Thread: How long before you can re-apply for Amex after being denied?

Last week I attempted to apply for the Blue Cash Everyday card and got declined. I’m guessing because I don’t have much credit.

I’m 30yrs old and have been living cash since 2006. I got myself in trouble in my early 20s with a credit card that gave me a $6,000 limit. I maxed it out and then couldn’t pay sometime in 2005. But I closed all my accounts in 2006 and got it all paid off in 2008 and lived paying cash/debit for everything since.

All my negative info is from 2006 (late payments, non payment, etc). So most of it is no longer looked at but when I checked my credit last year, I had 640 score and was considered of ‘no credit’ status.

I could only get a prepaid credit card which I have had now a year but rarely use and don’t carry over a balance, so that isn’t helping much.

So after being declined by Blue Cash, the next day I tried to apply for the Zync card which I hear is easier to get approved, but my application got cancelled I assume due to the recent application that is still active. So how long are we supposed to wait before applying for an Amex card again?

I just pulled my credit report and it shows a score of 639, the only current accounts I have is my small prepaid credit card and my car that I co-signed for last year with my father and paying down fairly quickly. So not sure why I would have went down a point when I have now have two credit accounts and pay them early and well more than the minimum payment.

I assume you are applying over the web for the cards.

I would suggest calling Amex and speaking to someone about your application. You could ask them to see if you were qualified for any other card that Amex offers. You point out that you recently were denied a Blue Cash. They may still have the application on file and could look for other offers. It may not work out but it is worth a try to get an Amex if you really want it.

The issue is American Express target folks with good to excellent credit, regardless of which card you applied for, you might stand a chance with a credit score above 650 and no negative items on your credit report (excluding a few late payments). I noticed that in your case as times goes on, while these negative flags may fall off or of less importance, you score is going down. I am not sure why this is happening but i am willing to guess that some of the accounts that were in good standing are falling off (after 10 years for closed accounts) or maybe you have a few hard pull (seeking credit). If you can work a little more on your credit, you can bring that score up and easily get a zync card.

Some suggestions you can try are:

1. Get a joint account
2. Store credit such as JCP (Easy to get) this will only help if you can establish a good account history
3. Apply for the Household Bank card with 2% Cash back (this is still have and use)
4.Goodwill adjustments letter, this is asking for forgiveness with accounts that are now current but you might as well give it a try for your old accounts.
5. Dispute inaccurate information (Do not use annualfreecredit.org) as it will only prolong the response time.

You can also try writing Amex back after you received your denial letter, trying to convince them to grant you an account with as little as 250.00

Thank you all for your input.

It's kind of funny, I got denied last week on the 11th, and today I received a letter/ad in the mail stating "I have been selected to apply for the American Express Green Card". I guess they don't look for current applications. I get these for the Green Card and Zync card all the time, I should have known better than to first apply for the Blue Cash card

I called a rep yesterday to ask how long to wait between applications, and she stated it's 60 days that the system will accept another application. So I guess I will wait till mid December. I don't really need it, but if I'm going to have a credit card, I'd really like one from American Express only.

Thanks again!

Oh, and sorry for the double thread, I didn't see that my first submission had posted right away so I tried posting again later and now I see two.

keep in mind that pre-selected / pre-approved and any other similar offers are just a marketing tactic. it does not guarantee approval.

Applying for Amex now is a guaranteed denial and the hard pull is also helping you lower your score. Take a look at this link and see if you can prequalify for a card.
Credit Cards For Fair Credit

Hello, I am new to the credit card world. I am currently using a capital one card that I have for a year and a half now and it is my first card and my only credit card, I have been paying it off in full everytime and always on time. I have gotten offers from American express for their gold, green, and zync card but the thing that prevented me from applying was the annual fee. So I applied for a blue card 3 months ago, but I was declined, should I wait it out? Or should I apply for another card example the Clear card?

Originally Posted by 1989ba4

Hello, I am new to the credit card world. I am currently using a capital one card that I have for a year and a half now and it is my first card and my only credit card, I have been paying it off in full everytime and always on time. I have gotten offers from American express for their gold, green, and zync card but the thing that prevented me from applying was the annual fee. So I applied for a blue card 3 months ago, but I was declined, should I wait it out? Or should I apply for another card example the Clear card?

You have thin file. Any Amex revolver going to be hard. Charge cards are within reason but all have annual fee. Might think about getting one or two more credit cards and wait 6 months to year to apply for Amex revolver