I agree careful and don't put too much hope into what a CSR says. They don't really know and are only looking a computer screen and sometimes guessing. As others said check your Experian report. If theres a HP thats a good sign. if there isn't that means you're for sure still on the BL.
Don't want to be a Debbie Downer here for you at all. But I also have to be real with my AmEx Blacklist experience. I was a member since 1984 started with the Green card. In 1986 Gold card. In 1992 after using my Gold card a lot I got an invitation (back then you couldn't apply for it like you can now) the Platinum card. I literally spent hundreds of thousands on the Platinum card over the next few years. Then my business failed and my credit tanked. AmEx monitors your credit monthly. They saw what was happening and even though I didn't owe a dime at the time they closed all of my accounts. Key thing here is remember I didn't owe them a dime. Even though I rebounded both credit and income wise, they Blacklisted me and it took me until last year, which was 19 years almost to the day to get off the Blacklist and back in with AmEx and like I said they didn't even lose money on me. I now have 6 AmEx cards including the Green, Gold and Platinum again and 3 chargers including the HH and BCP.
Now YRMV and it may or may not take as long as it did me. But in all likely hood it will probably take years to get off the list.
@Anonymous wrote:How can I find out if I'm on the blacklist? I had a HH Amex in 2016. Life happened and the account was closed. I paid it off and my credit scores are up now (not the best, but ok). I've gone to the pre qual page a few times and get nothing. How much longer should I wait? I really want that particular card back. Or should I take what I can from them and hold out for the HH?
Hey, there!
Hoping this finds you well, but it's true when they say YMMV. My experience was similar to yours back in 2016 - 2017, when I experienced a loss of income and maxed out their card and ended up defaulting in 2017, which resulted in charge offs and settled for less than the total balance. Long story short, they blacklisted me after applying and receiving instant denial without a hard pull.
My strategy: My girlfriend was an AMEX member, and I had her add me as an AU to her account around Jan 2019. After about 3 - 6 months, I finally received a preapproval on the AMEX website, applied for the Delta Gold Skymiles Amex card (supposedly the most accessible card to get approved for); I got the 14-day message, then a day later, I got the approval email.
Today: About a year ago, I canceled that Delta AMEX card because it was stuck at $1000 and would not budge. Then, I applied and got instantly approved for the AMEX Gold card, which has been my daily driver ever since getting approved. Here's another tip: Make sure to check their preapproval website in Incognito or Private mode. Supposedly that works when you are trying to get a preapproval or a good sign-up bonus.
Best of luck to you!!!
@W261w261 wrote:@bigseegar, thinking back to those awful days when Amex banished you, do you think that in the now-vanished and maybe half-imaginary world of kindly bankers behind oak desks, who took the time to know you - would they have kept your accounts open?
@W261w261 Probably had a better shot back then than now. Computers and their programed perfect financial models decide everything for bankers now. All todays "bankers" are really, at least at the average persons level are data entry people. I actually think my chances were better back then. But sdaly my financial position and business turned so bad that it wasn't survivible. So I don't really blame AmEx for shutting me down. They saw the writing on the wall that even though I didn't owe them and had not burned them that I probably would, and that was probably true. While disappointed that it took me 19 years to get back in. I also can't truly say I blame them for that either. They were always my go to card and will are again now. But I'm much more stable financially and hopefully I'm also much smarter 19 years later.