How Can I Decline an Upgrade to the Macy’s American Express?

We’ve heard from a number of reader who said Macy’s contacted them about their accounts being upgraded from the store-only version of the card.

We’re not sure if Macy’s will allow you to decline an upgrade, but we recommend you call the phone number on the back of your card to ask them. If you decide you do not want the American Express card after your account has been upgraded you can always close the account, but keep in mind the impact that will have on your credit scores.

Where Can I Apply for the Macy’s Credit Cards?

You can apply for the Macy’s Credit Card and Macy’s American Express Card in-store or online.

When submitting your application online you’ll actually be applying for both cards; if approved for both, you’ll be able to choose which one you want. People with worse credit may only be approved for the Macy’s Credit Card.

Can I Upgrade to the Macy’s American Express Card?

Yes. If you already have the regular Macy’s card and want to upgrade to the Macy’s American Express Card, you can call customer service to apply for an upgrade. This may result in a hard inquiry on your credit reports.

Some Macy’s Credit Cardholders may also receive an offer to upgrade. Macy’s terms give the impression that if you don’t manually decline this offer, you’ll automatically be upgraded to the Macy’s American Express.

Macy’s states that your account history should transfer over on your credit reports, keeping the same account age and payment history but taking on a new name. And it also states that any login details and payment allocations previously made will transfer over to the new card as well.

However, some card users report that their automatic payments did not transfer over to their new accounts, causing them to be late. If you upgrade to the Amex version be sure that your payment information transfers correctly. It’s also possible that Macy’s will open up a new account that does show up as new on your credit reports, rather than continuing the old account.

Where Can I Use the Macy’s Credit Cards?

The basic Macy’s Credit Card can only be used at Macy’s, Macy’s Backstage, and macys.com. Cards like these, which can only be used at their co-branded stores, are known as closed-loop or private label credit cards.

The Macy’s American Express card can be used at Macy’s and also anywhere that American Express is accepted. General-use cards like these, which can be used anywhere their affiliated card networks are accepted, are known as open-loop cards.