Originally Posted by
jdsva
.... In order to get the Optima, you typically had to pay back whatever you defaulted on with Amex in the past ....
I think there is confusion. Optima was American Express' (USA) first
credit card. It was introduced in 1987, and launched with a direct mail campaign.
It's green, gold, platinum and now Optima at American Express. The company will offer its first card ever that would routinely allow customers to pay bills in installments. The Optima card, with a 13.5 percent annual interest rate, will be offered to 10 million American Express customers nationwide. Experts said the move could cause upheaval in the credit card business.
Source: New York Times, March 11, 1987