Many credit card providers now offer instant approval, including
You will receive our decision by post within 10 working days.
When applying for the Amex Blue Card, try to have a good credit score, which is a FICO® Score of 670 or above. This is one of the easiest Membership Rewards cards to open, and even consumers with average credit scores have a decent chance of approval.
Get started now with Instant Card Number.
With an instant credit card number by American Express, eligible Card Members can immediately start shopping online and using their new Card benefits today.
Current American Express customers may also receive pre-approved offers periodically by e-mail or when logging into their card's online account. And in some cases, American Express will send people pre-approved offers for a specific credit card in the mail.
Although American Express doesn't specify any minimum credit score requirements, you'll need good credit (or better) to qualify, which means a FICO score of at least 670. A premium Amex card — say, the American Express Gold Card — likely requires a “very good” FICO score, somewhere in the range of 740 and above.
But in terms of comparing eligibility requirements for Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, American Express may be the hardest issuer to qualify for as most cards require applicants to have a “good” credit score of at least 670 to qualify.
Centurion® Card from American Express
Why it's one of the hardest credit cards to get: The hardest credit card to get is the American Express Centurion Card. Known simply as the “Black Card,” you need an invitation to get Amex Centurion.
The different fees often make or break a deal for a merchant. This is why many merchants, especially small businesses, don't accept American Express. American Express' interchange fee is just too high. Providers like Visa and Mastercard charge between 1.15% and 2.5%, while Amex charges merchants between 1.43% and 3.3%.
Yes, it's hard to get an American Express card because they all require good or excellent credit for approval. But American Express isn't the only credit card company to target people in the highest tiers of the credit score scale. Barclays and Wells Fargo do too, for example.
To be approved for the Amex Platinum, you need to have a good or excellent credit score. This means you need a credit score of at least 700. If you're hovering around the 700 mark, it may be best to wait to apply when your score increases as the average applicant has a score of 715.
According to the score ranges from FICO, that means American Express applicants typically have at least a 670 score: Exceptional. 800 and above.
The American Express credit score requirement is of at least 700, depending on the card. That means people with good to excellent credit are eligible to get approved for an American Express credit card.
They will request tax returns and bank statements. What they're looking for is to make sure the income you reported on the application is true. The process typically takes 2-3 weeks, and you're assigned a specialist to talk to.
To inquire about status of your Card application, please call American Express New Accounts on 1-800-392-2000. It takes approximately 14 business days to process a new application.
American Express is good because its credit cards offer customers a wide selection of bonus rewards in popular purchase categories. American Express credit cards also have an assortment of lucrative welcome offers, introductory 0% APR offers, and luxury travel benefits.
Why It's One of the Most Exclusive Credit Cards: The most exclusive, prestigious credit card is without a doubt the American Express Centurion Card, otherwise known as the Amex Black Card. That's because it's the most famous.
The primary drawback of American Express cards is the fact that they charge companies for the payments that they process. This is because they have their own payment network and don't rely on companies like Visa and Mastercard. This means that some businesses, especially smaller ones, may not accept American Express.
It has an initiation fee of $10,000 and an annual fee of $5,000. It's also invite-only; you can't apply without permission from Amex. The card offers some incredible benefits, like complimentary elite status across four hotel chains and with Delta, airport arrival services, and access to a concierge.
If you check your credit report for an Amex charge card, you'll see that there is no utilization calculated: In many ways, this means that charge cards share one of the best benefits of business credit cards, namely that purchases you make don't directly affect your personal credit report.
The American Express Black Card is a high-end, exclusive charge card that is available to individuals on an invitation-only basis. Consumers may qualify for the American Express Platinum Card based on their credit score and income. Keep reading to find out what each card offers and how they differ.
In the 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study by J.D. Power, American Express came in first. It has also consistently done well in these yearly studies. If you get a card that's issued by American Express, you can expect high-quality service. With Visa cards, you won't interact with Visa for customer service issues.
Countries Where American Express is Accepted Most: Canada, Australia, UK, India, Singapore. Places Where American Express is Not Accepted: Cuba, Sudan, South Sudan, Iran, Syria.
Applicants need at least good credit to have decent odds of approval for most American Express credit cards. If you're considering an American Express card but don't meet the minimum credit requirements, you can request to be added to another person's credit card as an authorized user.
There is no way to know how high American Express credit limits are as Amex doesn't disclose this information in their cards' terms and conditions. Your credit limit will depend on your credit history, debt level, income, and payment history on other American Express cards.