During the application process, select applicants can find out if they are approved without impacting their credit score. If the applicant receives an approval and chooses to accept the Card, only then might their credit score be impacted.

“We know that consumers value transparency and certainty,” says American Express Executive Vice President of U.S. Consumer Marketing, Sara Milsten. “With our new application experience, prospective Card Members can apply for a specific Card — and know if they are approved — without having to worry about whether their application will change their credit score until they accept the Card. We hope this new, more transparent application experience encourages anyone with an interest in American Express membership to apply.”

The new application experience is currently available for individuals applying for a U.S. Personal Card at AmericanExpress.com/us/credit-cards, or by calling American Express and is not available if you apply for a Card after you log into an existing Card Member Account. Here is how it works:

Consumers who are interested in applying for a U.S. Personal American Express Card can visit AmericanExpress.com/us/credit-card to see Card offers.
Upon applying for a chosen Card, a soft inquiry will be made on an applicant’s credit report and applicants will be told with 100% certainty if they are approved - without any impact to their credit score.
If the approved applicant then accepts the Card, a hard inquiry will be made on their credit report, which may impact their credit score.

In the future, prospective Card Members will be able to access this new application experience through our co-brand partners’ websites. This application experience will also be made available to our current Card Members who are applying for another personal Card.