I have wrote several posts here, which are completely effected by the strict writing style of other senior writers, taking How to Avoid Financial Review (FR) from Amex for example. This post has been wrote in an organized way, with strict writing style and usage of formal words. But I want to write the following post in a causal way as I like. If you still have something unclear about Financial Review (FR), I suggest that you should read that post above.
Contents
Words before This Post
Financial Review from Amex is hanging above our mind like a sword, and I want to relieve your concerns by telling you about my two true experiences about FR. In my opinion, you should apply and use your card in Amex as usual. If you have deposits in you bank account or your family members remit money to you, most of you should survive the situation where you come across FR.
Several days ago, Amex has issued various cards, such as SPG of 30k, Platinum Card of 100k, ED of 25k, BCE of 250 dollars. Besides, cards in purple, green, gold, silver and transparent forms consecutively provide various offers with a historical peak. I have to say that Amex is becoming more and more terrific now!
At this moment, Amex looks like this in my memory as the following picture:
Then I want to apply cards in Amex desperately. During several days I clicked Amex’s application chart three times and managed to apply for its SPG, Platinum card and Everyday card. Though three hard pulls in a row is a little bit radical, I still feel excited due to upcoming MR and SPG some days later.
And now I feel so excited like the person in the following picture:
(I have to complain that Amex’s offers are provided one by one, which makes me apply for one more hard pull. A friendly suggestion is that you can apply for both Platinum card and SPG credit card on the same day, which only requires one hard pull rather than two. It should be noted that you cannot apply for two credit cards at the same time)
I know you may not agree with my opinion that 100k MR and 30k SPG are enough for you to use. Actually I want to tell you that if you come across such kind of good offers provided by Amex with a historical peak, you should apply for the offers not only for yourself, but your wife and friends. For example, I apply those offers for myself and my wife, which means that I have offers on six Amex cards.
Happy time flies quickly. After I applied for 2k on my two Platinum cards and two SPG credit cards, and successfully applied for my Everyday card, my wife and me both received one call “unknown”! My careless wife hung up directly, while I answered this phone carefully.
Things happened next is described as two directions, one being me and one being my wife and I hope it can give a little help to you who have suffered the same trouble as me. I mean we can receive better results through the same approach. Of course, what I have said in this post is just a reference for you, and I should undertake no responsibility if you fail to get rid of your trouble.
Descriptions toward my situation
As I answered this call, a cold voice ran into my ears. According to the voice, I guessed she was a white American woman with about over forty years old.
During the following half an hour, I felt crazy. Don’t worry, I will tell you what happened then.
“Hi” I answered.
“I should have the FR on you. I think you have made your statement of dutiable goods. Please send your tax form to me in two weeks, otherwise I will close your account!” said she.
“Wait a moment, please. The revenues I have filled in the form refer to the total amount concerning my wife’s and mine. You should see that I, actually, don’t have so much revenue in my tax form. How about sending my wife’s tax form to you?” I asked.
“What I need is only your tax form! If I am not satisfied with your tax form, I will close your account quickly!” she said.
“I was a student last year and I just begin my full-time job this year. I really don’t have much revenue. If you would like, I want to send my bank bills to you and you can see that I have my salary each month!” I told her. “I told you what I only want is your own tax form! and I tell you again that If I am not satisfied with your tax form, I will close your account quickly!” she said.
I just want to say what a repeater she is! I hung up and filled in the 4506-T form (your tax form obtained from IRS by Amex which has obtained your authorization) she sent to me and sent this form through free fax on the Internet. Certainly, I also sent my bank bills and payrolls of my wife and mine in this year to her, of which I put 4506-T in the middle. I know she didn’t want to see my payroll, but I want to force her to know what I said was true!
Thinking about the poor salary of 16k in my tax form last year, I deeply felt that I might fail this time. I quickly transferred all MR points earned through my gold card to Plenti. I heard that FR changed balance left into zero due to its concerns that I owe money. And that’s why FR can transfer points and pay back money sometimes, but cannot be used. I hate myself so deeply that I got no award of one card after using over 8k. If I have a second chance, I am sure that I will manage one card and then a second card!
Then what I have to do is to wait. I called this number during the period and only received voice mails of the forty-year-old woman who never called back. About twenty days later, I received an email which said that one limit was added into my charge card. For example, the limit of delta was reduced to 3k from 15k. Then the next day, my account could be used successfully.
Descriptions toward my wife’s situation
After submitting materials and waiting for the FR results, I let my wife call Amex in order to solve Amex FR. I don’t want her account to be locked, too. However, my wife told me that it’s better for you to close your cards. Honestly speaking, my wife never supports me to play Amex cards.
One week after ignoring the Unknown call, my wife received another Unknown call, which was answered under my persuasion. To my surprise, the person on the other side of the call was a girl with soft voice.
“Hi, I want to check your tax form” she said.
“I am sorry I have no tax form,” my wife answered.
“Ok. You should send you bank bills and payrolls in recent two times to me.” Said she.
“Oh, I will. Bye-bye” my wife said.
What?! FR is so easy to get rid of if you have no tax form! My wife’s account can be used three days after she sent her bank bills and payrolls through fax. My wife earns the normal salary of PHD, with the deposit of only several thousand yuan. And her account can be used only after three days, which is a big frustration and an important reminder for me!
And the results prove that I also passed Amex FR, though just after two weeks.
Conclusion
We can roughly find out the bottom line of Amex. For example, I have six cards only with a tax form of 16K earned as a teaching assistant, and I pass FR; my wife has five cards with several thousand deposit earned as a common PHD, and she also passes FR without a tax form. Therefore, Amex only checks your tax form last year if you have made your statements of dutiable goods. Time passing FR without 4506-T is much faster than that with 4506-T, which is a piece of good news for F1 students.