I've had an AMEX Gold “Open” card ($75/yr) for close to ten years. I don't recall the exact details about the sign-up process, they asked for information about

I've had an AMEX Gold “Open” card ($75/yr) for close to ten years. I don't recall the exact details about the sign-up process, they asked for information about my business (consulting) how long it had been active (a couple of months) and my expected use. It isn't a credit card per se, you have to pay the balance off every month. After about a year of good use/payment cycles they may offer you "sign and travel", which lets you effectively use it as a credit card (with a pretty hefty APR, IIRC 19%). They also have a credit card version now but it costs more ($300/yr) and I've never had the need to change to it. I also have a Capital One credit card which as far as I can tell I got by having had a North Fork Bank account for years before Capital One bought them.