Building Amex Spend vs. Optimizing Rewards

[Anonymous]

I have a bit of a conundrum. I'm just starting my relationship with Amex (have had a Green Card for 1 month and appear to have an internal limit of 7-8k based on using the "will I be approved" tool).

I'm in a bit of a conundrum, though. I have other rewards cards (CSP, Venture, Discover It) that have much better multiples on points, so from a rewards perspective it makes sense to use those for most of my purchases; however, I want to keep my spend high enough on my Amex that I will be likely to get approved for other Amex cards with better rewards in the future (PRG and Delta Reserve are my goal). I have borderline credit (640-670) but high income (150k) so I don't want to sour my relationship with Amex by suddenly going down to only spending a few hundred dollars a month.

What would you recommend in this situation? Would I blow my chances on future high-end Amex cards by moving most of my spend over to better rewards cards with other issuers?

[Anonymous]

Not neccessarily.  Amex wants to see good use and payment on their cards, but it doesn't have to be every penny that you spend.  I think as long as you keep the card active, with good repayment, you will set yourself up for a good relationship with amex.

Or... you could always spend 200k a year on the amex and get the centurion... just a though  

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Not neccessarily.  Amex wants to see good use and payment on their cards, but it doesn't have to be every penny that you spend.  I think as long as you keep the card active, with good repayment, you will set yourself up for a good relationship with amex.

Or... you could always spend 200k a year on the amex and get the centurion... just a though  

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Thanks for the advice....I'll just go for the Centurion

In some of the threads, people say that the Amex *hidden limit* is 3x your average monthly purchases over 6 months...I do worry i could end up with a low limit, but I guess i have enough credit on other cards that it isn't an issue.

[Anonymous]

If that hidden limit were true I would have an AMEX with over $40k limit. Then again who knows, I've yet to apply for a CLI.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous wrote:
If that hidden limit were true I would have an AMEX with over $40k limit. Then again who knows, I've yet to apply for a CLI.

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Is your 15k monthly spend all on your green card or your everyday rewards? I think they treat charge/credit differently

[Anonymous]

It was on my Green Card before I got the ED last month. That could be why they started me out at $10k limit on that. So it sounds Ike you're right on the hidden limit theory b

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Not neccessarily.  Amex wants to see good use and payment on their cards, but it doesn't have to be every penny that you spend.  I think as long as you keep the card active, with good repayment, you will set yourself up for a good relationship with amex.

Or... you could always spend 200k a year on the amex and get the centurion... just a though  

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Thanks for the advice....I'll just go for the Centurion

In some of the threads, people say that the Amex *hidden limit* is 3x your average monthly purchases over 6 months...I do worry i could end up with a low limit, but I guess i have enough credit on other cards that it isn't an issue.

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In that case, I'm so far over that it's ridiculous.

I have my TE card, solely used it for gas and Costco, got a CLI 12,500->18,000.  I was putting ~$150 per month of spend on the card.

[longtime_lurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Not neccessarily.  Amex wants to see good use and payment on their cards, but it doesn't have to be every penny that you spend.  I think as long as you keep the card active, with good repayment, you will set yourself up for a good relationship with amex.

Or... you could always spend 200k a year on the amex and get the centurion... just a though  

---

Thanks for the advice....I'll just go for the Centurion

In some of the threads, people say that the Amex *hidden limit* is 3x your average monthly purchases over 6 months...I do worry i could end up with a low limit, but I guess i have enough credit on other cards that it isn't an issue.

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In that case, I'm so far over that it's ridiculous.

I have my TE card, solely used it for gas and Costco, got a CLI 12,500->18,000.  I was putting ~$150 per month of spend on the card.

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Yeah, my BCE went from 5k to 15k, and I spent maybe $100/month on that card. haha

[Anonymous]

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@longtime_lurker wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Not neccessarily.  Amex wants to see good use and payment on their cards, but it doesn't have to be every penny that you spend.  I think as long as you keep the card active, with good repayment, you will set yourself up for a good relationship with amex.

Or... you could always spend 200k a year on the amex and get the centurion... just a though  

---

Thanks for the advice....I'll just go for the Centurion

In some of the threads, people say that the Amex *hidden limit* is 3x your average monthly purchases over 6 months...I do worry i could end up with a low limit, but I guess i have enough credit on other cards that it isn't an issue.

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In that case, I'm so far over that it's ridiculous.

I have my TE card, solely used it for gas and Costco, got a CLI 12,500->18,000.  I was putting ~$150 per month of spend on the card.

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Yeah, my BCE went from 5k to 15k, and I spent maybe $100/month on that card. haha

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Hmm...so you're saying that sometime people post unsubstantiated rumors in this forum? Although, i will point out that TE and BCE are credit cards with published limits, which is different than NPSL charge cards

[bz386]

OP, Amex doesn't care how much you spend on your card. You are paying $95 per year for the "privilege" of owning a substandard card. Even if you put zero send on the card, Amex will still get their $95. Keep your spend on the cards that actually give you rewards and think about cancelling the useless green card.