"Approved"
Zync from American Express® Review
Written by: sammo on 2010-06-20
Overall Satisfaction
Customer Service
Rewards
Account Management
Delivery Time
sammo's review: 
Immediately approved with an Experian non-FICO score of 730, ~1.3 years of credit history, and little enough income (student). Had to call to get the card activated; I was immediately connected to a very helpful CSR in India who activated the card then simply would not stop telling me how to use the American Express web site. When she stopped for breath I thanked her profusely and said goodbye.
The Zync card may or may not be useful, depending on the potential user's usage. It has a small annual fee ($25), a large signing bonus (10,000 points = $100 at Barnes and Noble, or $50 AmEx gift card), and a decent rewards program (1 point per dollar, more from affiliated retailers). I avoided the "packs," because I don't spend nearly enough to offset the cost. There are certainly better cards for those with good credit and income, but in my circumstances this is a pretty good fit. The B&N gift card will go towards textbooks, and after 11 months I will inquire about a no-fee card, e. G. Blue or Clear.
Be forewarned, when they say you get 20 characters for your name, they are including spaces. If your first and last names are 20 characters plus an intervening space, the application web page will say you're okay, but the card will cut off the last letter of your last name. My name has been mutilated in this manner. It has not been a problem with online retailers, but there may be problems down the road at brick and mortar places. Besides, it looks silly.
Immediately approved with an Experian non-FICO score of 730, ~1.3 years of credit history, and little enough income (student). Had to call to get the card activated; I was immediately connected to a very helpful CSR in India who activated the card then simply would not stop telling me how to use the American Express web site. When she stopped for breath I thanked her profusely and said goodbye.The Zync card may or may not be useful, depending on the potential user's usage. It has a small annual fee ($25), a large signing bonus (10,000 points = $100 at Barnes and Noble, or $50 AmEx gift card), and a decent rewards program (1 point per dollar, more from affiliated retailers). I avoided the "packs," because I don't spend nearly enough to offset the cost. There are certainly better cards for those with good credit and income, but in my circumstances this is a pretty good fit. The B&N gift card will go towards textbooks, and after 11 months I will inquire about a no-fee card, e. G. Blue or Clear.
Be forewarned, when they say you get 20 characters for your name, they are including spaces. If your first and last names are 20 characters plus an intervening space, the application web page will say you're okay, but the card will cut off the last letter of your last name. My name has been mutilated in this manner. It has not been a problem with online retailers, but there may be problems down the road at brick and mortar places. Besides, it looks silly.
6 Comments
Comment 1 by wanderer
Re: Approved 
on 2010-06-21
Congrats! Very informative write up. You have a grasp of how to develop your credit.
on 2010-06-21 Congrats! Very informative write up. You have a grasp of how to develop your credit.
Comment 2 by san201083
Re: Approved on 2010-06-21
Great information. Good to start with 10000 bonus points. If you r a student try for discover they give a decent credit line.
on 2010-06-21 Great information. Good to start with 10000 bonus points. If you r a student try for discover they give a decent credit line.
Comment 3 by kdb030609
Re: Approved on 2010-06-21
Congratulations on the approval ! What is your credit limit ?
on 2010-06-21 Congratulations on the approval ! What is your credit limit ?
Comment 4 by sammo
Re: Approved on 2010-06-22
San: I may be posting a review of the Discover Student card soon.
Kdb: Like other AmEx charge cards, the Zync has no preset spending limit; it has an internal limit that AmEx adjusts based on your spending, ability to pay, and other factors. If approved online, you can opt to receive your account number via web and you get a $250 limit to play with. Upon receipt of the card and activation, the account converts to NPSL. They won't tell you the internal limit, but the web site has a tool that lets you make test charges, and it said I would be approved for a $1000 charge, so the internal limit was at least $1000 on the day the card was activated.
on 2010-06-22 San: I may be posting a review of the Discover Student card soon.Kdb: Like other AmEx charge cards, the Zync has no preset spending limit; it has an internal limit that AmEx adjusts based on your spending, ability to pay, and other factors. If approved online, you can opt to receive your account number via web and you get a $250 limit to play with. Upon receipt of the card and activation, the account converts to NPSL. They won't tell you the internal limit, but the web site has a tool that lets you make test charges, and it said I would be approved for a $1000 charge, so the internal limit was at least $1000 on the day the card was activated.
Comment 5 by sammo
Re: Approved on 2010-07-08
Just got a $5 Amazon gift code for registering on the Zync Tank. I don't know how long this will last, but it makes the value proposition of this card a little bit better. Still waiting for those 10,000 MR points to become available. I think they want to see a couple months of payment--and collect the annual fee--before they give up the points.
on 2010-07-08 Just got a $5 Amazon gift code for registering on the Zync Tank. I don't know how long this will last, but it makes the value proposition of this card a little bit better. Still waiting for those 10,000 MR points to become available. I think they want to see a couple months of payment--and collect the annual fee--before they give up the points.
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Disclaimer: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. Review content is powered by Finance Globe.
