American Express sends a letter to affected applicants citing why the application was denied. Common reasons an application could be denied include a low credit score, an insufficient annual income, number of open credit accounts, and more.
Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company. It's generally harder to get an American Express card than it is to get a credit card from many other major issuers simply because all of Amex's credit card offers require good or excellent credit for approval.
What does your credit score need to be for the Amex Platinum card? While there is no set score needed, we recommend you have a credit score of at least 720, 2 years of clean credit history, and an income of at least $50,000 per year to apply for the Amex Platinum card.
If you're an existing cardholder and you apply for a new card, Amex will not perform a hard pull on your credit if you get denied. They use the information they have on file for you to conditionally approve you, then perform a hard pull to double-check that there have been no major changes to your credit report.
We welcome you to apply for any of our American Express Cards, but please wait at least 30 days from the date you received the decline letter before submitting a new application.
American Express then offers this card as an option once these balances have been settled. American Express doesn't offer a secured credit card, so this is an alternative to that. Sometimes these are referred to as second chance credit cards.
Amex does have a reconsideration line which you can call at 1 (800) 567-1083 in case your Amex application got denied. By talking to someone you can explain any information on your credit reports that might have gotten you rejected. They may or may not change their minds, but you should definitely give it a try!
While American Express doesn't have a "5/24" rule like Chase does, the issuer does limit welcome offer eligibility based on your card history — nominally, you're eligible for one welcome offer per credit card “per lifetime,” but it's not necessarily as simple as that.
The American Express credit score requirement is 700 or above, depending on the card. That means people with good to excellent credit are eligible to be approved for an American Express credit card.
With any good, there is always the bad. Drawbacks of American Express include the notorious annual fees. Although an annual fee is almost expected, the actual fee itself varies.
No, American Express does not verify income on most credit card applications or credit line increase requests. Amex will generally require income verification only if something seems out of the ordinary, such as a 21-year-old claiming to have an annual income of $150,000.
The USAA® Secured American Express® Card used to be the easiest American Express card to obtain as it was available to people with bad credit.
Which Credit Bureau Does American Express Use? American Express appears to primarily pull credit reports from Experian, but this doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally pull from one or both of the other major consumer credit bureaus as well.
Why it's one of the hardest credit cards to get: The hardest credit card to get is the American Express Centurion Card. Known simply as the “Black Card,” you need an invitation to get Amex Centurion.
How Many Inquiries Is Too Many For Amex? In general, when you have 6 hard inquiries, it's too many for Amex.
American Express does not disclose a specific income requirement, but it will need to be enough to make payments on the card and to afford the $250 annual fee.
There is anecdotal evidence of applicants with scores as low as the mid-600s being approved, but that's rare. Even for the American Express® Green Card, a more beginner-focused travel card, a score of 670 or higher is probably necessary.
This will not affect your credit score. However, your request for a Card will show up on your credit bureau reports as a request for credit, also known as an "inquiry."
Amex primarily pulls Experian, though sometimes Equifax or TransUnion reports. Chase favors Experian, but may also buy Equifax or TransUnion reports.
Does American Express automatically increase credit limits? American Express may automatically increase your credit limit as often as every six to 12 months. However, just because you haven't received an automatic increase doesn't mean you're not eligible. You should reach out to American Express to see if you qualify.
If you are applying for multiple Amex cards, simply wait at least six days to ensure you don't get rejected for that second card. You can apply for two Amex cards in one day—as long as one is a charge card and the other a revolving credit card. Otherwise, you won't qualify under the 1-in-5 rule.
Anyone can be eligible for American Express cards if they are at least 18 years old and have a Social Security number and a U.S. street address. Amex applicants should also have more income than monthly expenses and a credit score of 700 or higher, as Amex cards require good or excellent credit for approval.
Getting rejected for a loan or credit card doesn't impact your credit scores. However, creditors may review your credit report when you apply, and the resulting hard inquiry could hurt your scores a little. Learn how to wisely manage your next application and avoid unnecessary hard inquiries.
Remember: A credit card application might be rejected for a variety of reasons. But a rejection doesn't directly hurt your credit scores. However, applying may lower your credit scores by just a few points since it will trigger a hard inquiry.
WalletHub, Financial Company
You should wait six months to one year between credit card applications in most cases, regardless of whether your last application was approved or denied. Most people's credit scores will bounce back from a credit card application in about six months.