Upgrading an Amex?

C32AMG

I currently have a Blue and Red Amex, both with reasonable to good credit limits.

I have been with American Express since the beginning of 2005.

Since I applied for the Amex, my salary has increased considerably, as has the households income as a whole. My credit score with Experian at the last check was 999/1000.

I would like to upgrade one of the Amex cards to a Platinum card. I don't need a further credit limit increase if a card is upgraded. Will they do this? I don't really want to apply for an additional card (in addition to my other 2 with Amex) and would guess that upgrading an existing card would be less of a credit risk to American Express.

antuk

Hi,

I had a blue card with AMEX that i wanted to upgrade, they told me that they don't do upgrades. What i had to do was apply for the Platinium, then once i had it transfer the credit limit from the blue card over and close the blue card, bit of a hassle but it meant that i ended up with a higher credit limit in the end.

Ant

cm233lh

Go to quidco. Apply for the Amex platinum. You'll get a tenner off Quidco, and 5% cashback off amex for the first 3 months. Surely that makes the hassle worthwhile. Cancel your red card (you heartless b***) and wait till your blue one pays the cashback before cancelling it. That's what I'd do.

Clariman

C32AMG wrote: »

I would like to upgrade one of the Amex cards to a Platinum card. I don't need a further credit limit increase if a card is upgraded. Will they do this?

Why do you want to "upgrade" one of your Amex cards to a Platinum one. What benefits do you feel that you will actually get from the card? In what way do you consider this to be an upgrade?


Clariman

[Deleted User]

More cash back perhaps clariman?

But then again the capital one platinum world does 4% for the first 3months, good if your making a big purchase and is more accepted tehn AMEX.

Being a shareholder in AMEX and not capital one ill have to urge you to get the amex though

C32AMG

Clariman wrote: »

Why do you want to "upgrade" one of your Amex cards to a Platinum one. What benefits do you feel that you will actually get from the card? In what way do you consider this to be an upgrade?


Clariman

Well, I could copy and paste the Email Amex sent me, extolling the virtues of the Platinum card, its benefits including the VIP service (Something I use anyway) and of course the increased cash back.

But as you seem to be fishing for a specific answer, who am I not to indulge you? So, just for you - I just want it to match all the other cards I have in my wallet.

Happy now?

Clariman

C32AMG wrote: »

Well, I could copy and paste the Email Amex sent me, extolling the virtues of the Platinum card, its benefits including the VIP service (Something I use anyway) and of course the increased cash back.

But as you seem to be fishing for a specific answer, who am I not to indulge you? So, just for you - I just want it to match all the other cards I have in my wallet.

Sorry if you took offence to my question - it wasn't intended. I asked because I often see that people choose credit cards based on their colour or their perceived 'status', rather than evaluating them as a financial product. Your use of the term "upgrade" suggested to me that you might see more status in having an Amex Platinum card than your existing ones. Hence, I was interested to know why you wanted to 'upgrade'. Was it because you thought it was a better financial product or was it because you liked the idea of having an Amex Platinum card.

Just in case you think I have some inverted snobbery about the Amex Platinum - I don't. I use the Amex Platinum as my main purchase card because of the decent levels of cashback (up to 1.5%). I wasn't aware that it had any genuine "VIP" benefits, but then again I don't choose a credit card to gain them.

Clariman

C32AMG

Most of my cards are Platinum, but I don't have real interest in what a card 'looks' like, provided it is a good financial product for my needs. (I may baulk at a bright pink card though!).

I never carry a balance, so I never worry about the APR of the card - those with good 'extras' often (Especially Amex) seem to have high APR's anyway...

I used the term 'Upgrade', as the 'pecking' order for Amex cards (on their website, at least) places the Platinum above both the Red and Blue cards.

I have no real interest in credit card snobbery and think it is silly to do so. Platinum cards are given away now to many people earning substantially lower than an average wage. I even had two when I was a student with very little income. I do have some friends who like to 'show off' their new Platinum and Gold cards, and perceive them as some form of status symbol... yet they are the ones usually heavily in debt.

Turning the situation around, a member of my close family is a (self made) multi-millionaire, and both him and his wife use regular RBS debit cards.

Clariman

I used the term 'Upgrade', as the 'pecking' order for Amex cards (on their website, at least) places the Platinum above both the Red and Blue cards.

Hey, if you keep using words like "upgrade" and "pecking" order, then I'll have a sneaky suspicion that a hint of card snobbery comes in to it

Seriously, I'm glad that you evaluate cards based on their financial benefits. The colour of a card is totally irrelevant and I don't think that there is any genuine pecking order of credit cards. Sure you might need a higher salary for card A than card B but that does not mean the card itself is any better.

Clariman

oxmatt

Do you mean the Platinum Amex credit or charge card?

The charge card definitely does have some very good benefits for some people.

[Deleted User]

At £300 a year for the charge card youd probably need to be spending tens of thousands on executive flights and hotel penthouses in order to get any benefit from that LOL

But i guess this threads about the credit cards which probably only has one benefit and thats cashback.