amex trade line

[Anonymous]

Like many others, AMEX has recently cut my line of credit. I have a story (like others) about the "we don't like where you're using your card" letter. After 7 calls and a letter I never got any clarity on that issue; just some pleasantly vague answers. Anywho-

I may have missed it somewhere but my question is:

What amount does AMEX report to the CBs on a green card? The highest amount ever charged on the account or the current amount disclosed to the customer as his/her spending limit. On my past reports(as I recall) they used the highest amount charged in the trade line. Anyone with a definitive answer?

[SonorityGenius]

I have Amex Gold, it reports highest balance I ever had on the card

[Anonymous]

....and my AMEX Plat does the same thing (reports highest balance ever had).  So I'm gonna make a huge deductive leap here and say that the Green will do the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the posts.

 It appears that you are right as I just looked at an ordered report. Even thought they lowered my available "limit" I'm hoping that my score is based on a utilization that takes into account my highest balance($5574). Thus, I'll keep the carried balance below the 10% mark for maximum points. [Trying to buy a house next month]  However, I did call AMEX and they were very evasive on the issue. I called the credit dept who told me that they don't have specific information on my account (I could hear the entire call center laugh when she said that). "Call customer service"  I was told. Of course, customer service bounced me back to the credit dept. I did this Cirque du Soleil routine twice- both times I was disconnected. Exasperated, I gave up!

So,is the utilization formula for AMEX charge card is the same as a CC and the under 10% routine I have is effective in raising my score?

 EQ-689

TU- 603

EXP-671

[haulingthescoreup]

There is some debate about how this works. Most find that EQ FICO and EX FICO do not factor your AmEx charge cards into your total util, but the version of TU FICO used here does. (I hope I've finally got this right. )

Your best bet with AmEx is to let it report $0, instead of the under 10% game. Their four-week delay in reporting to the CRA's adds an extra month to the process of changing util, which is a pain.

btw, if you're maximizing your points, you shouldn't have all your cards reporting <10% --just one or two. You'll lose points if they all report balances, and most people will lose points if none of them do.