Question Of The Week: Why Can’t I Get My Amex Instant Card Number?
Our question of the week this week: Why can’t I get my Amex instant card number? Isn’t that supposed to be a thing? How can I get the card number if it didn’t show up right away? Those questions are all factored in, as well as what you can do about it. Let’s look.
The Question
Our question of the week comes from Clayton in our Facebook group:
Usually when I sign up for a new American Express card they give me a temporary virtual card. Today when I signed up I did not get one on the confirmation page. Any way to get this or do I just need to wait for the card to arrive?
The Amex Instant Card Number
Many times, you can get a temporary, instant credit card number after approval for an Amex card. American Express gives you this card number to use for online purchases / mobile wallet until your real card arrives in the mail. This is great if you have a big purchase coming up and want to start spending for that welcome offer right away.
American Express outlines the info on this here. They say it’s available for consumer cards, which means “not business”. They go on to say this:
If you are eligible, you can get your Instant Card Number if you apply for a Card online (via desktop or mobile device) or over the phone with a customer service representative.
- For Card applications online, you can retrieve your Instant Card Number online immediately following application approval or via a link provided in your Welcome Email that you will receive shortly after you are approved.
- For Card applications over the phone, you can retrieve your Instant Card Number via a link provided in your Welcome Email that you will receive shortly after you are approved.
When It Doesn’t Work
That “if you are eligible” is the part that gets me. They say it’s based on their “ability to authenticate you,” but if you approved me for a card that tells me you should’ve authenticated me.
From my own personal experience, I’ve never gotten this email about the Amex instant card number. In fact, between my wife and I, we’ve gotten the instant card number a grand total of one time. That came when I was instantly approved for a card WITHOUT logging into my American Express online account first. So much for authentication, right?
Are those connected? Who knows. Since then, I’ve tried a myriad if situations to get the instant card number, and neither my wife nor I ever get the number. The email? I didn’t know it existed until I just copied the info about it into this article.
And I know we aren’t alone. The fact people are asking about this and that you can find this same question in multiple places online means it doesn’t work as it should.
What You Can Do About It
So, if you don’t get your Amex instant card number like you should, and that email doesn’t come, what can you do?
Contact Amex. From our previous look at this problem, they should offer an apology. And it should come with some kind of fee reduction, statement credit, or maybe some points.
Start with chat and ask why you didn’t get your instant card number. See if they can get it for you. If not, link the chat agent to the info about the existence of it and point out that they didn’t deliver on their promise. In this situation, “you may be entitled to compensation”.
Final Thoughts
Getting that instant card number is great, because you can start spending on that welcome offer right away. If you’ve got a big purchase due soon, you want that card number. If you don’t get the instant card number that American Express advertises, ask them why. And if they can’t get it for you, see if they’ll offer you something with that apology.
Lower Spend - Chase Ink Business Preferred® 100K!
Chase Ink Business Preferred® is a powerful card that earns 3X Ultimate Rewards points in a broad range of business categories on the first $150K in spend per year. Right now earn 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards points after Learn more about this card and its features!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
First time AmEx customer here, I just got approved for the Blue Cash Preferred, which I applied for mainly because of the Instant Card Number feature. Spoiler alert: I didn’t receive it. I contacted AmEx both via web chat and phone, and both reps told me that it “wasn’t available for this account”? Below is the exact message I received from their online agent:
“Yes, the instant card number may be available but not all the time. This still depends if the system allows and this can only be checked while in the process of application.
If the application is already submitted and you were not presented of the instant card number, it means it is not available option on your card.”
Neither agent told me I wasn’t ELIGIBLE, just that the Instant Card Number “wasn’t available” – which doesn’t add up with their T&C. Seems I wasn’t entitled to compensation either
It’s weird. I rarely get the number. Sorry you ran into this.
I was told for my new Amex Business Gold that they don’t issue instant card numbers for business cards.
Correct. As stated in the article, it’s for personal / consumer cards.
Larry – just FYI, I got the instant number (I can’t remember the last time I got it!) for a biz gold yesterday.
Ryan I’ve got a question that maybe you’ve discussed as a question of the week before. If so, please forgive.
So, do you know if it’s possible to pay to upgrade on a partner award booking.
Reason I ask is because AA seems to be a bit stingy these days in award space but I can occasionally find a few.
On a rare occasion I can use BA for an economy seat on AA. So in a situation of such, do you know if it would be possible to pay to upgrade on such a ticket?
I know most airlines (at least US domestic) allows for one to pay with points or miles when the award seat was booked using their loyalty currency.
So if I used BA for AA or Virgin for Delta to secure an economy seat, would they allow for one to pay to upgrade or no?
Thanks in advance…hopefully this isn’t too confusing.
You’re talking about something like this:
Use BA miles to book on AA, then ask AA if you can pay to upgrade
Right?
In advance, I’m pretty sure no. Any changes to your ticket have to be through the method you used for booking.
At check in? Maybe. Some airlines allow you to pay to upgrade during check in at the airport etc. and you could try. I have never tried or had someone ask me about this, so this is my initial thought given changing tickets for other various reasons (not upgrades) and always getting sent back to my booking source.
Thanks for the response Ryan. I figured as such and you’re always a wealth of information which is why I knew you’d be the person to ask.
Thanks again and I’ll be looking forward to your next article. Have a great weekend.