For starters, my credit sorta flows as follows...
I have a collections from Comcast from 2007, paid of a few months later (once I even found out there was a collections or a bill to begin with). I had 2 2k installment accounts from back in 2008 that were both 18 month contracts, paid both off much quicker than that. I've never had a CC in my life, figured if I couldn't pay cash I couldn't afford it. But decided that maybe, yes, my credit score is important. So got a secured card in June from HSBC with a $500 limit, Fico score was 588 after that card showed up on it (I had "no" score before).
July, now I have a score, used that to buy a Kirby for full price (hey, why not? And the annoying sales person gets commision 
) $3600 installment account.
January hits, my credit score (according to here) is 675 EQ, 690 TU... CC offers start rolling in at an almost annoying rate.
I get 2 offers from Amex, a Green and a Gold, I go and get the gold. As soon as I open the account, I get an offer for a Platinum (as well as a Blue Cash Preferred) . I called for the heck of it, and woman on the phone tells me that I am approved for a Platinum due to my great payment history with them... note I only opened the account on the 23rd of this month (Feb, 2012) so a payment (more or less spend) history would be sorta non-existent.
I cancelled the HSBC card on the 6th, that's now shown up on my credit report. So as far as CRA's are concerned I have no revolving acounts (I'm still waiting for cap one, chase and discover to report). So my score took a little bit of a dump.
So, from reading the forums Amex is not suppose to be this easy? Especially with a collections on your account?
The other question (which is why I posted this), since the high balance gets recorded on your credit report. Is that the highest balance you've ever had, ever (ie: if you just ran up a huge balance and paid it off before the statement even came out)? Or the highest balance ever listed on a statement? (sorry for making you all read all this to get to this one question)
@Covet wrote:For starters, my credit sorta flows as follows...
I have a collections from Comcast from 2007, paid of a few months later (once I even found out there was a collections or a bill to begin with). I had 2 2k installment accounts from back in 2008 that were both 18 month contracts, paid both off much quicker than that. I've never had a CC in my life, figured if I couldn't pay cash I couldn't afford it. But decided that maybe, yes, my credit score is important. So got a secured card in June from HSBC with a $500 limit, Fico score was 588 after that card showed up on it (I had "no" score before).
July, now I have a score, used that to buy a Kirby for full price (hey, why not? And the annoying sales person gets commision
January hits, my credit score (according to here) is 675 EQ, 690 TU... CC offers start rolling in at an almost annoying rate.
I get 2 offers from Amex, a Green and a Gold, I go and get the gold. As soon as I open the account, I get an offer for a Platinum (as well as a Blue Cash Preferred) . I called for the heck of it, and woman on the phone tells me that I am approved for a Platinum due to my great payment history with them... note I only opened the account on the 23rd of this month (Feb, 2012) so a payment (more or less spend) history would be sorta non-existent.
I cancelled the HSBC card on the 6th, that's now shown up on my credit report. So as far as CRA's are concerned I have no revolving acounts (I'm still waiting for cap one, chase and discover to report). So my score took a little bit of a dump.
So, from reading the forums Amex is not suppose to be this easy? Especially with a collections on your account?
The other question (which is why I posted this), since the high balance gets recorded on your credit report. Is that the highest balance you've ever had, ever (ie: if you just ran up a huge balance and paid it off before the statement even came out)? Or the highest balance ever listed on a statement? (sorry for making you all read all this to get to this one question)
#1, No 
You got really lucky. Your Comcast CA is older, but still... with a very limited history and a CA, it's pretty amazing.
#2. It is the highest balance EVER, not just what your stmt reports. I have been paying my Navy CC before the statements hit, so they report a zero balance. But the "high credit" on my CR was the balance from my stmt before I paid (and before it closed and reported). I also had bought a higher priced item on another CC that I ended up returning a week later. So, the high balance was only for like a week and did NOT affect the stmt/ending balance at all. And yet, the high bal for that CC changed to include the higher bal when that stmt reported.
I hope that's not too confusing.
BTW, you might try to GW the Comcast and see if they'd remove it. Sometimes it takes a while, but worth a shot.
One thing to always keep in mind is that Amex has their own, homegrown, scoring mechanism. Additionally, they have access to way more predictive info about you than would likely make you comfortable (thank you (not!) LexisNexis & the likes...). The actual contents of your credit reports matters more than your score, and your credit demographics matter a great deal to Amex. A blemish, especially from the likes of Comcast (having a bit of a negative reputation for billing shenanigans), quickly paid can be easily overlooked when all other indicators are favorable. 
In short, they've deemed you a good risk, and likely having an "appetite for credit". Amex is no different from other lenders in wanting to cultivate customers who will best pad their bottom line (spenders with the income to support their expenses). Unlike a lot of other lenders, however, they seem to be a hair better at proactive (versus reactive) risk modeling.
That's why I asked. I don't want to rack it up and then have wait for the statement to post and have it show up as 100% as far as the CRA's are conserned (that's my understanding of how it works). So if I could rack it up then pay it off before the statement comes out, then have that high balance show that would be prefered.
I've tried with Comcast, we're actually at a deadlock. I moved down to Cali and had no idea there was another bill, when I moved back to Wa I went to sign up with Comcast and they told me I had an outstanding balance. So I paid it and have been with Comcast again since 2007. I never knew about the collections.
Also turns out I over paid by $23 or so... Comcast has owed me that money since... 2007. Only me checking my credit report and seeing that there was a collections, and then me asking about it even had comcast tell me they had owned me that $23 (and I'm the one with collections on my report? Go figure). They just credited it to my main account (I have two). CPA says that if Comcast tells them to remove the entry on my CR they will do so. Comcast says if CPA contacts them asking if it's ok to remove the entry they will say yes. Neither will contact the other and it's sorta annoying...
Thanks for the heads up, I was wondering if I had to maintain a balance untl the statement date, or if I could just spend a bunch and pay it off before it came out.