AMEX Hitting Power Spending Limt = FR For Shuuree

Anonymous · ‎09-03-2016

Yikes! soooo, I wanted to know whats my credit limit with my PRG so I check on the Spending Power, thought maybe it will be the same with my Platinum but it says declined, lowered it by $1,000 declined again and lowere down to another $1,000 then approved. So it's only $2,000 less than my Platinum NPSL. Anyway, I tried that twice since when I tried to call they couldn't tell me what my internal limit was.

Fast forward to today, I was trying to pay for my flight and I know my Platinum's internal limit and I was nowhere close to that, so I tried and it was automatically declined! Called the back of my card I was told that my whole account is on FR..... huh what? lol I spent $7,000 one month and another $4,000 next then paid both in full....

I think this is most likely because I also applied for the 2 cards PRG and Delta after I got my 2 others last 2 months BCP and Platinum. I knew in my guts that this is gonna happen! Oh well, might as well get it done now.

Anyhow, I did try to book my flight on Delta and use my BCP and the credit card still works... so maybe the FR is just for the Charge Cards... we shall see!

Anyone that has been FR, what to expect? how long it takes? my travel plans are set and I leave next month, I just want to make sure I can use my cards

Discover2016 · ‎09-03-2016

Basically Amex will request permission to request your tax return for last year to make sure you can meet your credit obligations, I have seen some FR's get resolved very quickly like within a week or so. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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Berk · ‎09-03-2016

While this is speculation since Amex will never tell you outright it seems to be a pretty good way of determining your interlal limit:

http://www.moneyunder30.com/american-express-cards-do-have-spending-limits

So, with that said, there should never be a reason to hit the "Spending Power" button. I know that I have never checked. I just use the card like I always have and I have never had the first issue.

Anonymous · ‎09-03-2016

@Berk wrote:
While this is speculation since Amex will never tell you outright it seems to be a pretty good way of determining your interlal limit:

http://www.moneyunder30.com/american-express-cards-do-have-spending-limits

So, with that said, there should never be a reason to hit the "Spending Power" button. I know that I have never checked. I just use the card like I always have and I have never had the first issue.

I was trying to see if I can get the travel approved and few weeks before it approved it so i didnt bother checking my platinum again, so this morning the ticket was about sold out so I went ahead and bought it. I was waiting for the PRG to come in so I can use it and rack the points but I didnt want to pay too much on the ticket. It was automatically declined.... ugh and when I check spending power it said not approved so I called and how I found out that they said my account is under Financial Review. However, I was able to my BCP that has $5K limit to pay for the ticket.... I thought for sure they'll freeze all 4 of my accounts and I was just told that my 2 charge cards are on FR but my 2 revolvers are fine. Oh well - I will send them whatever they want I just wish if they do decided any AA that they give me back the $450 I already shed out on the card since I only used it for 1 month and I already racked up $7,000 on the card which was paid in full in 2 weeks. and my 100K MR points.

Berk · ‎09-03-2016

@Anonymous wrote:

and when I check spending power it said not approved so I called and how I found out that they said my account is under Financial Review. However, I was able to my BCP that has $5K limit to pay for the ticket.... I thought for sure they'll freeze all 4 of my accounts and I was just told that my 2 charge cards are on FR but my 2 revolvers are fine.

I'm guessing that all kinds of fraud alarms went off at AMEX. I have somewhat of a similar story in that my charge card was declined but revolver was fine. I travel a whole lot for work - all over the country. A good bit of it is done in my RV. Amex tells you on their web site that there is no neeed to let them know ahead of time where you are going to be when you travel since they can tell by your charges where you are. So I go grocery shopping in Atlanta (I'm from Northeast Florida) and use my Amex PRG. Declined. I pull out my Sky Miles card and use it no problem - charge goes right through. While I'm out in the parking lot loading up my groceries my phone rings. It's the Amex fraud dept on the line checking to see if I just tried to buy groceries. I told them that yes I did and he told me that he would note in the system that I was in the Atlanta area. This was hardly the first time I used my charge card while out of my home area. It was the first (and only) time that a charge was declined because of suspected fraud.

Lets say I hack into your account and want to make a large purchase so I hit the button several times to see just how big a charge I can get away with - no sense in trying to buy something that won't even be approved. The Amex system flags the account for potential fraud because of the back to back Spend Power checks. I'm guessing (and hoping) that as soon as you prove that you are you and that your spend power checking was legit, things will be back to normal.

Anonymous · ‎09-03-2016

Hope it resolves quickly. I am very surprised that the revolvers aren't impacted, I had always thought it was all-or-none as far as freezing goes

Anonymous · ‎09-03-2016

I don't even know if this can be classified as an FR but I just got off the call from their FR department and spoke with a case manager and all she asked was my employer and verify (verbally) how much I make and mortgage . She said that's all they needed and no hold on my account...... I asked hmm are you sure you don't want me income tax coz I really thought at that time that's all they would want and she said nope not necessary right now. That's it - now went to restaurant and charge card is working. I suspect it's fraud department but agent got confused and sent me to FR and FR read notes and said all is well. Oh well! I wasn't really sweating it lol but really curious!

NRB525 · ‎09-03-2016

@Anonymous wrote:

I was trying to see if I can get the travel approved and few weeks before it approved it so i didnt bother checking my platinum again, so this morning the ticket was about sold out so I went ahead and bought it. I was waiting for the PRG to come in so I can use it and rack the points but I didnt want to pay too much on the ticket. It was automatically declined.... ugh and when I check spending power it said not approved so I called and how I found out that they said my account is under Financial Review. However, I was able to my BCP that has $5K limit to pay for the ticket.... I thought for sure they'll freeze all 4 of my accounts and I was just told that my 2 charge cards are on FR but my 2 revolvers are fine. Oh well - I will send them whatever they want I just wish if they do decided any AA that they give me back the $450 I already shed out on the card since I only used it for 1 month and I already racked up $7,000 on the card which was paid in full in 2 weeks. and my 100K MR points.

Glad things worked out easliy enough, OP.

It's probably too late now to buy those tickets, but when AMEX has instapproved me, they make the card number and basic info available as part of the screens in the Approval, so you can use the card for on-line purchases. You only get 3 minutes to write it down, so act fast. Usually a lower limit than after you activate the card, but might have been useful to buy those airline tickets.

Anonymous · ‎09-03-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
Hope it resolves quickly. I am very surprised that the revolvers aren't impacted, I had always thought it was all-or-none as far as freezing goes

I'm surprised too. I thought once one account is frozen... all accounts are frozen. I hope everything works out for you.

Berk · ‎09-03-2016

Not neccessarily true with Amex if it concerns fraud on charge cards as the OP suspects that it does. At least that is what happened with me and my Amex charge card. Charge card denied due to fraud but used my Amex credit card for the same purchase 3 seconds later. Amex called and told me that the payment was blocked due to suspected fraud. When I assured them it was me the card was unfrozen. My credit card was never affected.