Originally Posted by
garykung
Legally, they are not exactly a pre-approved offer, but a firm offer of credit.
In order to any consumer reporting agencies, CRAs or commonly known as credit bureaus, to sell solicitation lists to any financial institutions, the financial institutions must certify that the lists are obtained for firm offers of credit. Then the financial institutions can use the lists to generate so-called "pre-approved offer" to consumers.
While it is a credit pull (or legally, furnishing), it is not a soft or hard pull (legally - no one cares. Soft pull and hard pull is the same under the law), that's why those who received the lists will show up in your credit report (or legally consumer report) but will not hurt your credit. The lists only contain the name and address. That's why the financial institutions do not know if you can get approved or not. But to comply with the law, if nothing in your consumer report can ding you and you apply with that offer, they must approve.
That's why AMEX is sending you offers that do not make sense.
But why are giving me signup-up offers that can't possibly work?
If they just want to promote the card, they could show it to me with no signup offer (which have done in some other cases).
What made no sense is that they pre-approved me for a signup offer, and then reneged on that signup offer based on something they should have known when they pre-approved me!
This isn't the usual popup saying I may have done this or may done that. This a specific popup saying I am ineligible for this "offer" because I have a Delta Gold card. Well, duh, I had the Delta Gold when you put that offer into my account!
I just checked again, and it's still under my Pre-Qualified Offers, and if I click the T&Cs it says:
"
Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this or previous versions of this Card, or the Delta SkyMiles® Options Credit Card. Welcome offer not available to applicants who currently have or have had one of the following cards, or previous versions of these cards, in the last 90 days: Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, or Delta SkyMiles Reserve® Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility."
Well, why are they putting this sign-up offer into my account, when my account clearly has a Delta SkyMiles Gold card (open when I tried this, but closed a couple days ago, but still nowhere near either 75 or 90 days)? Is that hard for their system to check this stuff???
