Amex Platinum Approval Process

NewUser1972

20 years ago I defaulted on my Amex credit card.  10 years ago I applied and was declined with a 'you've been a naughty boy in the past' letter. Fair enough.  My credit file is now clean and I earn a good six figure salary so I thought I'd apply as the eligibility checker didnt auto-decline me but gave me 6.5/10.  I hit the button and went for it.  It credit checked and then came back with a 'good news' message and asked for some further information (how long I had been with my bank and another question I forget).  I then hit continue and it told me they need to check my application and come back to me but i should choose a pin number for my card if one is issued.  This looks like better news that in the past in so much as I wasn't auto-declined.  I also note that plenty of people have gone to referral rather than had an instant decision but most of them seem to get this message at the first stage. Does anyone have any experience of Amex giving the good news, we should be able to approve once you have supplied this additional information and then gone to manual approval? If so, what was the outcome for you?  I'll post what happens for me because I know there are plenty of people on the Amex naughty list from years ago who would be interested to hear what happens if you apply as much as 20 years later

Marchitiello

Reports from USA based customers suggest they blacklist you for life there but in UK, according to some old posts here, some people with previous Amex’s defaults have been accepted after few years.

The Platinum Card (not the cashback one) has recently also seen reports of a Min £50k income, which was not there before, so criteria’s at Amex May be changing (they have made other changes too, eliminating the pro-rata fee refund for example ) 

MattMattMattUK

I had two Amex cards (credit card and chargr card) cancelled when I was 18, did not make payments on time and three strikes got them closed down, though I did pay everything off before they were closed. I applied for an Amex card in my mid-thirties and I got it without any hassle beyond an additional ID check which may not have even be related. 

cymruchris

There have been threads previously of people that defaulted more recently than your timeline and still got a card. I think there are lots of factors, but I don't think you're barred for life anymore. Let us know when you've got everything confirmed if successful, it'll be good to add another anecdotal piece of evidence for anyone searching in the future. (I get a 5.5 out of 10 likelihood - and was bankrupt with them in 2013 - but haven't hit the 'apply' button yet)

NewUser1972

Here's the answer... I have been approved, 20 years after defaulting on a credit card with them (approx £4.2K - eventually paid back via Brachers in a couple of years).  Applied yesterday as the eligibility tool said 6.5/10.  I have clear payment history for 6+ years, 4 existing cards with ~£18K limits with zero outstanding, I rent privately, have around 4K in debts (Paypal credit, Very etc.) with debt to limit ratio overall of ~20%. I have lived where I live for 16+ years and banked with my bank for 12+ years. I earn >£120K per year and have 3 dependants and I'm nearly 50. Hopefully this information will help others.  BTW this is The Platinum card rather than the Platinum Credit card (they are both credit cards nowadays anyway)

cymruchris

NewUser1972 said:

Here's the answer... I have been approved, 20 years after defaulting on a credit card with them (approx £4.2K - eventually paid back via Brachers in a couple of years).  Applied yesterday as the eligibility tool said 6.5/10.  I have clear payment history for 6+ years, 4 existing cards with ~£18K limits with zero outstanding, I rent privately, have around 4K in debts (Paypal credit, Very etc.) with debt to limit ratio overall of ~20%. I have lived where I live for 16+ years and banked with my bank for 12+ years. I earn >£120K per year and have 3 dependants and I'm nearly 50. Hopefully this information will help others.  BTW this is The Platinum card rather than the Platinum Credit card (they are both credit cards nowadays anyway)

That's good news - thanks for updating - it's helpful for those in a similar position. I know they make their decisions on many factors, but it's always good to see evidence of those that have defaulted getting back in favour.

JES_F1

I defaulted on my first American Express card, which was part of my debt management plan that I completed in June 2013. 

I applied for a new Amex card (Platinum Cashback Everyday) in June 2019 and was surprised to get it with a £5,000 credit limit.  After a couple of months, Amex reduced my credit limit to £1,200 so I guess they'd done some further checks - I vaguely recall them asking for some bank statements.  After two years of paying off my balance in full each month, they increased my credit limit to £2,100 but haven't increased it since.

Between the end of my DMP and applying for the Amex, I got a couple of Barclaycards and a Santander Mastercard, all of which get paid in full each month, so that will probably have helped get the new Amex.