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Banks don’t disclose internal methodologies for determining creditworthiness, and American Express is no different. The most reliable way we’ve found to ascertain which credit bureau a bank or financial institution uses to pull reports is by asking those who’ve applied for cards from a bank which of their credit reports showed a hard inquiry following the application.
For American Express, the data available currently indicates it pulls from all three bureaus, but primarily uses Experian’s reporting in its decision making.
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The Platinum Card® from American Express
On American Express's Website
4.8
Forbes Advisor created additional star ratings so that you can see the best card for specific needs. This card shines for this use, but overall the star ratings may differ when compared to other cards.
On American Express's Website
5X Reward Rate
Earn 5 Membership Rewards Points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and on flights booked directlyRead More
Welcome Bonus
Earn 80,000 points
Annual Fee
$695
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Credit Score
Good,Excellent(700 - 749)
Editorial Review
The Platinum Card is destined for frequent travelers who intend to fully leverage the rich set of luxury travel benefits and Platinum Concierge service. In the right hands, the classic status card’s staggering annual fee is well justified.
Pros & Cons
- High reward potential on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel
- Multiple credits can help justify the fee
- Comprehensive airport lounge access
- Luxury travel benefits and elite status with Hilton and Marriott with enrollment
- Very high annual fee
- Maximizing the statement credits takes some work and could be impractical for many
- Reward rate outside of travel is sub-par for a premium card
Card Details
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peaco*ck, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
- Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
- $695 annual fee.¤
- Terms Apply.
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
American Express Credit Cards Overview
American Express offers myriad credit cards for consumers and businesses. The company offers a range of options from no annual fee cards to premium luxury cards. Amex has also partnered with a variety of brands—including Delta and Marriott—to offer credit cards designed to earn loyalty rewards with airlines, hotels and more. The number of cards available make it likely you can find an American Express card to suit your needs.
Which Credit Bureau Does American Express Use?
American Express appears to primarily pull credit reports from Experian, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t occasionally pull from one or both of the other major consumer credit bureaus as well. Though all evidence is limited to anecdotal data, it appears TransUnion may be the second most-likely bureau Amex will pull from. American Express’ free credit report guide—the Amex MyCredit Guide—pulls reports from Experian.
Credit Bureau Used by State
No matter what state you live in, American Express appears to be most likely to pull your report from Experian. It may, for some products or as an additional check in some cases, pull from Equifax or TransUnion.
When Does American Express Report to Credit Bureaus?
Amex reports your account status and activity to credit bureaus within a few days after your monthly statement date, once per month. In some cases it can take up to 45 days.
For new accounts, it can take up to 30 to 60 days to show up on your credit report.
How Often Does Amex Report to Credit Bureaus?
American Express reports to all three major credit bureaus once per month, typically a few days to a week after your monthly billing cycle. In some cases, changes may be reflected right away in your credit report. For others, it may take more than a month to update.
If, for example, you pay your bill before you receive the billing statement, you might see a change on your credit report sooner than if you paid the bill just after receiving the statement because American Express only reports once a month.
How Long Does It Take Amex To Report to Credit Bureaus?
Amex generally reports to credit bureaus a few days after your monthly statement date. Your statement date is usually the monthly anniversary of the day you opened the account, but there’s an option to change this. New cards may show up on your credit report immediately, but can sometimes take a few billing cycles to appear.
When Does American Express Report Late Payments?
American Express reports late payments on the same monthly cycle as its regular updates to the credit bureaus. Late payments do not impact your credit score until they are at least 30 days past due. However, you will still be charged late fees and interest, even if the late payment is not reported to credit bureaus.
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Which Credit Bureau Is Most Accurate?
There are three major credit bureaus in the U.S.: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies are responsible for providing consumer credit reports to organizations, authorities and other companies who then use the information to predict risk. The industry turns a hefty profit each year from selling credit information, which has been voluntarily provided to them by banks, lenders and other data furnishers.
No credit bureau collects the exact same information on a consumer. A report drawn from one credit bureau may have slightly different information compared to one drawn from another, for a variety of reasons. This makes it impossible to determine which credit bureau is the most accurate. Most credit bureaus will rate your credit based on a standardized system, called your FICO Score. Lenders are likely to check this score when assessing your credit and to base their decision on your rating.
Though credit bureaus may differ slightly on the exact number of your FICO Score, since each score falls within a range (for example, a score between 670 and 739 is considered good credit), extreme differences between FICO scores issued by credit bureaus are unlikely.
How To Get a Credit Report
Consumers can obtain a free copy of a credit report via AnnualCreditReport.com, the only website officially authorized to generate free reports.
Each consumer is entitled to at least one free credit report per year from each of the three major agencies—this is the law.
Reports don’t need to be requested all together. Someone interested to see an Equifax report in May can request a TransUnion report in July and an Experian report in December. While no one is obligated to request reports, consumers may ask for them whenever they desire.
Pro Tip
In addition to being entitled to a free credit report from each bureau annually, many credit card issuers, including Amex, offer tools that allow you to check your credit score and information on your report. You often don’t need to have a card from that particular issuer.
Credit bureaus often provide subscription services to consumers to help track scores and other report information, but these services often charge fees and do not provide access to reports from other bureaus.
How To Dispute Information on Your Credit Report
If you find an error, you can and should dispute information on your credit report. This requires preparing sufficient documentation of the error before contacting the error-reporting bureau online, by mail or by phone. Credit bureaus will investigate claims and release findings within 30 days.
When the results of an investigation cause a change in your credit report, you will receive a free, updated copy of your report (though this may take another 45 days). If you’re unhappy with the results of the dispute, you may resubmit a complaint or error report with additional information to support your case—but expect this to open another investigation and take more time.
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No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
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Bottom Line
If you’re concerned about your FICO Score while applying for an American Express credit card, first pull your free Experian credit report to see what data Amex will be most likely to base its final decision on.
You can also use the company’s preapproval feature to check if you’re approved for a card. Simply fill out the application, and Amex will tell you if you will be approved. If you end the process at this point, there is no impact to your credit score. If you continue to submit your application, you will receive a hard pull on your credit report.
If you have a reason to be concerned about your credit report, it may be better to focus on rebuilding and strengthening your credit score across all bureaus—it’s never guaranteed that American Express will pull from any specific credit bureau.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does American Express report authorized users to credit bureaus?
Yes, American Express reports authorized users to all three of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Authorized users are only reported if they are at least 18 years old and if the account in question is not delinquent.
Which credit bureau is used the most?
There is not necessarily one credit bureau lenders use the most. Instead, lenders will typically look at a consumer’s FICO Score, which all three major credit bureaus provide. That said, individual lenders—like American Express—will often have a specific credit bureau and scoring model they use more often. If you are unsure about your credit standing, research which reports a lender will most likely base its decision on in order to focus on strengthening those reports and maximizing your chances of approval.
How can I improve payment history on my credit report?
If you want to improve your payment history on your credit report, pay your bills, in full, on time every month. Late or underpaid payments have an impact on your credit score, so the fewer you have, the better your score will be. You should also check your free credit reports throughout the year in order to catch and dispute any misreported payments or errors negatively impacting your credit score.
Does Amex make a hard inquiry?
When you apply for an American Express credit card, the bank will typically perform a hard inquiry of your credit report. However if your application is denied, it won’t show as a hard pull on your credit report. There is anecdotal evidence of applying for a second or third Amex and those applications only resulting in a soft pull. This is not an official Amex policy so know that your results may vary when it comes to applying for a card with the issuer.