Just noticed on my creditsecure report that my mortgage just began reporting today on EQ and EX...shows a 4 month payment history, but if I have to include that in AAoA now, I think I just got blown out of the water and another Amex will not help much in that area. Also, it will show another new account and I'll probably drop points again too, right?
Re: I'm guessing another new account will most likely ding your score further but you'll recover from that after six months or a year of solid payment history.
The PLUS scores on the Amex CreditSecure all went higher, but somehow I'm guessing true FICOs will drop for at least some period of time. When do accounts become "not new"? 6 months, 1 year?
Re: Forget the FAKO scores as these aren't accurate. You'll need to check your true FICO score. "New accounts" really depend on the creditor as even 1 year can be considered fairly new. Usually, you should wait at least six months before applying for a new account. I would suggest NOT doing any futher applying at this time.
From my personal experience, Amex likes several accounts. I currently have 3 accounts with them and will probably be going for a 4th very soon.
UM
I appreciate everyone's advice on this thread/forum, and while several people said to wait 6 months, my impatience got the best of me. I ran about $2600 through the TrueEarnings card in the last 30 days, made two separate payments to PIF before the upcoming statement cuts next week some time, and applied for Zync online and was instantly approved. Hoping that this helps my AAoA enough that I get a good interest rate on the auto loan when December rolls around.
And for those people who hesitate to apply for the Zync in favor of one of the other Amex charge cards because they don't think they're part of the target market for the card (college student, limited income, limited credit experience, etc.) I would say to not let that deter you from applying if you can use the benefits of having this card. I'm not in that target market either and I didn't even consider it for the longest time because I thought one of the others would be more prestigious or something of that nature.
After I kept looking at these forums and comparing benefits on all Amex's charge products, and how each one might benefit me personally, the Zync came up as the clear winner. I added the free packs and the Connect pack for $20. I will use this to pay my cable/internet/cell phone bills each month for 2x rewards and hope that this helps to maximize rewards spread across my card portfolio.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed 
@score_building wrote:
Wanted to add a 4th Amex but will wait unti Jan.'11 for best AAoA results.
In the meantime, was added as AU on Amex JetBlue which reports as a 15 yr old acct., so amex AU can do the trick too.
Great reminder for those using AmEx to help their AAoA.
My first AmEx was opened in 2008 (woo-hoo.) If I got another card this December (2010), it would add 24 months to my AAoA. If I waited and added one in January 2011, it would add 36 months, an additional 11 months just by waiting until the beginning of the next year.
If you have a member since date of 1944 or something, it obviously doesn't matter. But if your member date is more recent, like mine is, hold off adding another card until January.
@haulingthescoreup wrote:
If you have a member since date of 1944 or something, it obviously doesn't matter. But if your member date is more recent, like mine is, hold off adding another card until January.
Let's say you have a Visa that's 1 year old and an Amex that's 2 years old and one day you happen to find this Amex card in a drawer that you haven't used for fifty years, but lists you as a menber since 1944.
How do you phrase the backdating to Amex customer service? Would you ask to backdate your current 2 year old card to 1944, or would you ask them to re-activate the old card and then backdate the current card?
In any event, AAoA calculations should be a lot of fun, lol!
Yikes, I kinda doubt that they would reactivate something that old! 
Who knows with AmEx, though.
I believe that the usual procedure is to call CS and give them the old account number and let them try to verify the "member since" in their files. Once they do so, then ask them to reissue the current card with the old date, and ask them to confirm that the current card will report the old date to the credit bureaus.
As a member since 2008, I haven't had the thrill of this, alas. 
But my second card did appear with the older year on it without my having to ask.
* wonders how many people are now pulling out desk and kitchen drawers and dumping them in hopes of finding a grubby old Green *