP. Credit.com and Credit Sesame are Experian-who AMEX pulls-so the scores should be similar if you are signed up with them. The score bump comes come from the amount of years-in this case, 1994 or 21 years-divided by your total number of accounts. So, say you have three accounts, you gain AAOA of seven years, which is significant and will result in a big score increase. The more accounts you have, the less impact on AAOA. Can't say about your wife's own account and gaining 21 years of age, but, she can try chat as well on her card if you are successful with the app. It can't hurt. Good luck.

[newhis]

If I understand the backdate correctly:

• your wife will get MSD 15, if she never had an Amex then she will not get backdated to an early year
• your card will report as open 2015, no way to change that for AUs
• I think you can chat with them about your correct MSD, it can change on your online account, but will only report when you apply for your own Amex

I guess that once you correct your MSD with them and apply for your own Amex, you can ask your wife to remove you as an AU so the new TL can be removed from your reports.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

So I just got done chatting with them.  I'm still a little confused but we will see how it goes.  The CSR told me he could see my MSD at 99 (which is probably when i was added as AU even though the account was opened in 94 and thats what reports on my CR's) and that is fine but he said I needed to create my own account to manage my card even though I already have online access through my wifes account.  I thought that was weird.  Anyway he said he was going to send me a new card reflecting my 99 MSD so before I do anything with my online access I'm going to wait and see what the card says and then when AMEX finally starts reproting I'll see what the date says before I try to do anything else.  I just feel like I'm going to create a mess if I end up with 2 online accounts for cards on one account.   Thanks for all the info everyone.

[Ups77]

I just received mine yesterday backdated to 1996. But I was the account holder.

[takeshi74]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

And if I ad my wife as AU will she also have an account on her CR's showing since 94?

---

No.  AU's are not backdated.  The card will report as opened in the year that the AU was added.  Only the original cardholder is backdated on accounts that belong to the cardholder.

Example: I got my BCP in 2013 but my MSD was 1998 even though I haven't had an AmEx in well over a decade.  My BCP was backdated to 1998.  My wife was added as an AU.  She had not been a member before so this established her MSD in 2013.

In 2014 she applied for her own BCP.  It was backdated to 2013.  I was added as an AU to her BCP and it did not backdate.  It reports as opened in 2014.

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I didn't think AU's had the account show on their CR's, am I just wrong or is this something different for AMEX, I know I had to give my SSN to AMEX for my AU card and you don't normally have to do that.

---

Depends on the card/creditor.  Many cards do report for AU's.  Some do not.  If tradelines did not report for AU's then there would be no credit benefit to being added as an AU since scores and credit decisions can only be made using the data in a given report.

Not requesting SSN doesn't mean that the tradeline will not report for the AU.  Chase doesn't request SSN and will report for AU's.

---

@Anonymous wrote:

if the answer to #2 is yes will it also show this original date on my wife's reports as well?

---

No.  The original cardmember doesn't inherit MSD from the AU either.  Each has his/her own MSD and that doesn't change unless AmEx didn't find an MSD and has to do some research to determine the MSD.

---

@Anonymous wrote:

If I messed this up by apping in her name instead of mine because I forgot about my card from years ago it's gonna be a little frustrating

---

There's no "mess".  You'll still get backdated to the year of your MSD for your own cards.  She will get backdated to the year of her MSD for her own cards.  For either of you as an AU the card will report as the year that the person was added as an AU.

[newhis]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

So I just got done chatting with them.  I'm still a little confused but we will see how it goes.  The CSR told me he could see my MSD at 99 (which is probably when i was added as AU even though the account was opened in 94 and thats what reports on my CR's) and that is fine but he said I needed to create my own account to manage my card even though I already have online access through my wifes account.  I thought that was weird.  Anyway he said he was going to send me a new card reflecting my 99 MSD so before I do anything with my online access I'm going to wait and see what the card says and then when AMEX finally starts reproting I'll see what the date says before I try to do anything else.  I just feel like I'm going to create a mess if I end up with 2 online accounts for cards on one account.   Thanks for all the info everyone.

---

Yes, you need your own account so it will show your MSD as 99. Is better to open an online account in your name with your card.

Last year I added my DW and DD to my Amex, we had 3 accounts with Amex just to make sure they both said MSD 2014 and they did.

If you want to pay and see the transactions for the card, you only need to use the main account (your wife), there you will see all transactions and who made them. If you login with AUs account, you will only see the AUs transactions and not others.

When your account show MSD 99 then you are ready to apply for your own accounts (whenever you are ready), the recomendation is to do it January 1st, to max your backdate (if you consider 3 more months are going to help vs waiting 9 months).

Hope this help.