The most common reason you'll be denied an Amex card even with great credit is that you're already at their limit. Specifically, American Express tends to restrict each cardholder to a maximum of four "lending products" (that means revolving credit lines, like credit cards) and up to 10 charge cards.
It might be a simple user error or your card issuer trying to prevent fraud. But cards can also be declined if you've gone over your card limit or if your new card has not yet been activated.
Getting the Amex Gold Card isn't the easiest card to qualify for as you need good or excellent credit. That means having a minimum 670 FICO score and existing cards in good standing. Being an existing American Express cardholder can also make it easier to qualify.
Yes, there is an Amex reconsideration line for applicants to call and request a second review of their denied American Express credit card application. The Amex reconsideration line is (800) 567-1083.
If your application was declined, we do not report it to the credit bureaus. 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."
The hardest Amex card to get is the Centurion® Card from American Express. Also known as the “Black Card,” this Amex card is hard to get because it is available by invitation only, and potential candidates are rumored to need an annual income of at least $1 million.
Although American Express doesn't specify any minimum credit score requirements, you'll need good credit (or better) to qualify, which means a FICO score of at least 670. A premium Amex card — say, the American Express Gold Card — likely requires a “very good” FICO score, somewhere in the range of 740 and above.
Please call us at 1-800-567-1083 if you'd like us to review our decision. Keep in mind that we cannot guarantee we will change our decision. It's been our experience that applicants who were not approved for a new account at one time may qualify in the future.
When applying for the Amex Blue Card, try to have a good credit score, which is a FICO® Score of 670 or above. This is one of the easiest Membership Rewards cards to open, and even consumers with average credit scores have a decent chance of approval.
Yes, it's hard to get an American Express card because they all require good or excellent credit for approval. But American Express isn't the only credit card company to target people in the highest tiers of the credit score scale. Barclays and Wells Fargo do too, for example.
Another major requirement is a steady income. 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.
The American Express Gold is an incredible option for earning travel rewards on dining and U.S. supermarket purchases, and it's ideal for foodies that can take advantage of the dining-related bonus perks. Although it has a $250 annual fee, cardholders can easily offset it with moderate spending and its annual credits.
If you consider yourself a foodie, the American Express® Gold Card could be the ideal luxury card for you. This card earns a competitive 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants and 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
Once-in-a-lifetime rule
Consumers may be approved for the product if they reapply, but the welcome offer will not be available.
To qualify for this $250 annual fee card, one of the best travel rewards credit cards available, you should have a credit score of at least 670.
Does the American Express Gold Card have a limit? The American Express® Gold Card has no preset spending limit, which reflects its origins as a charge card — a card that requires you to pay your bill in full every month.
Amex Platinum ultimately offers more value, though. For example, its benefits include airport lounge access, while the Amex Gold Card's perks do not. When it comes to ongoing rewards on purchases, Amex Platinum has a higher maximum earning rate and better travel rewards. But Amex Gold provides more everyday value.
Salary Needed for Amex Platinum Credit Card
If you make near $100,000 a year and have good credit, you should have no issue getting approved. But, applicants with annual incomes as low as $40,000 have also been approved if they have a low debt-to-income ratio and pay their other credit cards in full every month.
According to the score ranges from FICO, that means American Express applicants typically have at least a 670 score: Exceptional. 800 and above.
In addition to having good to excellent credit and the rules on how many cards you can have or apply for, American Express will also review credit report information including your payment history and credit utilization. Bottom Line: You will need good to excellent credit to be approved for an Amex card.
Being denied for a credit card doesn't hurt your credit score. But the hard inquiry from submitting an application can cause your score to decrease. Submitting a credit card application and receiving notice that you're denied is a disappointment, especially if your credit score drops after applying.
The Reserve Bank had banned American Express from onboarding new customers in April 2021 for non-compliance with local data storage rules.
But in terms of comparing eligibility requirements for Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, American Express may be the hardest issuer to qualify for as most cards require applicants to have a “good” credit score of at least 670 to qualify.
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.
Besides the Black and Platinum Cards, American Express offers a line of 17 other cards.