gerray Posted February 25 Posted February 25 Bottom Line Up Front: filed Ch. 7 bankruptcy in late 2006 and had 3 AmEx cards totaling $23.5k discharged. Never repaid. After nearly 20 years and current scores of 830+ across the board, I am in a place in life where the benefits of the Platinum card are worth the Annual Fee, so I decided to apply only to be auto denied due to “prior account(s) cancelled by AmEx”. I called to appeal but got nowhere, however I did eventually end up transferred to department that was able to provide me reference numbers for all 3 accounts, balance for each, and an address in California I could mail payment to if I so choose, but with no assurance it would result in them reopening their doors to me. My question is two-fold: 1). Anyone had any luck appealing this? 2). Will they ever forget and forgive if I do not pay, or did the balances/number of accounts IIB mark me for life? Quote
get.randy Posted February 26 Posted February 26 If you repay, you'll be let back in. If not, you may or may not. There is no real way to know for sure as some people seem to slip through the cracks, but there's no widely documented process regarding how it may happen. hegemony and ShawnPY1972 2 Quote
ShawnPY1972 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 They will let you back in with payment. I don't know if they still have it but they had a program that was called Oasis and through that program you get an automatic new card upon payment. You should call and see if they still have that program. Quote
hegemony Posted February 27 Posted February 27 On 2/25/2026 at 3:43 PM, gerray said: Bottom Line Up Front: filed Ch. 7 bankruptcy in late 2006 and had 3 AmEx cards totaling $23.5k discharged. Never repaid. After nearly 20 years and current scores of 830+ across the board, I am in a place in life where the benefits of the Platinum card are worth the Annual Fee, so I decided to apply only to be auto denied due to “prior account(s) cancelled by AmEx”. I called to appeal but got nowhere, however I did eventually end up transferred to department that was able to provide me reference numbers for all 3 accounts, balance for each, and an address in California I could mail payment to if I so choose, but with no assurance it would result in them reopening their doors to me. My question is two-fold: 1). Anyone had any luck appealing this? 2). Will they ever forget and forgive if I do not pay, or did the balances/number of accounts IIB mark me for life? "cancelled by amex" doesn't sound like IIB. Did amex pull a report? If not, then the denial was based on the internal list. FWIW, I got back in after 10 years post IIB and no repayment. I tested the waters by first getting added as AU to my spouse's amex (amex is known to BL even from AU accounts). TBH, IMHO no creditor is worth repaying an IIB debt just for the chance to apply for a card. I would just keep trying if you really want the card. good luck! Kat58 and Allkindabroke 2 Quote
shifter Posted February 27 Posted February 27 People report the Amex BL at around 10 years up to infinity. I'm still BL at about 9 years post BK. Will keep trying each year. I did get back in with them after 6 years after a CO (before I IIB'd those cards). Quote
Flyingifr Posted February 28 Posted February 28 Amex has a reputation of having a memory like an elephant - they never forget. I was blacklisted for over 40 years because my father stole my identity on an Amex card (and others). It took me over a year to convince Amex that they would not have issued a credit card to a nine year old, even in 1960. Allkindabroke 1 Quote
gerray Posted February 28 Author Posted February 28 On 2/27/2026 at 9:33 AM, hegemony said: "cancelled by amex" doesn't sound like IIB. Did amex pull a report? If not, then the denial was based on the internal list. FWIW, I got back in after 10 years post IIB and no repayment. I tested the waters by first getting added as AU to my spouse's amex (amex is known to BL even from AU accounts). TBH, IMHO no creditor is worth repaying an IIB debt just for the chance to apply for a card. I would just keep trying if you really want the card. good luck! They did not pull credit, it’s definitely the result of an internal blacklist. The letter phrasing states: “We're writing to let you know we cannot approve your application at this time because American Express cancelled your previous account(s).” As previously mentioned, the only AmEx accounts I’ve ever had were from my college age days and resulted in me filing Ch . 7 BK in late 2006 - discharged in early 2007. Since then I’ve been diligent on my credit and finances, with not a single late payment. I was hoping AmEx would eventually forgive (if not forget) and reopen the door to me, but alas they haven’t. Maybe I’ll try again this time next year when it’s been a full 20 years post discharge. Quote
gerray Posted February 28 Author Posted February 28 On 2/27/2026 at 12:25 PM, shifter said: People report the Amex BL at around 10 years up to infinity. I'm still BL at about 9 years post BK. Will keep trying each year. I did get back in with them after 6 years after a CO (before I IIB'd those cards). yeah, I’d be curious if any of those that have been let back had multiple accounts charge off and/or IIB. In my instance, I’m wondering if 3 accounts simultaneously IIB’d resulted in a “3 strikes and I’m out” permanent BL. Quote
ShawnPY1972 Posted March 1 Posted March 1 8 hours ago, gerray said: They did not pull credit, it’s definitely the result of an internal blacklist. The letter phrasing states: “We're writing to let you know we cannot approve your application at this time because American Express cancelled your previous account(s).” As previously mentioned, the only AmEx accounts I’ve ever had were from my college age days and resulted in me filing Ch . 7 BK in late 2006 - discharged in early 2007. Since then I’ve been diligent on my credit and finances, with not a single late payment. I was hoping AmEx would eventually forgive (if not forget) and reopen the door to me, but alas they haven’t. Maybe I’ll try again this time next year when it’s been a full 20 years post discharge. Congrats on rebuilding your credit. From what I see and hear American Express will never forgive or remove you from The blacklist without payment. I've heard of some people getting back in but I really question if that's true or not seeing how strigent they are. Quote
MP80 Posted March 1 Posted March 1 Based on anecdotal data, the more you owe on your American Express card, the harder it is for them to reinstate your membership. Every time you apply for a credit card, your entire credit history with American Express is reviewed. If you owe more than $20,000, that's enough to keep you out of credit card approval for at least 20 years or more. Furthermore, since you burned American Express under Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection rather than deregistering, American Express may not accept your payments. You might try applying for a credit card every 3 to 6 months; sometimes, people get lucky and get approved. Allkindabroke and hegemony 1 1 Quote
Flyingifr Posted March 2 Posted March 2 On 2/28/2026 at 6:18 PM, gerray said: I was hoping AmEx would eventually forgive (if not forget) and reopen the door to me, but alas they haven’t. Maybe I’ll try again this time next year when it’s been a full 20 years post discharge. You are missing the boat entirely. Amex isn't declining you because of the BK, they are declining you because of their past experience with you. Past Experience is not subject to FCRA time rules, they can hold that against you forever, and Amex does just that. hegemony 1 Quote
ShawnPY1972 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 From my own experience, I know that American Express has a very, very long memory! Quote
MP80 Posted March 4 Posted March 4 I believe some people, even after 40 years, still yearn to be accepted again. From the moment you were born, the American Express brand has been ingrained in your mind; you've seen that iconic green personal card since you were a child. No other card has influenced your life as profoundly as "this card." When it comes to credit cards, American Express always comes to the forefront, just as when discussing baseball, you can't ignore Babe Ruth's importance and its close affiliation to baseball history. Kat58 and ShawnPY1972 2 Quote
Allkindabroke Posted March 5 Posted March 5 IIB’d Amex 2 cards under $5k in 2010. I applied and was declined twice while the BK was still on my report. They sent me an invitation to apply for the Everyday card 2 years after the Bk dropped off my reports. The everyday card was approved and I applied and was approved for the gold card a year later. MP80 1 Quote
MP80 Posted March 5 Posted March 5 Yeah, $5K burned isn't a significant amount. AmEx will not hold a grudge for long; they'll probably welcome you back in about ten years. Allkindabroke 1 Quote
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