Amex Offered me an optima card if I pay balance off. Is this real?

[Anonymous]

So I received an email from American Express offering me 3 options to pay on my balance. In the email t says if I make good on the payment I will be enrolled into their optimal card program. I wanted to know if this was legit or is it a tactic. Also would my current credit score matter, or is it something completely separate from that? If this is real I'm going to take it. 

[sccredit]

This is legit.  Once the balance is paid they will issue you an Optima card.  

[Anonymous]

If they offer you the Optima it's supposed to be a guaranteed approval. You'll get an application shortly after paying off the balance that you'll have to mail back within 30 days. Some people have reported luck with having the application emailed to them to speed up the process.

If you want back in with Amex, this is the way. (that's twice I've used that phrase today, yay me)

[Anonymous]

Thanks. So my current score wouldn't affect the approval at all? I'm just starting my credit journey and I'm still in the high 500's. Based off the email it don't mention anything about credit checks. I'm just concerned that after the payoff they'll deny me the card because my credit isn't high enough. 

[Anonymous]

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@sccredit wrote:

This is legit.  Once the balance is paid they will issue you an Optima card.  

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Just to repeat the above, there's no reports of anyone being denied the Optima after being offered it. The offer is technically the approval (they can still do a hard pull and everything else, but it's meant to be a rehabilitation program, so they don't offer it if you're not approved for it).

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@sccredit wrote:

This is legit.  Once the balance is paid they will issue you an Optima card.  

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Just to repeat the above, there's no reports of anyone being denied the Optima after being offered it. The offer is technically the approval (they can still do a hard pull and everything else, but it's meant to be a rehabilitation program, so they don't offer it if you're not approved for it).

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Thanks. Gonna give them a call. AMEX was the driving force for me to rebuild my credit to begin with, so this will be a great start to kick things off. 

[donkort]

From my research, it seems as if there is no "application" for the Optima Card.  It is only offered to those who are already Americam Express customers.

[Anonymous]

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@donkort wrote:

From my research, it seems as if there is no "application" for the Optima Card.  It is only offered to those who are already Americam Express customers.

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Yeah it's an offer they sent me to my email. I'm going to take the offer. They provided me with 3 payment options which I think is fair. 

[Anonymous]

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@donkort wrote:

From my research, it seems as if there is no "application" for the Optima Card.  It is only offered to those who are already Americam Express customers.

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There's no public application, no. They send you the application if you've been offered the program.

[Red1Blue]

The only reason you might be denied for Optima is if you are in Bankruptcy. Otherwise Optima is legit and almost guaratneed approval. You need to pay the previous balance in full to qualify for Optima. If you settle for less than full amout it does not qualify you for Optima. Check with Amex / Collection Agency you are dealing with about Partial Payment.  Your new limit will be about 1/3 of the orginal amount you paid off. After 12 months having Optima in good standing and if your credit improves during that 12 months you might be able to apply for other Amex Products.  If you want to get back into Amex Family this  is a very good offer.