American Express Cards For Fair To Poor Credit
People with Fair to Poor credit scores may find it challenging to receive approval for an American Express credit card.
As with any credit card application, higher credit scores ensure a greater chance of application approval. So, applicants in this category are recommended to improve their credit before applying.
For Good To Excellent Credit: American Express Gold Card
Individuals with good or excellent credit may consider applying for the American Express® Gold Card . Although the American Express® Gold Card does not offer any airline or travel lounge benefits, the card earns impressive rewards on restaurants and U.S. supermarket spending. American Express® Gold Card comes with an annual fee of $250 and has the following rewards structure:
- 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets , 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases
In addition to the American Express® Gold Cards industry-leading rewards structure, it also comes with up to $120 in dining credits each year toward eligible restaurants and up to $120 in Uber Cash each year toward U.S. Uber Rides or Uber Eats after you link your eligible card to your Uber account, which if fully utilized could nearly break even with the annual fee.
Understand How Welcome Offers Work
Like many other credit card issuers, American Express provides upfront incentives called welcome offers to new cardholders. These initiatives allow you to earn a bonus when you meet a minimum spending requirement in the first few months.
However, American Express only allows you to earn a card’s welcome offer once. This means that if you’ve had a certain American Express card before and canceled it, you can’t get its welcome offer ever again.
Other card issuers may have similar restrictions, so make sure you do your research before applying.
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Does The American Express Gold Card Have Lounge Access
You won’t get any lounge access with the American Express® Gold Card. The Platinum Card® from American Express, which comes with a steeper annual fee and additional benefits, comes with complimentary airport lounge access.
For rates and fees of American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
The information related to Citi Prestige® Credit Card and American Express® Green Card has been independently collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply to American Express credit card offers. See americanexpress.com for more information.
These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Is There A Way To Get Amex Platinum Fee Waived
You may be eligible for the Amex financial relief program, which can be applied online or by calling Amex at 703-4919 if you are unable to pay your annual fee due to unforeseen financial difficulties. If you choose to waive your annual fee, it is possible that you will not have to pay it.
When the owner uses an Amex Platinum card, they receive annual travel credits and a high earnings multiplier. The annual fee is a disadvantage, but it is the only one. When you have completed your military service, you will be able to get a free Amex charge waiver. Heres how you do it: Customers who use an Amex Platinum card can earn points for their purchases. You can redeem points for gift cards or statement credits. A membership can be worth up to $1000 if it has 100,000 points. If you spend $6000 in six months after applying for the card, you will be in line to receive over 100,000 membership points.
With the Platinum or American Express cards, customers can take advantage of a number of advantages. Their rewards program provides perks such as travel insurance, which is the first of these. A fee waiver is also available for those who meet certain conditions. According to reports, this credit card is one of the best out there.
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Does The Amex Gold Card Get You Access To Airport Lounges
Unfortunately, no. While the American Express Gold Card comes with a variety of travel benefits, you would need The Platinum Card® from American Express in order to gain complimentary access to American Express lounge networks. If you’re open to getting a card from a different credit card issuer, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will offer you a ton of luxury travel benefits that more than compensate for the card’s annual fee.
The Amex Gold is part of the Amex trifecta and pairs well with the Amex Platinum. You can compare the Amex trifecta vs. Chase trifecta rewards side-by-side to see which card combination gets you your preferred travel benefits.
Does American Express Do A Hard Pull For Existing Customers
Most of the time when you apply for a new line of credit, American Express or any other lender you apply to will pull your most recent credit history. This is known as a hard pull and can temporarily ding your credit score.
Some issuers, including American Express, offer a pre-qualification tool to see if youre likely to qualify based on a softcredit check. Amex will review your credit history and income to see if you fit the target market for a particular card. If you arent going to fit their criteria, they will let you know without affecting your credit.
Know that prequalifying is not the same as preapproval and youll still have to apply for a card even if you prequalify. Applying may impact your credit score if the issuer does a hard pull of your credit.
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American Express Gold Card Vs The Platinum Card From American Express
With a hefty $695 annual fee and a slate of luxury travel benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express is a good choice for high spenders who frequently fly. The card lets you earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. That’s a higher rate on directly booked flights than the American Express® Gold Card, though you won’t get the elevated rate on dining and U.S. supermarkets that you get with the American Express® Gold Card. If you spend more on travel than dining and supermarkets, then The Platinum Card® from American Express is worth considering.
The decision to get The Platinum Card® from American Express also depends on whether you value luxury travel experiences. Consider that the card’s $695 annual fee goes toward a membership to Amex’s Global Lounge Collection this isnt a perk thats available on the American Express® Gold Card. You’ll also get elite hotel status and more extensive travel insurance.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
What If My Application Is Denied
No matter how high your credit score is, theres always a chance that your credit card application wont be approved. However, if your application is denied, you always have the option of contacting the card issuer to discuss your application a process known as . To do so with American Express, contact the reconsideration department at 1-800-567-1083 and ask to have your application reviewed.
During your reconsideration call, you can also update your financial information, such as your annual income. Some credit card applicants dont realize theyre able to list all available sources of income including alimony, child support, disability and retirement benefits. Theres also a law that says you can include the income of your spouse or domestic partner, so long as you can reasonably expect to access that income for the purpose of repaying a loan. This law was created to offer non-working spouses the ability to access credit in their own name.
If youre not successful in getting your application reconsidered, American Express asks that you wait at least 30 days before reapplying.
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For Excellent Credit: The Platinum Card From American Express
Geared toward borrowers with excellent credit scores, The Platinum Card® from American Express is a top-tier lifestyle and travel credit card. The vast menu of perks and benefits with this card could, if fully utilized, outweigh the hefty $695 annual fee.
Highlights of the card include:
- 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases
You can redeem Membership Rewards in multiple ways. For travel you can use your points for flights and other travel through AmexTravel.com. Points are worth one cent each when used this way for flights, but only 0.7 cents each when you redeem for prepaid hotels, rental cars and cruises.
Membership Rewards points can also be transferred to over a dozen airline and hotel partners, many at a 1:1 transfer ratio. Among the most popular are Delta Air Lines, British Airways Avios and Air Canada Aeroplan . Hotel partners include Hilton, Marriott Bonvoy and Choice.
Membership Rewards may also be redeemed for gift cards or statement credits and for pay with points at checkout with select retailers .
How To Request A Reconsideration Of Your Application
If your application wasnt approved, we always suggest calling Amex to ask for it to be reconsidered. The worst that can happen is that they say no! But on the other hand, they may be able to approve you for the card if you can provide them with more information.
If you already have an Amex card they may not want to extend you any more credit. In this case, you may be able to close a card in order to get approved for another card. Ive done so in the past. And it might make sense for you if its the only thing keeping you from earning a lucrative welcome offer!
Regardless, calling in and asking for reconsideration is also a great way to glean insight onto what you can do to improve your chances of approval in the future.
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American Express Application Rules
Like other banks, American Express discourages trying for new cards if you have several new accounts. These rules may jeopardize your application status even if you have excellent credit.
With the exception of the welcome offer qualification rules, these application guidelines are not publicly disclosed on the Amex website. You may have success trying, but you may wait to try if you fall into one of these groups.
American Express Gold Card Review: Dining Rewards Royalty
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Who Is The Amex Gold Card For
The American Express Gold Card is a great fit for travelers because it has a lot of travel benefits, and you get the most value out of Membership Reward points when redeemed for travel. It also earns 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, which will help you earn rewards faster to reach your travel goal.
Its also a good Membership Rewards earning card for foodies and almost anyone because it earns 4x points for dining, takeout and food delivery worldwide, and 4x on purchases at US supermarkets up to $25,000 per calendar year. That can add up to 100,000 points annually for buying groceries if you max out that bonus.
While some other cards added food purchases as a temporary bonus category during the pandemic, the 4x earning on Amex Gold dining and groceries is not likely to change as it was in place before COVID. The Citi Prestige card is one of the few cards that offers a bigger bonus for dining at 5x points per dollar spent, but that card has a $495 annual fee. All other purchases made using the Gold card earn one point per dollar.
Travelers will benefit the most by holding the Amex Gold card though, because Membership Rewards are a valuable, flexible currency that can be used to book travel with Amex, or they can be transferred to airline or hotel programs for even greater potential value. If you dont travel much, they can also be used for gift certificates or you can pay with points at popular sites like or Best Buy.
Why You May Be Rejected When Applying For This Card
While credit card issuers heavily rely on credit scores to evaluate applicants, they also consider other factors, such as your annual income, how long you’ve had credit history and how many credit cards you currently have. For example, if you have a good credit score but have only had a credit history for a few months, the issuer may end up rejecting you because you don’t have a long enough credit history to indicate your creditworthiness.
American Express also has set limits when it comes to how many of its consumer and business cards you’re allowed to have. Individuals are limited to just five total consumer credit cards, so it’s possible you could be automatically rejected if you already have five American Express credit cards.
If, for whatever reason, you are rejected for the Amex Gold Card, card issuers and banks are required by federal law to let applicants know exactly why within 60 days. It might also be worth appealing the decision by calling American Express directly pointing out your loyalty to the credit card issuer or your history of making on-time payments on your lines of credit may help your chances.
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How Do Charge Cards Affect Your Credit Score
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.
With all the hype surrounding the Platinum Card® from American Express and the recently refreshed American Express® Gold Card, it’s easy to forget that these aren’t actually credit cards but charge cards. TPG reader Nodisha wants to know how using an Amex charge card will affect her credit score…
I just got approved for the new rose gold Amex. I understand that this is a charge card how does that appear on your credit report?
Nodisha is spot-on with this question. It’s important to understand the factors that affect your credit score so you can avoid violating the ten commandments of travel rewards and damaging your credit.
About 30% of your is calculated based on your utilization, which is simply your total balances divided by your total credit. The lower your utilization, the higher your score.
Because there’s no preset spending limit with charge cards, it’s mathematically impossible to calculate your utilization. Take your balance at the end of the month and… divide it by zero? If you check your credit report for an Amex charge card, you’ll see that there is no utilization calculated:
What Other Issuers To Consider If Amex Doesnt Approve You
If your application for an Amex card is denied, your best bet is to try and figure out why you werent approved and what you can do about it. That advice goes for Amex and all other issuers.
For example, if your credit score needs work, use our tips to improve your score, which will increase your odds of approval next time you want a rewards card. Regardless of whether youre applying for an Amex card, Chase card, Capital One card or Citi card, most of the top rewards cards require good to excellent credit scores and a solid credit history.
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How To Apply For The American Express Gold Card
To apply for the American Express® Gold Card, you must be at least 18 years old and a US citizen or permanent resident.
Eligibility requirements
To apply for the card, you must be:
- At least 18 years old
What credit score do I need to apply?
American Express doesnt publish a minimum credit score, but your chances of approval increase if you apply with a good to an excellent score of 670 or higher. Several cardholders on Reddit note they were approved for the card with a Good credit score as low as 640, though at the time they had a strong salary or clean credit history.
American Express Gold Card’s Outstanding Benefits
The card offers up to $120 in dining credits each yearthat’s $10 per month in automatic statement credits when you use your card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. Before you start swiping, though, enroll in the program. Otherwise, youll be paying the full bill out of pocket. Be aware, also, that you need to use the credit every month, since it wont roll over to the next one if it isn’t used.
The card also comes with up to $120 in Uber credits. Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and youll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash each month for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
The card also comes with a $100 annual airline fee credit. The caveat is that you’ll need to choose a single qualifying airline once per year, and the credit only counts toward things like checked baggage fees and in-flight mealsnot for tickets or seat upgrades.
Lastly, the card provides payment flexibility with its Pay Over Time and Plan It features. Pay Over Time allows charges over $100 to be paid over time just like a credit card at a set interest rate determined by the credit quality of the applicant. The Plan It feature allows the flexibility to split up large purchases into smaller payments over a period of months in exchange for a set fee.
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