Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with creditcard

Anyone know people at American Express?

kellygreen — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:41:54 -0800

Can you tell me the name and contact information for a person working in the Fraud Department at American Express? I'd even settle for the Fraud Department's direct phone line. Since August I have been trying to get the name of a person—any person—working in the Fraud Department at American Express or the Fraud Department's direct telephone line. I am trying to resolve a fraud case for a client, and have gone to great lengths to speak with a live person in the department about the case.

Has the credit crunch made it impossible to do credit card balance transfers?

jason's_planet — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:12:50 -0800

I want to transfer a credit card balance to another card that would offer me a 0% interest rate for a few months. But I'm worried that the credit crunch has made it difficult or impossible to do such balance transfers. Is this the case? A little bit about me:

Citizen and resident of the USA. I have one card with a few thousand on it. I'm pretty close to maxed out; I only have a few hundred left before I reach my limit. My credit is OK but probably not excellent -- it's been a while since I've checked. I worked very steadily in the past but the situation is shaky right now. Nowadays, I get work in bits and pieces and supplement that with unemployment insurance. I have always paid my credit card bill on time and I have never exceeded the limit. I'm holding my own but not prospering.

So . . . has the recent credit crunch made it impossible for people in my financial position to do such balance transfers? What have your experiences been over the last few months? What kinds of deals are the banks offering? Are there any cards that haven't tightened their standards in the last few weeks? What would be my best options?

Many thanks in advance.

Not panicking, just refining my strategy.

ourobouros — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:14:50 -0800

Given the current economic climate, should I be padding my emergency fund or paying off my credit cards? For the past year, I've been aggressively paying down my credit card debt. At the beginning of the year, I had several credit cards, all carrying a near-maximum balance. Now, I've completely paid off the card with the highest interest rate, and I'm within striking distance of paying off the whole thing. Yay! I estimate that within 4 months, I'll be credit-card-free.

In the meantime, I've been making very small but steady payments into an emergency fund. This fund is now large enough to cover about a month of living expenses.

I haven't been too worried about the economic crisis so far, because I don't really have enough money to be directly affected. But I work for a small business -- exactly the kind of business that might be harmed by the credit crunch. As far as I know, my employer is doing just fine, but I'm a little worried about what might happen in the months to come. Because of this, I've been considering temporarily switching back to minimum payments on my credit cards so that I can build up my emergency fund to a more comfortable level -- maybe 3-4 months' worth. Is this a good idea?

A couple of other factors to consider:

- In addition to the credit card debt, I have subsidized student loans, which I've just been paying minimums on. I figure I'll be paying these off for the next few years, but the interest rates are so low that I don't mind.
- I also have an "irregular expenses" fund that holds enough for things like doctor's appointments, car repairs, etc. So my emergency fund is strictly for emergencies.

So, what do you think? Given these conditions, should I be putting more into my emergency fund? If the economy goes "plop" and takes my job with it, will I be better off with more cash on hand, or will I be regretting not paying off my credit cards when I had the chance?

Thanks, all.

Stupidest scammers ever?

lassie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:46:27 -0800

Why would a credit card scammer ship fraudulently purchased items to the legitimate credit card holder's address? Posting for a friend: She was recently notified by her credit card company that numerous purchases were made on her card in a three or four day period. These were all very small purchases (none were above $8), and the company took them off her account. Here's the kicker though -- the items started showing up at her house. What's the catch? First thought was that whoever has her information is trying to see if the cards are active in preparation for larger purchases, but then why would they ship the items to her house and tip her off that something is going on with her card? The items (most of which she returned unopened to the companies that sent them) appear to have ranged from grant-writing accessories (part of her job is grant-writing, but this might be a coincidence) to vitamin supplements (which immediately made me think that spam is somehow involved). If we're reading the credit card report correctly, the items appear to have been shipped from a variety of U.S. states.

This is not a frequently used card. She has used it for online purchases once, when she needed to make hotel reservations abroad in July. Any idea what's going on here? The card company is dealing with the problem on its end, and she's taking the necessary precautions to nip this in the bud and protect herself, but we're pretty puzzled about why these people would ship the items to her address. Thanks in advance.

Should I close my old store credit card accounts?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:55:30 -0800

Should I close my old store credit card accounts? I have a handful of store credit cards (GAP, J.Crew and the like) that are around 4-5 years old. I just got my free annual credit reports and all is well (minus the one 30 day past due on my old bank credit card right after college - that account has been closed for awhile at my request). But I have a bunch of these store credit accounts that I don't use at all and haven't for a few years. My credit history goes back about 12 years, including credit cards (currently paying off), car loans (all paid off), and educational loans (open for eternity, I'm sure).

I'd like to close them to simplify things, at least in my mind, but I'm wondering if I should leave them alone? We are looking to buy a house in the next few months. I know that there are complex ratios of available and used credit and length of accounts and whatnot involved in calculating your credit score. These cards all have fairly low limits.

So do you think it would be in my best interests to close these accounts or leave them alone for now as it relates to our future home-buying?

Is Capital One going to Capital Own me?

melvinwang — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:52:03 -0800

Are Capital One "card upgrades" for real? For the past couple of months I've been receiving pestering e-mails and letters about calling in to get a "free card upgrade" for my Capital One credit card.

I kind of just want to accept the upgrade to stop them pestering me. However, I've read about how in the UK they used similar upgrades to mask negative changes to the terms of the credit agreement such as interest rate increases, etc. so I have worries that this is some sort of bait and switch tactic, where by calling in I automatically agree to get screwed. (Also, I just get annoyed when they try to sell me crappy services at the end of the call.)

So has anyone gone through this process recently? Is it legit or just another scam by a financial company?

Apply now!!!! Or not.

Fuzzy Skinner — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:29:21 -0800

College student credit card: Besides the obvious (temptations to overspend and carry too much debt) is there any good reason for my daughter to not get her first credit card as she leaves for college? My daughter is 18, and leaving for college. Of course she is getting credit card offers. She is an adult and will make her own decision, but has been discussing whether or not to apply for one of the offered credit cards. So, I ask your input to help her decide. Here's some background:
-She has had a debit card for a couple years, and is pretty good at not overspending.
-Grants, loans, and work will pay her college expenses, so she won't use it for books, food, etc. except maybe in the short term if she has to wait for the other checks to show up.
-Dad's credit is worthless for co-signing, so she will be on her own as far as getting approval. I understand that shouldn't be hard.
-She probably needs to establish credit for her future plans.

Is there anything we are missing as she makes this decision? What would you do differently when starting out? Is there any advantage to just not getting a card at all right now? Your answers will help her make an informed decision. Thank you!

How much is too much?

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:02:22 -0800

How much credit card debt is too much? I'm a freelance guy in the arts at the beginning of a big (read: expensive) personal project which will almost certainly NOT earn me my money back, although it is definitely related to my work. I have a good new job coming up in a few months which, while there are no guarantees, looks likely to provide me with steady work for some time to come. As such, I'm considering relaxing my usually strict credit card practices, in order to better complete my project. I'm not sure how far I should go with this. Mind you, I'm not talking about trivial purchases (expensive dinners, clothes, etc) - things that will directly (albeit luxuriously) help me practice my craft. So - am I just rationalizing my desire to go on a spending spree? Do you have any personal rules of thumb that govern your credit card usage?

Which Visa card is best

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:53:57 -0800

What is the best Visa card to have? I need a new Visa card. I recently cut up my Chase Amazon credit card. I was happy with the rewards (1% back in the form of Amazon gift certificates) but over the last 6 months their customer service has been hassling me nearly incessantly - "security locks" for no reason, ridiculous fees and charges for no reason. When they refused to waive the latest of these I cancelled the card.

I never carry a balance, I won't pay an annual fee, and I have no debt. I have perfect credit. I use the card for convenience and for Internet ordering and I pay the full amount every month. I will not use a debit card.

I have an Amex Blue Cash that I like, but Amex isn't taken everywhere that Visa is. (If it were, I wouldn't be asking this question; this is also why I'm not interested in Discover, DC, or other similar cards.) I don't fly much and I buy gas on my corporate card (5% off) so I don't need those benefits. But I did like getting an 'all-purpose' reward.

Given the above, which Visa card is the best for me?

Where can I get an anonymous pre-paid Credit Card in the UK?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:43:04 -0800

Where in the UK can I get a pre-paid Credit Card or Mastercard/Visa-based Gift Card? I need to be able to use it online and I'd like to purchase it anonymously.

Is there a credit card virtual account number service out there that is usable via a mobile phone browser (i.e., a browser w/o Java or Flash support)?

arathorn — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:53:25 -0800

I need to be able to generate virtual credit card account numbers (ala the service provided by DiscoverCard or CitiCards) via my mobile phone browser. The DiscoverCard and CitiCards web services seem to require either Java or Flash support in a browser, neither of which my phone supports. I've got a V3XX, and can use the built-in browser or Opera Mini. Any services out there that would support this configuration?

Credit Card Ugh

cellphone — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:20:05 -0800

How to get a new credit card with a high limit to transfer a bunch of smaller balances to when your FICO score looks more like your bowling score? Well, not quite as bad as a bowling score. I have a handful of cards, adding up to about $5000 total in balances, with no single balance more than $1500. I'd like to get a new card to transfer all these balances to, with ideally a lower rate (below 20% would be nice :( ), so I can stop trying to keep track of all these payments dates, simplify my money management a little, set up automatic payments, and forget about it.

I've made a few months of late payments on everything due to everything being a little crazy because of my wife's health, so my credit rating has taken a real dive.

Personal experiences, ideas?

Has my friend found a way to make free money?

JPowers — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:07:06 -0800

Has my friend found a way to make free money? My friend thinks he has found a loophole in using credit cards and never paying them off...

He gets two credit cards. He buys something on Credit Card A for $500. He then pays off Credit Card A (in full) using Credit Card B. When Credit Card B comes due, he pays it off with Credit Card A. When Credit Card A comes due again, he pays it off with Credit B. And so, forever. Since both credit cards have automatic payment systems that you can setup, this is all done for him. And since he is paying off the full amount each month for each card, he never builds interest.

This sounds pretty brilliant, but I know there has to be something wrong with this idea. He's already done this once, but plans on doing it again with more credit cards. What are we missing here?

MacBook with dead logic board: how to proceed?

sparrows — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:51:38 -0800

Logic board died on my friend's two-year-old MacBook (one year out of warranty). Should she pay for repair ($700 + labor), or sell the carcass for parts and buy, say, a used iBook? She's kept it in flawless condition and the screen is perfect (no bad pixels), so maybe she could get a decent amount selling it for parts? She does not have an eBay account and is not in an active Craigslist area.

I don't know the exact specs, but it's whatever was the least expensive new white MacBook in early summer 2006. (Its HD is 80GB, and I know she got the stock drive, if that helps.)

She does not have much money and this is her only computer (in fact this is her FIRST ever computer). The 700+labor quote is from an Apple Authorized Repair Center (she's a long drive from the nearest Apple Store).

Ugh. :(

To dip or not to dip?

JPowers — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:33:04 -0800

Should my friend dip into her 401k to pay off credit card debt? She has $9,000 in credit card debt. Her husband's 401k has $10,000 (not invested, in cash) and her 401k has around $65,000. She wants to deplete the $10,000 401k to pay off their credit card debt. Right now she is paying the minimum amount on her credit card each month. They live paycheck to paycheck. They also have $5,000 in an emergency savings account.

Thoughts? Is it always a bad idea to dip into a 401k?

Getting my money back from ebay auction?

joshuaconner — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:51:12 -0800

I bought an item on ebay, and almost 3 weeks after I paid it hasn't arrived. I've tried to contact the seller to get the package tracking number (since I paid extra for delivery confirmation) through his paypal email address (bounced back) and through ebay's messaging system (did not respond). I don't think I'm ever going to get the item, and at this point I'd like to get my money back as quickly and with as little hassle as possible. Should I initiate a dispute with my credit card company, ebay, or Paypal?

Debit/Credit card fees in Europe

timory — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:55:53 -0800

How do I avoid excessive credit card/ATM fees when traveling in Europe this summer? I'll be studying abroad in Europe for 6 weeks this summer, in 6 different countries. I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle money out there. I know that it's best not to carry cash or use local currency exchanges, but is there any particular credit card or bank that I should apply for to avoid conversion fees and other surcharges? Ideally I'd just be able to get cash out of most ATMs without having to pay an arm and a leg for each individual transaction.

Right now I have a checking account (debit card) with PNC Bank, and a credit card with Bank of America, just FYI.

Is it worth it to push an issue with my credit card?

handful of rain — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:37:52 -0800

Should I try to escalate my recent experience with my credit card provider? Please help me understand what I might be able to gain from doing so. The short question (many more details below): What action items are within the power of a typical supervisor in a credit card call center? What might that person be able to do to make amends for an egregious customer service experience?

Background: I am a platinum account holder with a major American bank (which I will not name in this question). Prior to a recent trip to Europe I was trying to be a responsible card holder and assemble information in case my wallet were lost or stolen. Since it is often not possible to call the usual toll-free 1-800 numbers you would call in the US, most cards also have another number to call collect from outside the US. My debit card listed both of these numbers on the back, but my platinum Master Card only listed a 1-866 "automated account information" number.

I poked around on my web account for the card and couldn't find the number I needed. I then tried using the customer service portal to make my query. I cannot reproduce the text of my query here because my messages were mysteriously deleted following what happened next, but it was along the lines of: "I am planning a trip to Europe and would like to know what number to call in the event my card is lost or stolen. Is the number different than the one I would call in the US?"

The next day - 24 hours before I left on my trip - I discovered that my card had been canceled as a result of my question. I phoned in and got a rather apologetic representative, but there was nothing that could be done. He offered to send a new card overnight FedEx, but could not guarantee that it would arrive before I left for my trip at 9 am the next day. I did not want a FedEx envelope with a credit card sitting on my doorstep for a week, so I declined his offer and said that I would call again after my trip to have the card reissued. I am 100% clear that he understood I did not want the card sent - he repeated that no action would be taken until I call.

Fast forward to my return home - there's a week-old FedEx envelope on my doorstep with a new card.

I'm really, really annoyed about this. I feel that I have had a horrible experience that is not in any way my fault, that my direct instructions were ignored, and that having the FedEx envelope on my doorstep for a week was a breach of security on a couple of levels (advertising no one was in my house and also exposing my credit card to theft). I am capable of calling and having a rational conversation about this, but I'm not sure if it is worth it.

If I did call, what might I be able to ask of the bank to make amends for my experience? My card doesn't offer any points or bonus air miles or anything like that. I've also never carried a balance forward, so they've never make a penny in interest off me. Will they even care if I cancel my card?

I feel the ideal thing to do would probably be for me to cancel the card and move my bank, but that's a rather large project and I don't have a lot of time for it right now. I also don't know what other bank I'd go to - I have a feeling they are all probably equally terrible at some level.

I usually resolve situations like these by deciding that sometimes annoying things happen in life, and it's probably not worth my time and angst to pursue it. This feels different. Can anyone weigh in one way or the other, or tell my what I might be able to expect in terms of compensation?

Help me find good options to help my sister get out of debt

Chuck Cheeze — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:02:27 -0800

My sister and her husband are in serious debt. My wife and I are going to act as their financial advisors to help them get it together. Can anyone recommend any programs/products we can look into? My wife is a financial genius and helped me get out of severe debt when we met. We need to do the same for my sister, KC. KC and her husband are totally on board and have seen the light once my wife laid all their bills out on paper for them. They are prepared to change their spending habits and work hard to get turned around. However, there are some challenges.

The tally was basically this:
- they make about $150K
- they put a lot into their corporate retirement plans pre-tax
- they have 3 car loans and a 5th wheel trailer loan that total $1800/month
- they have store and major credit cards totaling about $68K

They have about 50K put away that is liquid, of which 20K is available to use for paying off debt. The rest is untouchable for their own reasons. Unfortunately.

So the 20K will be used right away to pay off all the store cards and some of the major cards. I think the best course of action for the rest of the majors is two 25K debt consolidation loans. They already have a 2nd on their house that has basically been used monthly to cover about a $1500 monthly gap between their income and bills.

I know the best course it to liquidate the other $30K and not get one of the loans, but that money is off limits, this is their choice and its final.

So I am looking for other options, or, if you have a good source for these loans, point me to it. Their local CU can give them $25K over 4 years at 13.49%. Not bad - what else is out there?

They have good credit (~680), never missed a payment, but they just have a ton of debt. I'm looking for options here that may be better than what is above.

The catalyst for this was that KC said she was going to cash in $40K of her retirement, which would be a $27K net after penalties and taxes- but obviously that is a horrible cost and way worse than even the 20%+ rates they are paying on this debt. When I heard of this I decided it was time for help. Needless to say she has no clue where to start and was relieved that I offered.

The scenario is that they aren't selling any cars, the trailer, or touching the account with $30K in it. We have to work with this situation. I would do things differently, but since this is what we have to work with, I am looking for options given these challenges.

-Enter your zip code please -Across the street from you

gauchodaspampas — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:52:49 -0800

Why was I asked for my zip code when I payed at the pump? ID verification? Any idea why I was asked by the credit card machine at the pump for my zip code the last time I tried to pay with a credit card at the pump? This was at a BP. I payed with a visa. Rather not say the issuing bank, but it's a big one. Are gas stations starting to do this to verify identity since most gas purchases are over $25, which is the limit for purchases without a signature in most other cases?

That is my first guess, because when asked for my zip, I was pretty annoyed, because I thought it was for the station to collect demographic data. So I fed it a false one. Then it told me to see attendant, so either that data went to my bank for verification, and was turned down, the zip I gave it doesn't exists, so the station made me come inside, or the station doesn't want to let people who live far away (the zip I gave it would be from far away) pay at the pump, in case it's a scam. And then I realized that I had just given them my credit card number, so I was probably being ridiculous anyway. But if the station can easily see that information (i.e. if it's for demographics), well, I don't want them to. If it's just going to my bank to verify the card I'm using isn't stolen, I'm all for it.

I called my issuing bank and checked my latest purchases to make sure it wasn't because there was any "suspicious activity" on my account or anything. There wasn't.

Anyhow, the only 3 reasons I can think of are: 1) suspicious activity on my account, so extra verification required - ruled out, 2) Gas stations starting to do this as ID verification, and/or credit card companies asking that they do this, in which case I'm fine with it. They already have my credit card information. Not telling them anything they don't know. 3) Gas station collecting demographic information, which I'd prefer they not do.

So anyone know why? Have you had the same happen for the first time recently?

Is someone using my e-mail address or is it just a mistake?

nekton — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:01:42 -0800

I received a registration e-mail for online credit card services that I did not submit. The links in the e-mail are authentic (i.e. they are from the actual credit card company's domain and all the headers are authentic too), but when I called the company they said that my e-mail address wasn't in their files. The contents of the e-mail are essentially:

"We've started your online registration. Your user ID is your credit card number ending in #### and your temporary password is *****."

Iwould assume it was someone mistakenly entering my e-mail address while registering their card, except for the fact that the company doesn't have my e-mail address on file. I've already changed my password, in the event someone else is purposefully using my e-mail address.

What's going on? Is there anything I should do?

Fun with banking call centres (not).

Flitcraft — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:58:11 -0800

Help! What 'eight digit' number regarding my Visa credit card are the Abbey National call centre trying to get from my fiancé? We're in the UK. I have a Co-op Visa credit card. It has two important numbers you normally need to know for paying money into the account: the sixteen digit account code (card number) and the six digit 'sort code' for the bank.

Fiancé, who banks with Abbey, is trying to transfer much-needed money to me using Abbey's telephone banking system, but they're being extremely unhelpful, and insisting that he must also give them an eight digit 'account number' for my card, which I've never heard of. They don't mean the card security number (it's not eight digit), and my account statement has nothing eight digit on it. Does anyone know what this number could be and how I would get it from my bank?

Or alternatively are the Abbey call centre just wrong about this? Their previous record doesn't inspire confidence.

Pay at the Pump

pheideaux — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:08:16 -0800

Can gas station attendants access my credit card number when I pay at the pump? Similarly, can any normal cashier/bagger/checker/etc. at a store with a self-swipe console charge my account after I have left? Of course, the store's corporate computer needs my number, but it seems like the point-of-sale employee is outside the transaction. Nevertheless, I have been paying with cash more often in an attempt to reduce my risk of unauthorized charges. Am I being overly cautious?

Tip Jaw

Mach3avelli — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:59:17 -0800

My friend is a server at a privately-owned restaurant, and she received a big tip from a patron ($40 on a $100 bill). However, it turns out days later that the card used was stolen, and now the restaurant owners have asked for her to return the tip money. Do they have any legal ground to do so? This is in California. She didn't know the patron, nor did she know the card was a stolen item.

credit card service fee/waitstaff

andywolf — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:37:05 -0800

lawfilter: is it legal in minnesota for credit card service fees to be deducted from a waitstaff's tip? according to this it sounds like it's up in the air in MN and a few other states. i can't find anything with more clarification as to the current standing of the law or if it's being contested in court right now.