And just like that I'm back in with Chase

[justbroke]

Getting out from the so-called "ban for life" from AMEX seems to be possible, and I am proof. I knew the ban was 10-30 years through anecdotal evidence. I just kept applying and they would respond with a past negative experience. They would never obtain a credit report. Then one day it just started to actually run my Experian credit and decline me based on some internal scoring formula. Then one day I applied and instant approval. Not everyone will have that experience.

[shipo]

Yes, the "ban for life" is definitely not universal, that said, I've been compiling data points and the data indicates if an individual burned AMEX for less than $10,000 (at the time the discharge was granted), said individual can get back in with AMEX somewhere in the 5 to 8 year time frame. I have a few additional data points for folks in the $10,000 - $19,999 zone where getting "forgiven" and let back in after 10+ years. I have yet to hear of a single individual who burned AMEX for something north of $20,000 being let back in without making some form of restitution.

[flashoflight]

Yes, the "ban for life" is definitely not universal, that said, I've been compiling data points and the data indicates if an individual burned AMEX for less than $10,000 (at the time the discharge was granted), said individual can get back in with AMEX somewhere in the 5 to 8 year time frame. I have a few additional data points for folks in the $10,000 - $19,999 zone where getting "forgiven" and let back in after 10+ years. I have yet to hear of a single individual who burned AMEX for something north of $20,000 being let back in without making some form of restitution.

I'll have to raise my hand for the $20k+ club. Restitution is not happening, especially since they sued me on two of the cards.

[justbroke]

I have yet to hear of a single individual who burned AMEX for something north of $20,000 being let back in without making some form of restitution.

Today is that day.

Well, I was in the $70K+ club. I had just convinced myself that I'd never ever have another AMEX card. Miracles happen and its weird when they say "thank you for 37 years with AMEX" when I call them. I know that I'm an outlier, a unicorn. I would not say that it is normal to get back into AMEX with that amount of claims filed, but it did happen. No restitution. No payments. Strange.

[womanonfire]

womanonfire, congratulations on getting your rebuild started while in your Chapter 13; I was not able to apply for a credit card until after my discharge.

Regarding your Credit One card; just so you know, the card isn't really an AMEX; it is a CreditOne card through and through which happens to use the AMEX payment network as opposed to either Visa or MasterCard.

Well darn! Thanks for that update! And congrats on your progress as well!

[shipo]

Today is that day.

Well, I was in the $70K+ club. I had just convinced myself that I'd never ever have another AMEX card. Miracles happen and its weird when they say "thank you for 37 years with AMEX" when I call them. I know that I'm an outlier, a unicorn. I would not say that it is normal to get back into AMEX with that amount of claims filed, but it did happen. No restitution. No payments. Strange.

Was the $70K number the original filing or what was left over when you converted to a Chapter 7?

[justbroke]

Was the $70K number the original filing or what was left over when you converted to a Chapter 7?

I was in a 0% Chapter 13. The number was greater than $70K.

[shipo]

A quick update on Chase letting me back in back in December...

Yesterday, roughly seven months since Chase approved me for the Sapphire Preferred card with a starting limit of $11,700, they sent me a pre-approval E-Mail for their Freedom Unlimited card. Honestly I wouldn't have taken a second look as I was mostly satisfied with the five cards I've gotten since my Chapter 13 discharge back in 2020; I say mostly because the CapitalOne SavorOne card I got last year, a card with a very good rewards structure and no annual fee, is stuck at a $2,000 limit, and in spite of heavy usage, CapOne refuses to offer me more than a $200 increase (which I have declined several times now).

So, back to the Chase situation, I took the bait yesterday and applied for the Freedom Unlimited card (which has a rewards structure which basically duplicates what I get from the two separate CapOne cards); they approved me for a starting limit of $23,600, nearly three times the combined limit of my CapOne cards. Looks like my Quicksilver and SavorOne cards are heading for the proverbial Sock Drawer.

In the end, I am grateful CapOne gave me my first unsecured card following my discharge, and had they given me a reasonable credit limit on the SavorOne card, I would still be a dedicated user of their cards, but now, well, time to move on.