Marci, if you have a pre-approval, does that mean that they've already pulled a soft inquiry? In other words, is there a bigger chance of being approved? I am getting zillions of these pre-approvals in the mail (ever since I sent out my first validation letter) and I'd sure like to hop on one of them, but I'm so afraid of a wasted inquiry. Elanonuevo
I think it is a soft inquiry that they've already pulled. So far, every existing AmEx cardholder on this board who got the pre-approval for another AmEx card and then applied for the card, got the card. If I'm mistaken, AmEx experts, please chime in with the correct information.
AmEx pre-approves you initially from a "promo" inquiry. After you have a card with them, they offer you pre-approvals based on your record with them, but if you accept they do pull a hard inquiry - just to make sure i guess.
I wouldn't count too much on providian's pre-approvals. My wife got one of those, and she doesn't even have an SSN! -Roman
Congrats, Marci! As for your Blue application: 1. Call Amex New Accounts dept and ask to speak with the MORE team. 2. Then ask to speak with a MORE supervisor. Say you'd like them to re-evaluate your Blue application. They may or may not be able to give you an answer on the spot. I'd give it a 30% chance; But since the inquiry is already on your report, why not try putting it to good use. Worst case scenario is you'll get it in 6 months, assuming no derog's. (They say they don't issue more than 1 card in every 90 days, but they do make exceptions). Saar
Thank Roni and Leo for the congratulations! AmEx truly is Santa Claus. Roni, congrats on your own AmEx cards. Saar, Thanks for the congrats and the tip wrt the MORE department. I will give that a try with a supervisor. I'll let you guys know what happens.
Hi all, Here's an update on my situation and some general guidelines for the Blue Card: I tried twice, but New Accounts would not put me through to the MORE dept., since apparently they only deal with credit line increases on existing accounts and not reconsideration of declined accounts (told to me by both reps). But the good news is that one of the New Accounts reps did agree to forward the Blue application on to be reconsidered, and I should know in 24-48 hours. She told me that the minimum score is 680, that I was "a little under 20 points lower than 680", though she wouldn't tell me exactly (so, Scorepower's 663 was close), and that they pulled Equifax. She said that the delinquent account she saw (FCNB, I presume) would fall off in about 2-3 years and since it was paid that was a good thing. I think that this will either make or break me, depending on how their credit dept. decides to treat it. She also said that my utilization was good at 29.7% and that they look for less than 40% utilization on revolving accounts. Thanks to all for the support and ideas!
Marci, try a search for "Amex" + "MORE" + "800" and you'll get MORE's direct 800 number. Having initially been declined, MORE approved me for 2 Amex cards. They are the New Accounts division that handles applications submitted by existing cardmembers. Call their direct #. They may not override the decision in the end, but if you get to the right person, they will certainly consider what you have to say. Saar
Thanks, Saar. I tried this specific search and some modifications on StraightTalk, Google and the AmEx website and came up empty (Did you have a specific search engine in mind that I didn't use?). Either way, it's no big deal. I'll just wait a couple of days for their response. If I'm not approved, I'll wait another 6 months and leave it at that. Maybe I do just need to let my new accounts age. :-/... Thanks again for your help,
Heh -- I'd love to have them reconsider my Blue application since I was approved for the Green card. I'm afraid though that if they take a closer look at me they'd say "Mr. DaveLV, after careful consideration not only are we still not going to give you a Blue card, but we've decided to take away your Green card too!".
LOL! For real! I don't think they'd reneg, though, on a Green card. After all, there's no real risk for them since it's paid off monthly. Even still, I won't believe I'm okay until I see that Green card in my hand. I will say this... I can clearly see in the two days that I've talked with AmEx reps, that AmEx clearly has the best customer service (wrt card products) on the planet. No one else really begins to compare.
