@Anonymous wrote:I am wondering if you fine folks are willing to give an American Express newbie some overall tips about joining the family. This is a very exciting and important relationship to me. Just wanting to learn what I can.
Main things I'm looking for are--What is a normal/average SL for BCP?
What might cause adverse action?
Are they good with balance transfers meaning it wouldn't scare them i.e. Barclay?
Do they like to see a lot of spend monthly and big chunks knocked off or do they like small transactions & multiple payments?
If I paid my rent would that scare them being a new customer seeing a transaction that's over $1,000?
I know there's a huge thread about the 3x credit line increase but it's a couple of years old. I have read a lot of it but the main question is should I try right away, or should I wait 61 days? Obviously I know it's different for everybody but what is more likely to get the increase, and not scare them?
I read somewhere that you can only get an increase every 180 days, is that correct?
Is carrying a balance not a big deal?
Are increases done online, or should I call? Also can you get CLI via chat?
Do they randomly shut people down often, or is that highly unlikely?
How long for card to usually come in the mail, and do you know if I can see my credit line before it arrives?
Thank you all so much! This is a great start. :-)
I am fairly new to Amex too and i will follow this post as it will answer some of my questions too. But at the same time i will answer some of your questions as i know the answers. First of all welcome to Amex family. now to your questions. Also if you let people know what card you got approved for and your limit, that may help with the answers too.
SL for any card and any lender will definitely depend on the overall file and the ability of the person to pay it back. So i dont think there is a definite answer to this question.
Anything you do, and know you are not supposed to do 
For example i believe Amex don't like personal cards used for big business purchases. After all it is a personal card and should be used for that matter. If you get a square payment account, and charge your own cards to get cash out of them, which i see some people do, this would deifnitely be a double jeopardy both from square and Amex. I heard that they do not like your card being used too much thru paypal. Can not say this is %100 percent true but it was here on the forums and i just read it recently. So anything that you would do that is out of your daily use may raise a red flag with them.
I know Barclays is picky about BT's. I have never heard of Amex being the same way, and they even have several 0% BT offers with their cards. So i dont see any issue here, but someone else with more experience can chime in as i dont do BT's.
Any credit card company would like to see their cards being used. Use it just as much as you would normally use, and dont carry a balance unless you have to and you will be fine. Just keep your balance low until your first statement cuts off, because when i got my card, i had $1K limit and my statement balance was $988 because it cut off very quickly before i was even able to make a payment.
Bigger transactions are very common with Amex. I have watched on news someone in China buying a fine piece of art for $170 million and putting it on a centurion card Search youtube for $170 million amex charge, it is from a news channe, no bogus! If your transactions are always $5/$10 and you are a new member, you can always call or chat and tell them there is a charge coming, the amount, who will make the charge, and you will be good.
That thread is update with new info everyday. Read the first couple pages, then go to the last pages to get the latest info. I asked for it at the activation and got 2x. if i would have waited 61 days i am sure i would have gotten the 3x becvause i used the card a lot and paid it off. It is up to you. If you wait, at least they will have a little history with you. Meanwhile, try to use the card a lot and pay it off, so they see you need the cli here is the link for the 3x cli.
If you ask for cli, and denied, you wait 91 days, if approved 6 months. My activation cli was on dec 10th, and they told me i am eligible for another cli on june 10th. One thing with amex, no matter how many cards you have with them, you can only ask for cli on one card only and every 6 months. So if i get a cli on my bce on june 10th, i will have to wait 6 months to ask for cli on my delta skymiles. So only one account, and every 6 months provided you get the cli.
Carrying a balance: not sure how amex reacts to it as my card is new.
You can ask for cli online, thru chat or by calling. Whichever is more convenient.
For the card to come in the mail, if it is your first amex, and it is not shipped yet, call and ask them if they could rush it. they will overnite it to you at no charge. They did it to me without me asking. Rep over the phone said i sounded too excited to get my first amex so he rushed it for. If not, by regular mail, after approval i would say less than a week.
