As some of you may recall, I received my 2 Amex cards when I had virtually zero credit history in the U.S., using a procedure called Structure Change. But when I now login to their CardMember "apply for another card" section, I'm now pre-approved for all of their cards, including the Platinum charge card. They even have a shorter application form for those pre-approved, where I need not disclose the "source of income" (which new applicants are required to fill). I don't suppose I'll be applying for additional Amex cards in the next 12 months, but after that I'll definitely try the Gold Rewards Plus. Of course, I'll also have to consider my debt ratios before I apply, since when these are too high, pre-approvals don't mean much. BTW, one of the reasons people say Diners is better than Amex is because Diners allows ~60 days to pay off your card. Someone here said Amex also allows you to pay off your charge card by the NEXT cycle date without penalty, although they don't advertise this feature. According to him, if your cycle, for example, ends on the 31st, you can pay your December statement by the end of February. Please note though that this has not been confirmed by anyone else, and relying on a single source to plan your debt payment is not a good idea. But if anyone else can shed some light here, I'm sure many would appreciate it. Saar
Saar, AmEx CSR told me it's closing date to closing date. That's how I have been paying it - NP. breeze
They are showing me pre-approved for every card also, and I recall someone else saying the same thing. I don't believe it, LOL. Saar, you said: But when I now login to their CardMember "apply for another card" section, I'm now pre-approved for all of their cards, including the Platinum charge card. breeze
Breeze, That's what I meant when I implied it's an "undocumented feature"; No rep is likely to confirm it or possibly even know about it. Of course you'd have no problem if you pay every month, the big question is whether you can pay in full every COUPLE of months. Since most people on this board would (for good reasons) refuse to particiticipate in such experiment, I imagine it will take some time before we have a second verification for the strategy. We might however get lucky, if we have one here who forgot to pay on time once, and - as a side effect - can tell whether being a late by less than a month generated a penalty fee or other undesirable effects. Again, this "theory" only referred to charge cards, not credit cards. Saar
Speaking of Amex, I have a question...I'm starting grad school next month and was wondering if I'd qualify for the Student Blue card. I checked the website application and I saw where you could check that you're a grad student. I also saw in the FAQ how the Blue Student is different from the regular Blue. I also am getting loans from Amex to pay for school so I'm wondering if this will help also (trying to establish a relationship with them). I'm not going to apply now....too many inquiries in the last 3 months, but I was thinking later in the year (if I haven't gotten a pre-approval from them by then ) I also read from a previous poster that Blue Student's criteria is a little more lenient than regular Blue....who said that? Thanks!
Shantel, this is correct, Amex is more leniet with student cards. I currently carry the Green. But i will apply for the Blue around the first if the year. Good Luck
Dunno, but it makes perfect sense, as Student's Blue carry a higher APR and offers no BlueLoot points. However, given what we've learned about Amex's databases, I'm quite sure once you get the Student's Blue, it can be converted to the regular Blue. May require a little persistence, though. Good luck! Saar
Saar- Amex policy to to call the account past-due when it ages >30 (you miss your cycle date and show a past due balance). They can decline charges at that point, but rarely do. Your account is delinquent at the 2nd billing cycle, and will be closed to additional purchases. You start accuring late fees at this point. At the 3rd billing cycle, your account is cancelled. NOTE-- if you go past due (miss the next cycle) you FORFEIT membership rewards points earned on the past due balance ... and those points can only be reinstated if you pay a $15 reinstatement fee. Diners doesn't consider the account past due, and doesn't do anything with Club Rewards points until the 2nd cycle (61 days).
