Back in 1998 I was an American Express card holder running $5,000 per month through their card, never late, always zero balance. Got divorced from a spendthrift spouse when I discovered she had $70K in secret credit card debt. On the advice of my divorce attorney I field for Chapter 7, and left Amex with about a $5K balance on the card, which was discharged in bankruptcy.Fast forward 27 years to 2025. I have $2M in assets and $200K in total available credit on several cards with zero balances everywhere. Credit score is 817. My 2nd wife applies for a Delta Skymiles card through Amex so she can accumulate miles. They issue us both cards.When I tried to activate my card it came back denied and "account cancelled". Upon inquiry it turns out that they refuse to issue me a card unless I pay the outstanding amount from 27 years ago. They then sent two letters addressed to my wife. The first told her that my account was cancelled and that they couldn't tell her why due to privacy laws. The second was written to me, telling me that I could not obtain a card because I had a prior derogatory entry in my files (from 1998), but it was addressed to her, presumably so that she would open it. I cannot help but think that this was a deliberate attempt to embarrass me and cause strife between my wife and I. Amex is arguably in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and bankruptcy laws in trying to collect a 27 year old debt that was discharged in bankruptcy and is no longer a legal debt. The fact that I or my wife initiated the conversation probably lets them argue that they really weren't trying to illegally collect a forgiven debt, but any intelligent person can see their scam.Avoid Amex like the plague. All goes well until there is a hiccup, and then they will screw you every way they possibly can. I don't want an Amex card, and neither should you.
