@longtimelurker wrote:
While not the end of the world (a fairly high threshold for cc stuff...) the problem comes with the flexibility of the issuer demanding documentation. In a FR, Amex is going to really want the tax return of the primary card holder, and may not be willing to access the one of the unmarried partner, so at least for them, I might not want to include it, especially if it was a significant proportion of the claimed income.
Are you just using Amex as an example here or do you mean specifically with Amex from what you've encountered? I was just on the Amex site and don't see anything specific under the income area that states if it should be only your own income, household income,etc. like you see under the terms of many other creditors. Maybe I'm just missing it. I did just read the Amex income FAQ though and while slightly off topic I did find this interesting:
Q: If my income has gone down, will this affect my account?
A: No, a lower income wouldn’t lower your credit limit or otherwise change the terms for your account.
Does this make sense to anyone? I would find it hard to believe that a major income decrease wouldn't impact account terms. Say someone lost their job making $100k/year and scooped up a part time job making $25k/year and changed their income on their Amex account from $100k to $25k. According to the FAQ, no AA would be taken. However, if this individual possessed say two high limit CCs with Amex, I don't know $50k and $40k (based on $100k income at the time) doesn't it seem odd that they wouldn't be a bit worried should that person's declared income drop to $25k? Am I over thinking this?
