Dont believe that you cant get a credit cardw ith bad credit or that you HAVE to start with a secured card first, That is not true but what is true is that American Express is very finicky. They will not let you have a card again if you have had a card with them and messed it up. They are very hard, more than liekly they will not overlook a bad credit history whether you had a card with tem or not. Try going through another bank all hope is not gone. You may have to try a perosnal credit card first through some second chance cards ( sub-prime) especially if you do not have the money to open a secured card. Check some of the sites for credit cards for people with bad credit. Someone will take a chance on you. I filed chapter 13 and 6 moths later was preaaproved for a card with no fees and here it is 4 years later and I am constantly getting preapproved offers and because I handled my new found credit properly my scores have increased to the point where I can get highly competitve interest rates ( they are all over 670). Get second and thrid opiions, dont just listen to anybody and DONT listen to just one person