This was a really interesting read. Someone claiming to be on the Amex credit review team broke down how income reporting actually works, and honestly it explains a lot of what people see in real life.
The big takeaway is that if you pay in full and have a clean history, Amex pretty much trusts you. They don’t really question the income you state, and you end up in the best bucket where they’re very hands off. Miss payments or only pay the minimum and suddenly they start looking a lot closer.
It also explains why some people get crazy limits, easy approvals, and generous retention offers while others get shut down fast. It’s less about the number you put on the application and more about how you behave after.
Not advice to lie obviously, but it does shed light on why Amex feels different from other issuers.
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