Amex Backdating question (part 457) ;-)

[navigatethis12]

Personally, I would be concerned that my social security number was attached to some random person's American Express account. That person could have had a negative history and they attach it to you. Even if not, I would still tell them I never had an account at that time and request they fix it.

[Anonymous]

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@navigatethis12 wrote:

Personally, I would be concerned that my social security number was attached to some random person's American Express account. That person could have had a negative history and they attach it to you. Even if not, I would still tell them I never had an account at that time and request they fix it.

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I guess the OP wants the backdate.  But navigatethis12 is certainly right that there could be some possible downside.   On the possibility that maybe your SSN was associated with someone else's account, I would monitor your credit reports carefully for the next few months (as the matched account could easily be a personal one which would show up).  But this is so long ago, if the account was closed negative stuff would have dropped off, and might only be retained in Amex systems.  Or there might only be positive history.

And you seem to be following the safer course of not directly asking for a card with correct (incorrect!) date, just a replacement.  Do the same if you ever get a new card with a recent date, you don't want a record of asking for a 1993 date when you know that that is not correct.

[ztnjpv]

Elcamino said:

"Are you sure you were never an AU on an Amex account or had a charge card 20 years ago?"

To my knowledge, the Plum Card I was approved for in 2012 is my 1st relationship of any kind with Amex. Now, if my dad put me on an Amex he may have had or something back in 1993 (I was in College at the time), I simply don't know. I should ask. The other possibility that went through my mind is that the EIN of my business was attached to an old biz account. Again, I wouldn't know. I am spiff-balling....

[ztnjpv]

Longtimelurker and Navigatethis12,

Yes, that whole possible issue of some stranger's shady past being attached to me did cross my mind. However,

1. My scores are very good and there is no inaccurate info or rogue accounts on them and never has been

2. Amex approved me for two cards on the same day and one other last year so there's obviously no downside in that sense.

3. If any thing did happen, I would move to correct it and relinquish the backdating.

[ztnjpv]

ElCamino said:

In which case, please be sure to report your results here for others. 

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The replacement Plum card arrived today....dated 1993!! I'm really stoked. The system now recognizes me as a member since 1993. I guess it's true that once it's on your account homepage, it's ubiquitous through your entire account. And I got this replacement card backdated to 1993 without asking for it to be backdated.  The system appartently automatically issues backdated once it's officially on your homepage.

Now I need to leverage this into a personal card so I can reap the benefits in terms of AAoA on my credit report. :-)

[Anonymous]

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@ztnjpv wrote:

Longtimelurker and Navigatethis12,

Yes, that whole possible issue of some stranger's shady past being attached to me did cross my mind. However,

1. My scores are very good and there is no inaccurate info or rogue accounts on them and never has been

2. Amex approved me for two cards on the same day and one other last year so there's obviously no downside in that sense.

3. If any thing did happen, I would move to correct it and relinquish the backdating.

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Actually, the first two don't count, because we are assuming "something" happened 5/17, during the app, (otherwise your earlier Amex would have been backdated before)  so anything prior doesn't give information.   (And of course 3 isn't so simple either, which is why victims of identity theft have such a hard time.  When all your other credit cards get closed as well etc, the problems become clearer!)

But hopefully a helpful rather than harmful error.  And let's hope you get a personal card going back to 1993.