Strategy to obtain US Amex

[levelnine]

Have you ever been rejected for VX?

Yes, once. Haven't bothered again as I've been focusing on Chase and am inclined to save my last 5/24 slot for something better than a 75K SUB (eg I'd probably take the Chase IHG 175K SUB over the 75K C1 VX SUB because I get a lot of use out of my IHG points).

 

[Finale]

I have Venture X for a year and tried to apply for Venture. Got rejected instantly. The letter says
there have been too many recent inquiries and time since recent credit card inquiry is too short. They instead approved me for another card Platinum or Venture rewards with $3k limit which I did not accept.

I was at 2/24 and the latest personal card was that Venture X over a year ago. However, Chase did 2 hard pulls on my business card app back in late Oct and early Nov. It looks like if you want Venture or Venture X, you need to plan well. Got rejected by Cap1 2 times already for this Venture card. The first rejection was before I applied for X. Venture X might be easier?

 

[nomad2000]

Can anyone let me know if there's anything I should be aware of with my strategy below?

I've applied for an ITIN and the first card I'll be applying for is the C1 Venture X. I'll wait 3-5 months for the C1 Savorone. Once that's done I'll look at applying for the CSP at a later date and that would put me at 5/24.

I think the combination of Venture X and Savorone is an amazing combination for daily spend. After that I can look at going for SUBs and churning through the upgrade and downgrade paths.

In order to get those C1 cards, is there anything else I need?

Things I'll have prior to the application:

• US bank statement for address verification
• US mobile phone invoice/statement with my address
• ITIN
• FICO >750

Yeah C1 is very stingy with their approvals, and according to their website you'd need "Excellent" credit which means at least 3 years of history with multiple trade lines to get their venture cards.
You can certainly try, but use their pre-approval tool first, if you don't see any venture cards there, you'll most likely be denied for all their venture cards.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Yeah C1 is very stingy with their approvals, and according to their website you'd need "Excellent" credit which means at least 3 years of history with multiple trade lines to get their venture cards.
You can certainly try, but use their pre-approval tool first, if you don't see any venture cards there, you'll most likely be denied for all their venture cards.

Based on the FT thread, it sounds like its all over the place. There are no specifics and it seems like its entirely random. Some say you're more likely to get it if you're likely to carry balance but that has clearly been disproven.

Who knows... I might luck out but I'm not holding my breath!

 

[_TheTraveller_]

For those with experiences with ITINs, does anyone know if middle names within the first name cause any issues with credit reporting? Exampe:

Amex:
First: John
Middle: M
Last: Smith

ITIN:
First: John Michael
Last: Smith

 

[Finale]

For those with experiences with ITINs, does anyone know if middle names within the first name cause any issues with credit reporting? Exampe:

Amex:
First: John
Middle: M
Last: Smith

ITIN:
First: John Michael
Last: Smith

You should be fine. I have 3 to 4 variations of my name in EQ file.

 

[Franko Costa]

I'm a little stuck atm needing some help.

Amex through GT won't approve my application as they can't verify my US (myUS) address. I've had this address for a long time, but don't know what to do. They want a bank statement or a utilities statement. Any advice would be warmly appreciated

 

[levelnine]

I've had this address for a long time, but don't know what to do. They want a bank statement or a utilities statement. Any advice would be warmly appreciated

If you've had the address for a long time, presumably you have some statement with that address on it, no? Even a statement from another credit card company will likely work.

 

[Franko Costa]

If you've had the address for a long time, presumably you have some statement with that address on it, no? Even a statement from another credit card company will likely work.

Sorry I should have said that this is my first time ever applying for a US credit card. I've just had the my US account/address for a long time

 

[levelnine]

I've just had the my US account/address for a long time

Do you have some sort of documentation with that address on it? You can probably use anything. Amex are fairly lenient in what they accept as proof of address.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Sorry I should have said that this is my first time ever applying for a US credit card. I've just had the my US account/address for a long time

Tax invoice of some stuff you bought?

 

[Franko Costa]

Tax invoice of some stuff you bought?

They said it has to be a utility bill, phone bill or another bank/credit card account

 

[_TheTraveller_]

They said it has to be a utility bill, phone bill or another bank/credit card account

Have you told them that you don't have either of those yet? If you did and they still wanted something then not much you can do until you get a bank account setup.

 

[Martin999]

They said it has to be a utility bill, phone bill or another bank/credit card account

Just mention that “you just landed in the US” and do not have the requested item at the moment.

 

[mrsquare]

Just applied for an ITIN via Fiverr too. Lady seemed very responsive and got the application ready in quick time, had a video call with her and she said she’ll mail the application in soon. Fingers crossed it all goes alright. Haha.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Out of curiosity what are people's game plans for sequencing their applications and what cards are they looking to get coming up?

Also, does anyone know what the rationale behind US credit cards not asking for income verification for credit cards? I find it a bit strange.

 

[levelnine]

Out of curiosity what are people's game plans for sequencing their applications and what cards are they looking to get coming up?

Also, does anyone know what the rationale behind US credit cards not asking for income verification for credit cards? I find it a bit strange.

Chase Inks (no more than 1 every 3 months). Keeps you under 5/24, the current SUB cannot be beat and they courier the card to your door in Australia on request (receive them quicker than cards from Australian banks). Intersperse with Amex Biz Golds & Biz Plats when there is elevated spend — personally, I try to minimise Amex cards as using the credits to bring the AF down to an acceptable level is not easy in Australia. Occasionally branch out to other cards that look attractive and might be worth the squeeze (eg current Chase IHG Premier 175K, recent Barclays AA Biz 80K, Hilton Biz 130K for an easy spacer between Chase cards).

I've been hitting US cards so hard lately that I'm starting to run low on Qantas points (good for Platinum release of classic award seats) so may switch back to some Australian credit cards later this year. Don't want to transfer Amex US points to Qantas because it seems like a waste of such valuable points.

The credit score, and record, is king in the US, which is why income doesn't matter as much. Makes sense. Your past record is probably a more reliable indicator of ability and propensity to pay than your income.

 

[Tiki]

Out of curiosity what are people's game plans for sequencing their applications and what cards are they looking to get coming up?

Also, does anyone know what the rationale behind US credit cards not asking for income verification for credit cards? I find it a bit strange.

Being US born and bred, Aussie naturalized I find it strange and upsetting that the Aussie banks think only high income people are worthy of credit cards. I have had excellent credit scores in the US for almost 40 years, perfect on time record and the same in Australia for over 20 years. Yet because of my income, I was denied a $2000 Citibank rewards card in Australia whereas the USA will give me $8000-10000 based on my personal payment records.
My game plan involves the CSP next because of 5/24. Hopefully there will be 80k soon. Then maybe another Amex or I might go for a Cap 1 or Citi while I am in LAX and will have a non-VPN US IP address and can walk into a branch if needed. I am not a customer of either so they may have identity issues. Fico 810 last time I looked. Depends on what bonuses are going in May.

 

[desafinado74]

Just applied for an ITIN via Fiverr too. Lady seemed very responsive and got the application ready in quick time, had a video call with her and she said she’ll mail the application in soon. Fingers crossed it all goes alright. Haha.

Just out of curiosity, did you use SH Studio too ?

 

[thedamon]

How do people pay their Amex bills from abroad? Do you transfer using Wise or what’s the best and most cost effective way of doing these transfers?