Amex Application Walkthrough?

Saltrams

I hope to apply for Amex Platinum (not Cashback, the one with perks & annual fee).
I haven’t applied for a credit card for some years now (although I do have several that I’ve had a long time). Is there a walkthrough/checklist of what to do and when to do it because I know I need to check my credit score, maybe update my file, wait for that to kick-in, apply at the right time, use MSE credit club, click the right link…the list seems endless!
I don’t need my hand held but I would like to maximise my chances & not make stupid errors. TIA 🙂

jbrassy

First of all, check your credit file at Experian (MSE Credit Club), Equifax (Clearscore), and Transunion (Credit Karma) to see if your records are accurate. 

If you are satisfied with that, do an eligibility check on the Amex website. 

If that comes back ok, go ahead and apply for the card.

DullGreyGuy

Saltrams said:

I hope to apply for Amex Platinum (not Cashback, the one with perks & annual fee).
I haven’t applied for a credit card for some years now (although I do have several that I’ve had a long time). Is there a walkthrough/checklist of what to do and when to do it because I know I need to check my credit score, maybe update my file, wait for that to kick-in, apply at the right time, use MSE credit club, click the right link…the list seems endless!
I don’t need my hand held but I would like to maximise my chances & not make stupid errors. TIA 🙂

99% of people just apply without even considering a walkthrough may exist let alone be necessary.

You can check your credit history with the CRAs before applying if you fancy, if something is obviously wrong then clearly you can choose to defer applying until you fix it but its fairly rare for people to randomly find a CCJ or default that they didnt know about (but it does happen).

Then its a choice... apply via Quidco or such for a £35 cashback or get a friend to recommend you and get an extra 20,000 MR points once you've made the qualifying spend.

Always helpful when applying to have your move dates, addresses, bank details etc all to hand 

CliveOfIndia

Saltrams said:

I know I need to check my credit score

You don't need to check your credit score.  Well, you can if you like, but it'll tell you nothing.  The score you see on your credit files is seen by no-one but you and the CRA, and bears no resemblance to how a lender will view you.  When you make an application the lender will take the raw data from your credit files, feed it into their computer algorithms, and generate their own internal score.  No-one (apart from maybe the lender's own risk-management and IT teams) will know what criteria they use or what internal score you come out with.

As other's have said, what is important is to check that the data contained within all three of your credit files are factually accurate, and that there are no negative markers on there that may raise red flags with the lender.

Saltrams said:

maybe update my file

You won't be able to update your credit file directly.  The CRAs simply collate the data as reported to them by lenders, so if there's anything missing or incorrect then you need to contact the lender in question and ask them to issue a correction to the CRA.  If there's something basic like your name or address being incorrect, you may be able to request them to change that, but mostly they just report what they're told by lenders.

Check your eligibility first on Amex's own website if they have a checker there - whilst this is still only an indication not a guarantee, it will usually be slightly more accurate than a generic 3rd-party eligibility checker.

Maple08

They’ve also brought back their income requirements and the Platinum card requires £35K salary.

Marchitiello

Maple08 said:

They’ve also brought back their income requirements and the Platinum card requires £35K salary.

This was reported to be £50k few weeks ago on Head for Points 

WillPS

Marchitiello said:

Maple08 said:

They’ve also brought back their income requirements and the Platinum card requires £35K salary.

This was reported to be £50k few weeks ago on Head for Points 

The stated minimum is now £35k. Before this was reinstated, there was an unstated minimum income requirement, supposedly of £50k, to manage demand during a SUB promo.