American Express scenario.

[mojobones89]

So on my app I put 56k as my income,I make 50k but my old mother who still worries about me put 500$ in my account each month,which is 6k a year.if I were to get FRed you guys think I would be ok?seeing that on my tax it shows 51k before taxes.the reason I ask is because as you guys know I opened a few new accounts with other lenders not including the 2 new Amex accounts and I keep seeing all these FR Threads and it is actually starting to finally get to me just because I don't want to lose Amex.

[enharu]

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@mojobones89 wrote:
So on my app I put 56k as my income,I make 50k but my old mother who still worries about me put 500$ in my account each month,which is 6k a year.if I were to get FRed you guys think I would be ok?seeing that on my tax it shows 51k before taxes.the reason I ask is because as you guys know I opened a few new accounts with other lenders not including the 2 new Amex accounts and I keep seeing all these FR Threads and it is actually starting to finally get to me just because I don't want to lose Amex.

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if they ask u for your tax documents only, then no it won't work.

you could put 50k as your income, and 6k as supplementary income, if there's such an option.

otherwise, if you ever get FR'ed, just show them the deposit as well along with your tax documents. That's the best and only thing you can do anyways. I dont think you will get into trouble for such a small discreptancy. 

[thom02099]

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@mojobones89 wrote:
So on my app I put 56k as my income,I make 50k but my old mother who still worries about me put 500$ in my account each month,which is 6k a year.if I were to get FRed you guys think I would be ok?seeing that on my tax it shows 51k before taxes.the reason I ask is because as you guys know I opened a few new accounts with other lenders not including the 2 new Amex accounts and I keep seeing all these FR Threads and it is actually starting to finally get to me just because I don't want to lose Amex.

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Too much attention is given to the myth of widespread AMEX FRs.  There's FRs and then there are income verifications.  The former is much rarer than the latter.  Don't let all the spooky FR threads get the better of you!

IF you should be requested by AMEX to verify your income, tell them exactly what you've said here.  A gift from your mother can be counted as income if you can document it and you should be able to do that with proofs of deposit. 

Enjoy your AMEX cards and use them responsibly.  Been an AMEX member off/on since 1976, never had even an inkling of FR issues with AMEX, even in my young and foolish days.  Does this mean it doesn't happen?  Of course not!  It's simply not as common as folks on forums are lead to believe. 

[mojobones89]

Wait what is the difference from a FR and income Verification ?thank u by the way,it's just I wish I can enjoy my prg and spend more than I do but am afraid to request a spending ability even though I have yet to get. Declined for 2k balance purchases but I feel like I may be pushing it?

[thom02099]

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@mojobones89 wrote:
Wait what is the difference from a FR and income Verification ?thank u by the way,it's just I wish I can enjoy my prg and spend more than I do but am afraid to request a spending ability even though I have yet to get. Declined for 2k balance purchases but I feel like I may be pushing it?

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Income verification could be something as simple as just providing copies of 3-4 current paystubs, so the issuer has an indication of your income. FR would become far more detailed, with a request for tax records and forms to be filled out. 

EDIT:  For example, when I applied for the IberiaBank Select card, I was completely prepared for a FR, since the application indicated that the process would possibly include tax documents.  When I got a conditional approval email, they said they needed copies of paystubs as proof of employment.  When I called in to them, I didn't have to provide either.  But I was prepared for both.  I wanted that IberiaBank card !

Either way, it depends on what the process means to you and what you want to accomplish with the card(s) you get. 

[mojobones89]

Thanks u.makes sense 🌟

[enharu]

to my limited knowledge:

Income verification is when they usually just need to verify your income for a CLI or when you open a new account with them. They just want to make sure you have sufficient income to cover whatever debt they're exposing themselves to you. 

FR is when real problems start happening. Rarely anyone gets FR'ed. If you get FR'ed, your biggest concern ought to be your overall financial outlook because it usually has to be quite extreme to do it. For example, owing huge balances across different cards for many months, and/or paying only minimum or close to minimum amounts required repeatedly, or exploiting rewards/AU, the list goes on.