Centurion

You are not reading and understanding the fine print. You are applying for a card where you are responsible even though you have a corporate name and esn/isn. Amex and other companies look at total exposure and do not like to issue a lot of cards as it makes it harder to control total exposure. I just applied for a Chase Corp card and they wanted to shut down a dormant personel card to limit total exposure

geclub1

These business cards do not show up on your personal credit reports. So whether you cancel them or not will not impact your credit any bit.

Phil Level

Earlier this year I applied for a Chase Explorer Corp card, and I already have an Explorer personal. They gave me a choice of splitting the credit, or they would pull a new credit report for the new card. I split the limits. These are rough numbers - now I have two 30K cards, rather than one 60K card.

Agree, they do want to limit total credit risk, but shutting down the existing card isn't the only option IME.

ChurnBabyChurn

Clearly, it makes no difference what "company" the offer was sent to.

You applied using your social security number.

Obviously, they simply buy a list of "businesses", and send these out "spam-style".

I own about 5 small business, and I constantly get offers...but I know that once I have any, say, Gold card for one business, under my SSN, then I can't get the bonus for other companies using my SSN.

OP is uninformed re these things, as evidenced by the fact he thinks he'll get both bonuses, and by the fact that he's worried about "liability" from AMEX combing bonus points. LOL.

timelinex

You guys deal with this issue all the time and many of you dedicate alot of thought into playing the points maximizing game, so that's why its clear to YOU. However, in reality, this issue is obviously NOT clear.

The letter came to my business name and addressed my business. The fine print says one offer per applicant. Considering this came to my business and addressed my business, its easy to be mislead to thinking that is the applicant. Especially considering, EVERY OTHER FINANCIAL facet of life considers every corporations as a completely separate entity.

I totally understand how if it was this way, people could have taken advantage by opening up multiple LLC's to get a bunch of points. This doesn't change the fact that the rules are NOT clear. My corporations are not shell corporations for liability or tax purposes. They are real and separate companies that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. So I think of them that way.

Lastly, to confirm that everything is as I assumed, I even called AMEX after approval to make sure that this is the deal and offer I'm getting. The rep confirmed it.

What are you trying to say? Its hard to tell because of what seems like typo's. Are you saying you think they might reconsider? I've already spent 7k+ on the card so far, but If there's no chance I will be getting this bonus then its time for me to not spend a dime more and cancel this card. Opening a gold card instead is much more advantageous for me(point accruel wise)

Where did you hear this? I'll check my credit report and see, I thought I've seen a business card on there before. But anyways, that even goes MORE to show you how obviously it is considered different than if I was purely and clearly the applicant to a card .

PainCorp

You didn't apply for credit as a corporation, you applied for credit as an individual to be used for business purposes.

You are the applicant who works for the business. If it was a corporate account this might be different.

You don't seem to understand that this is a personal line of credit for business use. I'm saying this again in my response because you keep bringing up the same argument multiple times, despite us answering it.

It's also worth noting that getting a Gold most likely won't get you the bonus, since fine print limits you on when you last held a Business card, and not just that card, it's different.

Also, if this was a legitimate business, why would you care so much about the bonus, and not forming a business relationship with Amex? Seems like you're trying to serve a personal purpose through your business...

Side note...I love when people come here, ask for advice and then argue why people here who have experience (which they wanted) are wrong and don't agree with them...

timelinex

I'm not arguing with the FACTS. Which you guys presented. Obviously it is what it is.

However I am arguing over your OPINION, which is that its clear. It is not clear.

This is just like prechecked upsells are banned by credit card merchants. If a merchant uses this misleading selling technique, their account can be cancelled. Even though the terms are buried deep in the terms of service, the prechecked upsells are misleading. I didn't just sign up blindly. I read the T&C just like any informed consumer would. However, they are not completely clear. Sure they ask for my SSN. They also ask for my companies EIN, so what's your point. I can just as easily interpret their TC to mean I'm doing nothing more than cosigning. which the fact that it doesn't show up on my credit report, would lead someone to believe that this is in fact what it means.

I already have a long relationship with AMEX. I would have not signed up for the platinum if they didn't offer the bonus though. I would be in the gold right now, earning more points per dollar and wouldn't of spent $700 in fees.

PainCorp

Let's try this:

Was the offer specifically addressed to you at this company, someone else at this company, blankly sent to just the company, or who was it addressed to?

I'm sure if you look at the fine print you will find that there are T&C which you must agree to and they also cover who is eligible for the bonus. This sort of thing happens with Chase all the time. A bonus is advertised/targeted/etc, but the person does not meet the qualifications in the T&C and doesn't get the bonus.

I can 99% say there is something in the T&C about you (since you are the applicant), not being eligible if you have had a business card within the last 12 months. The lines covering what makes you eligible for the bonus are pretty straight forward, at least every time I've seen them.

No business card shows up on a personal credit report, regardless of if you have an S-Corp or you sell lemonade on the side of the street.

PainCorp

And hopefully to put this to bed, take a look here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...00-points.html

and

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ffer-term.html

timelinex

Look, I appreciate the time your taking to explain this. I'm not disagreeing with you that upon 100% understanding of how the business card world works and 100% understanding of the TC, that it would make sense that I am the applicant and do not apply to the offer, since I have a gold card associated to my name.

However, you experience with this clouds your judgment of whether this is clearly shown to the consumer. Erase all your previous history and knowledge that you have, from all the experience you have.

You receive a letter addressed to your company. The letter addresses you (which makes sense since your a business member and can act on behalf of the business) and says your company is eligible to receive X card.

Your asked for your companies information along with yours. No less of the companies than you are of yours.

You read the terms of service which includes:
"Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have had this product or any other Business Gold, Green or Platinum Card® within the last 12 months."

The word applicant is the ambiguous word here, which is leading to the confusion.

In my eyes, my company is applying and I'm just the proxy and possibly cosigner(as I would be in every other business document I sign), which is made clear by the TC saying I am liable for any charges.

This doesn't even go on MY credit report, and somehow its supposed to be clear that I am the applicant? If I was clearly the applicant, then why is my credit card not showing this product that I applied for and received.


This is exactly my point. Nothing more, nothing less.

PainCorp

The only reason you are providing your company's information is because you were applying for a business card, if you weren't you, wouldn't provide that. It is only there to verify you have a "legitimate" need.

I'll end with this, who is filling out the form, you or your company? The one physically typing in the application, since this is a personal card for business expenses, is the applicant. The one who puts in the SSN is the applicant, because it is based on their credit.

For you having multiple companies, I would think you would understand this concept, and it's starting to seem like you should have known better and are simply wanting the points, which you showed by saying you would have just gotten a gold for the spending because it gives you more points.

Take a look at the articles I linked to, those are your best options to get the points.

Edit: And looking at the T&C the first line says this:
Bolding mine.

timelinex

Thank you for the links, I didn't find that first link through my own searches.

Looks like there's a chance I will get it, but will have to jump through some hoops. Anyone know the address of the "Claire B. of Membership Rewards in NYC" to write?

We all get blindsided every once in a while. If I believed this was just a case of me not doing my due diligence or not reading into it, I would just scrap up the mistake as a learned experience. I don't NEED these 100k points. This whole ordeal is a 'waste of my time'. However, its a matter of principle. And you know those are the hardest things to let go

EDIT:

Your bolded quote shows nothing other than I, as an authorized officer, am LITERALLY applying for the company. Corporations don't have hands and aren't able to do things on their own. An authorizing officer always has to do it for them. Most paperwork that I, as an authorized officer, fill out for the company puts me at absolutely no liability and I am just doing for the company something it can't do for itself. If the paperwork turns out bad, its the company that pays the fees and gets in trouble. Not me (unless I did something deliberately illegal like fraud, obviously). So yes, it is entirely possibly that I am requesting AMEX to open an account for the business, and that with their wording, the business would be the applicant.

PainCorp

Good luck!

mia

Forget the bonus, it's essential that you understand that this is not the case. Not with American Express, or Chase, or Citi, or Bank of America or any major issuer. Business cards are personal obligations, but the consumer protection provisions of The C.A.R.D. Act and older legislation do not apply because the accounts are used for business purposes. If one of your companies gets into trouble expect American Express to close all of your accounts, business and personal.

American Express is a mass market issuer. They write rules which apply to the typical case, not our individual circumstances. Right or wrong, misleading or not, American Express considers you to be the applicant. However, if your company received a written invitation to apply it's worth appealing the decision, because it's straightforward to explain that you thought the company was the applicant (for bonus purposes). I think you have a good case, but only you can judge if its worth the time to work your way through the bureaucracy until you find someone with the authority and disposition to make an exception.

timelinex

Thank you for the advice.

At this point, I fully understand that I am the applicant that they are referring to. But this is because you guys explained it. The issue is that its not clearly explained to the consumer at the time of application. This isn't an issue of me not reading the TC, but rather their clarity.

I will try to appeal this one more time, and if not, scrap it up as lesson learned.