American Express-Never?

[Anonymous]

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@Red1Blue wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Good tip @Red1Blue, thank you! Dumb question. Who, or what department could I talk to about this? When I called after my prior denials the people were friendly but offered no useful information on how to move on. 

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Call their collections or ask CSR which department handles it. Read on this forum for Amex Optima.. You'll find lot of information. I had some issues in 2018 and I paid it back and got an Opitma card which will turn 12 months next week and hopefully I should be able to get a new amex card. It is not just by invitation. You can always ask for it.

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Thank you!

[Iusedtolurk]

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@FinStar wrote:

@Anonymous - it's fairly possible, but no one knows how long you could remain on the AmEx blacklist.  Some folks have reported 10, 12, 15, 20, 30 years, etc.

How large were the AmEx balances?

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@FinStar  I burned them back in 1990 I think I may be safe around now. I know I did their pre-approval and received several card offers.

I was just doing it for the thrill I miss from applying for cards and getting a CONGRATS you have been approved.

BUT since I am Unofficially gardening trying out pre-approvals is as far as I go now.

[Anonymous]

Amex gold included in BK7 (dismissed) due to error in paper work which turned out to be a positive since it wasn't on credit for 10 years (experian erroneously listed 2 filings and discharge, disputed & removed within a week)  bk wasn't dismissed until last hearing so all creditors notified but the only CC that contacted me after dismissal was Amex for balance $8.8k who called a couple times about a month later, then nothing. 9 years later in 2021 I did prequal, initially approved then denied via snail mail because of past account. No hard pull.  

[CreditInspired]

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@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:

I burned them for 11k. I don't know how soon they would have let me back in, but I applied 19 years later and was approved.

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Same with me , although I burned for a lot less--if I recall, approximately $1K. When I applied 20 years later, not only was I approved for a decent CL, I was super excited my card was stamped "a member for 40 years."

[CreditInspired]

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@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:

Well, I didn't think I would ever get back in until I found these forums. Probably would have never applied again.

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So true @Brian_Earl_Spilner   
It never even occurred to me to apply again. Love the MyFICO community 

[Anonymous]

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@pizza1 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Good tip @Red1Blue, thank you! Dumb question. Who, or what department could I talk to about this? When I called after my prior denials the people were friendly but offered no useful information on how to move on. 

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@Anonymous , the Oasis/Optima program is invitation only, its not a card you can request.  Usually when you call the BK department, or their internal collections department, and you want to set up payments to pay back in full, once the past due account has been brought current, they have been known in the past to send snail mail offer of their Optima card (basically a rebuilder card to them).  There has been talk though that this program is going away, though we havent seen any real offical data yet from Amex.  

YOu dont have to pay them back.  This account was IIB, and they cant ever ask you to repay them, though you can volunteer to do so.  If this is so important to you, then your only means of getting back in are to PIF the past account, or just keep trying with a yearly app until approved. 

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It would be a shame if the Optima program was discontinued, as that seems like a great way for people who were down on their luck to prove that they were worth "forgiving" again.

[Horseshoez]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thank you @pizza1 Honestly the only reason I wanted to get back to AMEX is that I travel heavily and access to airline clubs is much easier with the right AMEX card. Fortunately, CapitalOne, Discover, BOA, and some others have given me a second chance.

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I'm in the same boat; having an AMEX Platinum card prior to my Chapter 13 was really handy getting into airline lounges (at least domestically), and I've really missed that aspect of having my AMEX card.  Since I burned them for something in the mid-$20,000 range back in 2015, I rather doubt I'll be approved for another AMEX any time soon, errr, unless I opt to pay back what I burned them for.

So, that got me to thinking, I fly Delta most often, and with my new job, that could be as often as every-other-week (once travel restrictions are relaxed), so instead of paying AMEX say, $25,000, I can just pony up $545 per year for an individual Sky Club membership every year for the next 46 years and come out ahead.  Given I'll be 110 years old in 46 years, I think that'll work out to my advantage. 

[Anonymous]

After following ALL of the advice offered and calling 13 different phone numbers that I was given by different people at AMEX, bottom line, it will not happen. 

Why? As the saying goes, it's complicated. 

1. One department told me that my long-defunct business still owed AMEX $19,457.13. I proposed that I either reach a settlement with them on that or I would pay the whole balance in full if that meant I would be granted an AMEX card again. The person I spoke with directed me to another department.
2. That department said no, I don't have a balance either personally or for the former business as it was discharged over 10 years ago.
3. Two weeks ago I received a letter at my new (founded in 2012) business with an invitation to apply for the AMEX Blue Cash Card. I applied and was promptly turned down even though my business has been in business since 2012, has a great D&B rating and my personal credit score is between 754 and 770 depending on the credit bureau. 
4. So I called the number on the letter and spoke with a very nice man though he was of no help whatsoever. He told me that I need to speak to my bankruptcy attorney. When I explained to him that I do not have a bankruptcy attorney as this was over 10 years ago and have no current relationship with him, he apologized and said that he can only direct me to my bankruptcy attorney. 

To say I am frustrated and feel defeated would be an understatement. Frankly, if I did not travel as much as I do on business I would not care but access to things like airline lounge clubs is important and helpful to me. 

This all said I have come to accept that AMEX wrote me off 11+ years ago and there is no going home.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions and advice!

[Horseshoez]

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@Anonymous wrote:

To say I am frustrated and feel defeated would be an understatement. Frankly, if I did not travel as much as I do on business I would not care but access to things like airline lounge clubs is important and helpful to me. 

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It seems you and I are in a similar boat; per my suggestion above, you can buy a whole lot of annual memberships to the various airline clubs for $19,457.13.  In my case, my only potential saving grace here is it looks like my new company (I'm an employee this time, not an owner) is about to issue me an AMEX Corporate Platinum card, so I won't even need to buy those memberships. 

[Anonymous]

Love this, thank you! I may do this for Delta, United, and American!