Q: What are the requirements to get an American Express credit card if I never had a credit card before?

Even after the years I've spent reporting personal finance stories, I can't get my contacts at American Express to give up the secret recipe that makes one application more appealing than another. I'd probably have better luck trying to channel Colonel Sanders on a Ouija board and getting him to spell out what really goes into a bucket of KFC.

Still, we can presume a few things about how American Express makes its credit decisions, especially since many of its charge cards inherently carry less risk to the issuer than traditional credit cards. A decent credit score, a stable income, and an employer that reimburses your business expenses can help you qualify for different types of American Express charge cards:

• American Express Green Card. Even though you can't carry a balance on AmEx's entry level charge card and you'll pay a $95 annual fee (after your free first year), AmEx will still look for the kind of credit report that would earn a FICO score in the mid-to-high 600s.
• ZYNC from American Express. Readers tell us that AmEx has given them even more leeway with the "young consumer" charge card, but that the company monitors transactions closely to make sure you're not living beyond your means.
• American Express Gold Card and Platinum Card from American Express. These cards scream "business travel," and some account representatives have been known to extend membership to applicants with mid-600 FICO scores after asking for employment verification. It helps if you work for a company with plenty of peers that use Gold or Platinum AmEx cards for work-related expenses.

Earning membership for an AmEx charge card requires a cleaner than average credit report, and the company has been notoriously tough on consumers who have experienced credit card delinquencies or defaults in the past. For instance, the Blue Cash American Express cash back credit card comes in both an "Everyday" and a "Preferred" version. We've heard from plenty of readers who anticipated getting the "Preferred" card, only to be told they only qualified for "Everyday" status.

And if you're looking for one of the legendary American Express Centurion Cards, your credit score really won't matter. To earn an invite for one of these black cards, you'll need to pump $250,000 or more in annual spending through an existing account. If you can get your hands on that kind of cash without carrying a balance, you're probably not spending a lot of time obsessing over your FICO score.