Emirates AMEX - Not Impressed - cancel and try for BA AMEX

mither_2

Currently have an Emirates AMEX but not impressed as have put most of my spending on it but points building up very slowly and due to change in circumstances don't expect to fly Emirates very often.


I applied for the BA Amex but was rejected.


I would assume that I already had an Emirates Amex would have a bearing on this?


If I pay off the Emirates Amex hopefully I can apply for another AMEX with better rewards.


Any thoughts on this?


Thanks

guesswho2000

The Emirates Amex is (presuming it's a UK one) issued by MBNA, not American Express - it will have no direct impact on whether American Express will give you a card.

The BA one is issued directly by Amex. American Express' criteria is generally harsher than other lenders, whereas MBNA tend to be a bit more lenient.

Amex's cards include some of the better rewards cards, such as the gold charge card, Starwood and BA credit cards, etc., whereas MBNA offer cards from all sorts of partners, particularly various airlines - you need to see whether or not the rewards offered will actually be of any use to you.

Using myself as an example, I've used the Amex Gold, BA and Starwood cards, as well as the MBNA issued American Airlines, Etihad and Virgin Atlantic cards, as those are all programmes I use - the Emirates card would be useless for me. YMMV, but if you want to collect Emirates miles specifically, the BA card would be useless, for example.