American Express has built its credit card brand around a perceived level of luxury offered to its cardmembers, with travel, cash back, and other exclusive cardholder benefits. The prestigious credit card issuer has several credit card options out there on the market, making it seem easy to join this elite club of cardmembers.
Providing a few pieces of information about income and credit history is all it takes to submit an application for a new American Express credit card. However, not every applicant is instantly approved with American Express after submitting an application online. It may be necessary to check the status of an AMEX credit card application if approval is not immediate, so that additional information can be provided to the company to get a faster decision. Here’s how to do that.
Options for Checking the Status
You can check your credit card application status by phone or through American Express’s online platform. Let’s start with the latter.
Applicants who were not immediately approved for a new American Express credit card can visit the application status website to view the progress. Once there, prospective cardmembers will need to input their full social security number as well as the zip code that was used on the initial application. After that information is provided, simply click the Check Application button at the bottom of the screen.
American Express (Amex) provides information on all Amex credit card applications submitted along with active credit cards associated with the social security number entered on the first screen. The details on the application status screen show a clear view of a new application’s status, as either approved, declined, or pending. Next steps are also listed clearly next to each credit card for which a potential cardmember has applied, including a request to contact American Express should an application remain in pending status.
Cardmembers with a pending or declined status are encouraged to call American Express directly to gather more information on their application. The number to American Express’ consideration line is 1-866-314-0237. Once on the phone, prospective cardmembers can speak to a live American Express credit card representative to understand what, if anything, is needed to get an approval. These representatives are able to approve – and decline – new credit card applications during this call.
Why Approval is Not Immediate
American Express has set its sights on the most qualified cardmembers, and so not everyone is approved instantly after submitting a new application. In some cases, prospective cardmembers need to provide information about their financial lives, including income level and source of earnings, and an explanation of any less than stellar credit history marks. Applicants with the highest level of income combined with strong credit history and score are likely to be approved, even if it takes a few minutes to receive the new card approval.
Potential cardmembers may also experience a delay in approval for a new American Express credit card if this is their first go-around with the company. So long as financial circumstances have not changed dramatically since the last application, individuals who already have and use an American Express credit card are likely to be approved quickly. It is important to note that American Express only allows for up to four different Amex credit cards per cardmember. Consumers who do not currently hold an Amex credit card may need to call to verify their information or provide additional details to ensure they are approved.
American Express offers several different credit cards, potentially meeting the needs of millions of consumers, but not everyone is approved on the fly. Take the time to check credit history and gather income verification documents before applying for a new American Express card to increase your chances of approval.