Debate topic: is there really such a thing as being "in with Amex"?

[grillandwinemaster]

---

@MugenCivicSi83 wrote:

---

@AverageJoesCredit wrote:
Just because one becomes" being in" doesnt mean they will treat you the same as someone who has a higher income or thicker profile. Many people find that there finally in but can sometimes still be held back ftom past transgressions such as a bk or charge off. I guess only time would truely tell if you are "in" .

I unfortunately had to include my Amex's in my bk7, didnt understand credit well at the time, and 9 and half years later am still on the outside looking in. Since i dont make much coupled with my bk7, i dont fancy theyll be knocking at my door anytime soon and even if i were able to get back "in" id probably be stuck at the $500 or 1000 purgatory due to past relationship. They have a long memory so one should be careful with the notion of being "in".

---

AJC...i burned Amex BCE back in 2005. CO. I'm now back in with them 11 years later. Funny part is when I called to activate my new card yesterday, they mentioned it. Time will tell. I won't be burning them though nor any of my other credit lines as i've learned my lesson from my past transgressions. Turning 33 in a month and glad to have my good credit back.

---

Interesting data point here. I NEVER burned Amex in bk. I did file bk years later, but prior to that I had closed my Amex card in good standing and NEVER late! I still can't get approved because I have a bk showing on my credit report. Very frustrating. I should have burned them "all the way to purgatory and back!" 

[AverageJoesCredit]

Yeah, GWM, its funny sometimes how a company will use something like that against you even if you never included them. I understand their thinking but i believe we are all human and make mistakes and deserve sceond chances. Especially when you are showing you are doing well and doing it right. But i guess it just something we must live with. I like from time to time app for an amex just to see if im still on bl, which i am but im reaching that point where i dont have to do that anymore.i find my current line up suffficient . I guess getting an Amex now would probably be more an ego thing which i guess isnt really best reason to get a cc

[fltireguy]

---

@msm859 wrote:

Businesses do not accept Amex because they have higher fees.

---

Not necessarily. I know that Amex has some AWESOME deals for smaller businesses that MC/Visas/Discover cant even come close to.. MC/Visa/Discover do not offer lower volume, flat fee programs like Amex does (For example, $15/month for up to $7k in sales to my friend's restaurant)

When I owned my last business (8 years ago), Amex was the least expensive card for me to accept, based on my average sale ($26). No transaction fees (MC/Visa/Discover were 15 cents), and a rate that was .2% (point 2 %) higher than the other cards...

[fltireguy]

As someone that has recently gotten their FIRST Amex card (I've been trying for 30 years..LOL).. I CAN see the benefit to having their card(s)

In the past 3 months, here is what I have gotten back from my BCP -

$150 statement credit for new account - that was paid the day after I hit the spend requirement, not a month or 2 later.

$100 statement credit after spending $500 with Carnival Cruise lines (paid off the balance on a cruise)

$117 in rewards  (gotta love the 6% groceries, even though the card has a $95 AF next year)

$30 back on a Hilton stay

Total of $397 in 3 months.. even without the $150 new account bonus, thats still $247 in 3 months... averages out to about $1000/year. Can anything else beat this?

The Amex offers are probably the best part of the whole deal