How I Got My First American Express Card

And I ended up getting approved for the card and they gave me a credit limit of 10,000. Right, so I was like, oh shoot, it makes this being extra generous with the card. So, as of right now, my credit score is over 760 on all three credit bureaus. On top of that, we got over 57,000 in credit limit across all my different cards. Mind you, I just turned 22 last month. I have more in credit limits right now than I make in a year. Right, like, when you know how to navigate the credit game, it gets really really funny. It could also get really really dangerous.

The journey to wealth is a long walk and some may walk quicker than others, but what good is sprinting to the finish line if you pass out when you cross it? On Walk to Wealth, we enlighten and empower young adults to build wealthy, abundant lives. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and your first step starts right now. This is Walk to Wealth with your host, John Mendez.

Welcome back to the Walk to Wealth podcast. If you're tuning in on YouTube or any of the podcast directories, make sure to do yourself one teeny, tiny little favor and make sure to give us a follow, because I don't want you to miss out on any of the amazing episodes I got coming out this year. Without further ado, let's get right into this one. So we're picking off right where we left off in the last episode and I apologize for the delay between this episode and the Marriott Bonvoy Elite status episode, which is the last episode in this series. And I was telling you guys how I got the Platinum status and all the benefits that I got now from when I attend Marriott hotels and how amazing they treat me, and so now I'm going to tell you guys how I got into MX. So, just for a little bit of context, the last few episodes I didn't go in chronological order just because it wouldn't have made sense, because I was doing so many things and juggling so many things at the same time. I also, in my own head, don't remember the chronological order of how everything played out, so I just grouped the episodes. For example, when I got my first chase in card, there was a little bit of time before I got the next chase in card, and when I got Marriott Platinum status, I had the Marriott Bonvoy card for a minute and then with Chase, and then it was a long while. My most recent card was the Marriott Bonvoy business card and I had several cards in between. So it wouldn't have made sense trying to juggle the whole story and tell you guys, so I just grouped them and went off of chronological order and so now I'm going to tell you guys how I got my first MX card. So just a little bit of context. I got my first MX card way before I had my Marriott business Bonvoy card with MX. So now here's how I got into it. Just had to give a little bit of context because the story kind of got a little out of hand. But back around if I'm not mistaken, this is 2022. Now I was tapped out of cards to get with Chase. So Chase, as I might have mentioned, it has a 524 rulers card. So if you get more than five hard inquiries, or if you apply for more than five credit cards remember I'm mistaken or if you get more than five credit cards within a 24 month span, if you try to get a six credit card. They'll automatically decline you and I already reached my limit. So I was like, all right, where next? What do I do now? So I was like I always wanted to get into MX. That was the next goal, and makes has a lot of good travel partners, they have a lot of good point systems and it's supposedly they're a little bit harder to redeem. Then the chase points, as right now I'm just racking up my MX points, or not even too hard-pressed on Trying to redeem him right now, at least at the time of me currently making this episode and so I was thinking all right, what's a good MX car that I can get, that's not too high level, I would most likely get approved for and that also benefited me. So I had my eyes set on the MX Delta Gold card. Now the reason was I was going on ton of conferences and jet blue is the main car that I fly with, I mean the main airline that I fly with but there wasn't any jet blue cards with chase or MX. Not mistaken, you have to get like a Barclays card. Now I forget, don't quote me on it, but that's what I think you have to do. So it wasn't in either of the chase or the MX ecosystems. So I was like alright, let me get the MX Delta card. They have a pretty good loyalty rewards program, and so my whole goal was to get into the ecosystem, because I know eventually I wanted to get the MX platinum card, which has a insane annual fee compared to other credit cards, but also comes with an insane amount of rewards and bonuses that are redeemable every year and on top of that has some pretty Eh like okay, like points multipliers, but, more importantly, comes with a lot of status upgrades. So that was my thing, and on top of that that's a metal card and it's technically called a charge card and not a credit card. Now, that's a episode from another day, but in a nutshell, a charge card pretty much has no preset spending limit and you have to make sure you pay in full at the end every month or else you get a penalty. That's the main difference, if I'm not mistaken. All I know is that I wanted that platinum card so I could flex. That's pretty much the only reason I really, really wanted it and the status that comes alongside of it with it. So I originally applied for the MX Delta gold card and I was denied. So I did what any smart points and miles enthusiast does I went to the MX reconsideration line. I gave them a call and from there I was asking them hey, what's going on here? What happens my application and they were being super difficult. They were like, oh, you know, you have to wait to get a response or whatever. They'll send you a letter, blah, blah, blah, blah. Okay, never got the letter. A call back, and I was trying to figure out again what happened. Why did I get denied? And Finally someone told me that I guess I had too many hard increases, something like that. But from the short amount of time, now I waited more than 60 to 90 days Before applying for the MX Delta gold card. So I'm not sure what the issue actually was. And when I asked them right, how many hard increases, too many hard inquiries? They didn't give me an answer and the letter never ended up coming. So I actually still said this day, never knew why. I got denied for the MX Delta card. So after failing miserably, I decided to wait a few months before applying again for another card and this time around I was like all right, what is the most beginner level, the most basic MX credit card that I can get, so I can just get my feet Wet, so I can just get immersed in the ecosystem and start building my way in, and that's when I applied for the MX every day card. Now, the reason I applied for this card is because it has no annual fee and it had a 10k welcome bonus off of 1k spend in three months, which was super attainable for me, and on top of that I had two points back, or two X points back on groceries, up to $6,000 spending a year, and then 1% back on everything else. So that's how I originally got in and they approved me for 6,800 off the rip. So I got instantly approved for that card and they hit me with a credit limit that was, at that point in time, my biggest credit limit out of all my cards, because my biggest credit limit with Chase card is 5,000. So off the rip and makes just bless me with that massive credit limit. Now, as I said, in terms of points back, this card really isn't all that great, honestly, and the only reason as I got it Was just to get in so Long term and we're gonna keep this card, maybe just because it's no annual fees. So it's not gonna hurt me for holding it. But in the future, if I want to get a little bit more fancy with the card game at least an MX I Will trade that card or upgrade that card or down for some another card. I'm not sure how I'm gonna play it right now, but it's no annual fees, I'm not hard to press. And from there and the next card ended up applying forward chase was my MX blue business plus card. Now, the reason why I applied for this card versus all the other cards were was because, as I said, I was trying to build my way into the ecosystem and I didn't want to apply for a card that they would have denied me for, so I wanted to play it safe. Again. There's one of those cards were in terms of point backs and like rewarding status. Probably wasn't the best, but I needed a way to get in right. I needed an easy card that they had should have no issue Approving me for. So once I applied, I didn't get instantly approved. They had to Act for additional information and I believe it was like my EIN or something like that. I forget what exactly was, but it was stuff on my business just to make sure that my business was an actual business NASA and made up and that card specifically had 12 months zero percent APR right, it's no annual fee, and on top of that I get two percent back on everything up to 50,000 spending a year. So I was like, oh, fine with me, and Ended up getting approved for the card and they gave me a credit limit of ten thousand, right. So I was like, oh shoot, it makes us be an Extra generous with the card and the beauty of it, as I said, is a business card, so it doesn't report to my personal credit score. So that's why I got that one. As I said, there was no real game plan like there was with the chase trifecta and the myriad business cards. This was just, really just to get in the MX ecosystem. A Little while later, after that, ended getting the MX myriad business card and that was the last card that I got up to date right now and I'm recording this November 8th of 2023. So, as of right now, my credit score is over 760 on all three credit bureaus. Top of that, we got over 57,000 and credit limit across all my different cards. Mind you, I just turned 22 last month. I have more and credit limits right now, then I make in a year right like I had it. When you know how to navigate the credit game, it gets really really fun. It could also get really really dangerous and, as I said, to be fully transparent, right now my business cards are all maxed out, except for my merry-out business card, and that's the only one that isn't maxed out. The other ones are because I was spending on Myself and investing in myself more than I had the money to do so and because I I Wanted to invest more and more myself. I kept spending when I shouldn't have and invested in things way too soon and invested in some things that I didn't have the band with to even fully take on. So there's always that right currently in debt, and I wanted to share that with you guys because, although I said it looks great from the outside, this credit card, if I didn't know anything about points and miles like I, would be so screwed because that what those maxed out credit cards would have been on my, on my personal name, and then that would have been destroying my credit score. So you have to have the discipline and Fortunate to be fully transparent, mine wasn't all that great, honestly, it wasn't, and so I'm working on, by the end this year, becoming completely debt-free so I can enter into 2024. What a fresh slate. Ready to hit the ground, run in for real. So that's all for this episode. In the next episode, I'm gonna say you guys my dues and don'ts, my secrets, that I've learned from my Almost what two and a half year credit card journey Well, I think those 2020. I got my first credit card, if I'm not mistaken. So it's uh, 21, 23 it's been three years already, actually. Yeah, my three-year credit journey. So the last episode to wrap up this series, I'm gonna teach you guys my secrets to get into the points and miles. Now, as I'm no expert in this, I just learned a thing or two from messing up a ton and from trying a bunch of things YouTube University. So make sure to catch the finale of how I got my credit score to 750 plus and made over half a million in points my age 21.

So see you guys, you've now finished taking the first step. Now Let us help you take the next one. Subscribe to our newsletter at walk to wealth comm. That's walk the number two, wealth comm so we can keep you moving on your journey. We'll see you on the next episode of walk to wealth with John Mendez.