AlohaDaveKennedy

Usually the human has reached a decision based on a quick review of your transactions. What triggers that review may be when your account utilization reaches a preset (automated) point and flags you as a risk. The reviewer takes a peek and decides to discourage your business, or do a cash call. It pays to have ready cash to draw down the account balance when asked, hence stagger transactions. A cash call is not fatal, but a reset of your credit limit below, say below $2,000 is going to make the card fairly uncoinworthy, but still usable say for flipping $500 or less GCs.

There is alot of magic you can perform with card tricks, but understand the system and monitor your credit before becoming an illusionist.

ddallas

That would be a good sig line.

vetforus

So am I correct in assuming with Am Ex if you only use around 20% or 25% of your available credit with coin and other purchases then you would not get a financial review?

Thanks for your replies.

HoKo

There is no magic percentage that is safe or unsafe. It depends on a wide range of factors.

No one in this thread can guarantee that you will or will not receive a FR if you engage in purchasing coins on your AMEX.

Obviously the smaller percentage you elect to go with the lower your risk but as always YMMV.

ddallas

Nope. May be less risk than maxing it out, but no way to eliminate the risk. Nobody but AMEX really knows what triggers FR. You can read threads on all the forums with all kinds of theories.

AMEX appears to do it less now. I'm basing that on the slow down of reports on forums of FR. They were doing it a heck of a lot in 2009. Lots of posts back then. Less so now. Just accept that it can happen at any time if you have an AMEX card.

tassojunior

Many things can trigger a FR. Sometimes it's even random.

But when a reviewer notices, as they certainly will, "dollar coin" purchases it will grab their attention and you will have to do some explaining.

wbl-mn-flyer

Why should Amex care?

They collect their merchant fee, same as if you bought $1,000 worth of donuts.

Andy2

99.99% of the time they don't care. I don't think anyone has posted that a FR has occurred since the limit went down to $1,000.

If a person has a history of taking cash advances, this could be viewed as a way to avoid the cash advance fees.

If a person lives in an area with a large percentage of underwater loans and liberal homestead exemptions, the credit card company might think someone is trying to build up a large unsecured credit card balance that might be dischargeable in bankruptcy, while using the cash to keep the house from being foreclosed. I'm sure that wouldn't work if challenged in court, but the credit card company doesn't want the hassle of arguing fraud / preferential payments.

This was a big deal when huge amounts of coins could be ordered. If the balance of the credit card is paid in full monthly, I just don't think a FR is very lilely, especially is the customer never takes cash advances.

AlohaDaveKennedy

No absolutes, but if you just used 80% of your CL and the control folk were alerted and found it was all in cash equivalents you are likely going to get the nastygram. I try to keep each CL and the aggregate CL under 40% and shovel small, noncoin transactions monthly into all the CC accounts.

It is all about risk management from the cc issuer's side. They care primarily about the scamfolk who are trying to take them for money and the laundryfolk who could get them fined.

HoKo

This has been discussed at great length throughout the thread, I agree with you but unfortunately AMEX doesn't share our viewpoint...and obviously we know whose viewpoint matters in this situation.

I was placed under FR in August of 2010 (during which the $1000 limit was in place) and was told the only reason I "passed" is because I promptly furnished AMEX with extensive documentation proving that I had significant liquid assets capable of covering my CL.

When I asked the rep what triggered the FR she told me point blank that it was the coins.

I have repeatedly warned people in this thread since then about the very real possibility of a FR.

Despite this I'm sure 3 weeks from now someone else is going to be asking all the same questions.

tassojunior

Because you're buying cash.

buschoi

I had a FR with AMEX in August 2009. The Mint didn't have an order limit back then. When I asked AMEX why I got the FR, I was told it was because of the coins, too.

So they do pick on people doing the coin purchases as they deem the activity to be relatively high risk.

juggler451

I'm curious w/ those of you that got FR from amex for coin purchases. Were they new accounts? How long had you had that account or other accounts w/ amex?

lucky6666

Actually, I took 6 rolls of these to casino tonight. Not Vegas but an MGM property. When i play i play on markers. I went to the cage to use these as partial payment on my marker. I only brought 6 rolls because until i saw if they would take them i didnt want to weigh myself down.

She took them against my markers in the case. She did unwrap and count them.

swintec

Had account since 2003, used AmEx for everything until 2009. Got FR that summer, and told them to go pound sand. For as good as AmEx customer service is, which I praised for years, the FR department is equally as bad. All I could picture was a guy sitting in a small room with just a desk and a lamp. They dont give you any of there names except to call them "Mr. So and So".

When I offered to stay under a certain limit each month they said it is beyond that point.

Keep in mind, I paid in full every month all those years and that meant nothing in this process.

Incidentally I had to fight to get my points back by dealing with there executive CS who sympathized with my case and said to give them a call if I ever wanted to come back to AmEx...no thanks.