Use Your Credit Card Or Else

[DallasEast]

I have a wallet full of credit cards but there are only three that I use on a regular basis. However, I do make purchases with the other cards occasionally, like last night when I decided to give my Bank of America card a little love paying for my wife's birthday dinner party.

It was a little shock getting the declined receipt from the waiter but that was cool. So I whipped out another credit card that I had last used well-before (like MONTHS before) the last transaction made with my BOA card. Funny. The older transaction-less card did not get declined.

Note that I am the paranoid type. I regularly sign into all my online accounts on a monthly basis and review them for any unusual activity (and to keep all the usernames and passwords fresh in my mind ). I recalled signing into my BOA account nine days ago, saw there had not been any transactions as expected, noted the zero balance and signed out.

I gave this info to the BOA credit card rep whom I called after trying logging UNSUCCESSFULLY into my online account this morning. The rep informed me my account had been closed sometime in 2016.

Weird. I never received an email, text, letter, smoke signal, nuthin' from BOA stating they junked the card. My online account never posted a notice that the account had been closed OR prevented me from accessing it until today. Yeah, BOA has every right to close an account that has not been used in my opinion. It would not surprise me that condition is stated somewhere in their credit card agreement--which are those envelope stuffers loaded with lawyer font sized print that I rarely read and never keep--but I would have appreciated some warning before I made the what the heck just happened look last night in front of my family.

Oh well. Que sera sera. Time for BOA card to meet the dreaded shred machine!

 

[BigStar]

That's weird you could still login to see your balance n payments but then they turn around and tell you it was closed some time ago. Why did your login information work and account be updated, etc They seemed to have slipped somewhere in not notifying you in some way and customer service was covering, etc.

I used to have several credit cards too but cut down to 2 (debit and credit) after I got my card digital # ID stolen (darkweb) a while ago from an old American Express credit card that I never used. It was racking up charges in SE Asia somewhere before AE notified me and refunded the money.

 

[diefree666]

That's weird you could still login to see your balance n payments but then they turn around and tell you it was closed some time ago. Why did your login information work and account be updated, etc They seemed to have slipped somewhere in not notifying you in some way and customer service was covering, etc.

I used to have several credit cards too but cut down to 2 (debit and credit) after I got my card digital # ID stolen (darkweb) a while ago from an old American Express credit card that I never used. It was racking up charges in SE Asia somewhere before AE notified me and refunded the money.

If you intend to keep it use it at least once a year and probably better twice. I have experience with a card that actually I left in some boxes for some reason and forgot about. Then found it and tried to use it and it was shut down- had been for almost two years but I NEVER got any notice about it.

That is a bad thing about CC companies; they only tell you what the LAW demands they tell you (privacy notices, etc). Lots of other things they tell you diddly squat. Like raising the interest rate on your card.

 

[BigStar]

If you intend to keep it use it at least once a year and probably better twice. I have experience with a card that actually I left in some boxes for some reason and forgot about. Then found it and tried to use it and it was shut down- had been for almost two years but I NEVER got any notice about it.

That is a bad thing about CC companies; they only tell you what the LAW demands they tell you (privacy notices, etc). Lots of other things they tell you diddly squat. Like raising the interest rate on your card.

Huh, thanks for info diefree666, was wrong in assuming they were at fault; guess that was in the dictionary length agreement I signed, etc.

 

[diefree666]

Huh, thanks for info diefree666, was wrong in assuming they were at fault; guess that was in the dictionary length agreement I signed, etc.

well they are STILL at fault at least with decent and honest people; they SHOULD have sent you a mailing telling you that your card had been suspended. Just because it may be LEGAL according to miles of small print does not make it right.
There is sometimes a HUGE difference in what is RIGHT and what is LEGAL.

 

[Bigdog]

I got a noticed from Discover Card that they were going to close it for inactivity. Haven't used it for a while but keep since I have it open for over 25 yrs. I just bought gas to keep it open.

 

[Ranching]

Haven't used a CC in many years, but they are nice to have for emergencies.

 

[The Fonz]

Haven't used a CC in many years, but they are nice to have for emergencies.

Cash under the mattress will work better

 

[Reality]

Several years ago I opened an account at a bank just as an emergency backup. I put $500 in the account, got a simple debit card, etc. and it was a free account so it had no monthly fees. I kept tabs on it for a few years while never using it.

Then one day I was out and for whatever reason my main card wouldn't work at checkout (network issues apparently), so I decided to use the emergency card just to make sure it worked and of course it failed. I ended up using another card that worked.

Afterwards, I drove straight to the bank just to see if there was anything I needed to do. I found out they had closed my account a year earlier. I asked them why they did that and they said I had a zero balance for a year so they closed it. I of course said that's not possible, I had $500 in there I never used. That's when they told me they dropped their free checking account option a few years earlier and they basically drained my account every month with fees until it was gone. I was very irritated, but they said there was nothing they could do because I waited too long to report it. I pointed out that I never received any letters or notices and they said, "Oh we stopped sending out paper statements long ago."

Ever since then, I started keeping tabs on all of my accounts at least once per month. If you have bank accounts, credit cards, etc. I would suggest you use or check on them at least once every 2-3 months to avoid any issues.

 

[Trouty]

I had $12.50 stolen from me from New Zealand and like $5.00 stolen from me from Brazil. Same day (well, night for me) about a year ago. But these were from my Citi debit card. Citi closed and locked my account immediately and called me and sent me an email. I woke up to these alerts around 6am and was frightened, to say the least.

They did an investigation (LOL) and refunded my $17.50 and told me that they were probably "feelers" but Citi didn't play.

I was given the sage wisdom to get a credit card from my bank and to use that so if I'm ever stolen from again, and in the unfortunate event it isn't caught, I have a much easier time disputing bank credit than I do with liquid cash.

Plus I get a ton of points this way, use it as a debit card (and just pay straight from my checking when I get home after whatever purchase), and don't have to worry as much. I get a $50 gift card (to various places, mostly eateries ) damn near every month just by doing this.

I know this is a little off topic, DE, sorry, just wanted to share

Also! When I had that weird "feeler" money stolen from me, I was in a relationship with a woman from Brazil. Hand to god. My buddies used to joke with me about it, to say the least

 

[Trouty]

Several years ago I opened an account at a bank just as an emergency backup. I put $500 in the account, got a simple debit card, etc. and it was a free account so it had no monthly fees. I kept tabs on it for a few years while never using it.

Then one day I was out and for whatever reason my main card wouldn't work at checkout (network issues apparently), so I decided to use the emergency card just to make sure it worked and of course it failed. I ended up using another card that worked.

Afterwards, I drove straight to the bank just to see if there was anything I needed to do. I found out they had closed my account a year earlier. I asked them why they did that and they said I had a zero balance for a year so they closed it. I of course said that's not possible, I had $500 in there I never used. That's when they told me they dropped their free checking account option a few years earlier and they basically drained my account every month with fees until it was gone. I was very irritated, but they said there was nothing they could do because I waited too long to report it. I pointed out that I never received any letters or notices and they said, "Oh we stopped sending out paper statements long ago."

Ever since then, I started keeping tabs on all of my accounts at least once per month. If you have bank accounts, credit cards, etc. I would suggest you use or check on them at least once every 2-3 months to avoid any issues.

This is horrible, Reality! $500 or not, I would've been irate!

I do keep meticulous tabs of my accounts. Hell, I even file my emails into appropriate folders.

This is a congregate of fellow OCD money watchers, it appears

 

[diefree666]

Several years ago I opened an account at a bank just as an emergency backup. I put $500 in the account, got a simple debit card, etc. and it was a free account so it had no monthly fees. I kept tabs on it for a few years while never using it.

Then one day I was out and for whatever reason my main card wouldn't work at checkout (network issues apparently), so I decided to use the emergency card just to make sure it worked and of course it failed. I ended up using another card that worked.

Afterwards, I drove straight to the bank just to see if there was anything I needed to do. I found out they had closed my account a year earlier. I asked them why they did that and they said I had a zero balance for a year so they closed it. I of course said that's not possible, I had $500 in there I never used. That's when they told me they dropped their free checking account option a few years earlier and they basically drained my account every month with fees until it was gone. I was very irritated, but they said there was nothing they could do because I waited too long to report it. I pointed out that I never received any letters or notices and they said, "Oh we stopped sending out paper statements long ago."

Ever since then, I started keeping tabs on all of my accounts at least once per month. If you have bank accounts, credit cards, etc. I would suggest you use or check on them at least once every 2-3 months to avoid any issues.

Most banks will tell you that you have a choice as regards paperless or not; but some like the one you mentioned just do it and never tell you. And do not care if they do not have a good email address for you.
Its really ironic that the federal laws on privacy (which to be blunt no longer matter) force them to be careful; but on virtually everything else they can do as they wish.

 

[CyberB0b]

Haven't used a CC in many years, but they are nice to have for emergencies.

I use mine for every purchase. The protection it provides is worth it, but the points make it a no brainer.

 

[Ranching]

I use mine for every purchase. The protection it provides is worth it, but the points make it a no brainer.

Good point, my wife does most, if not all of our shopping. She uses a CC for bigger purchases for those same reasons.

 

[Jammer]

Ever since then, I started keeping tabs on all of my accounts at least once per month. If you have bank accounts, credit cards, etc. I would suggest you use or check on them at least once every 2-3 months to avoid any issues.

I have no problems keeping up with my credit cards. My ex-wife ran up the balances so much I am reminded every month just how much they were used.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I have one credit card... A marathon gas card. I use it a max of two times a year... One usually is a couple cans of fuel to start the grass mowing part of the year. The other is usually just a normal fill up in the winter.

Done this the last ten years or so without a problem. Of those ten years I think I have only used it past the two times once.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I have three. I use them regularly. Pay them off twice a month or whenever I build up a usage rate of over 7-8%.

 

[TheKey]

One helpful trick I have learned that might help others: download the square cash app and you get a digital prepaid card (also a physical card free if you want it). You load it from your normal bank and can send money peer to peer for free.

The advantage of doing it this way is that you load it with the exact amount you need right before you do the transaction. After you make the transaction it's back to zero and there is no possibility of fraud. Another benefit, those pesky free trials you forgot about will never cost you money because the card you used for it has no money on it.

 

[Kevinicus]

I have a wallet full of credit cards but there are only three that I use on a regular basis. However, I do make purchases with the other cards occasionally, like last night when I decided to give my Bank of America card a little love paying for my wife's birthday dinner party.

It was a little shock getting the declined receipt from the waiter but that was cool. So I whipped out another credit card that I had last used well-before (like MONTHS before) the last transaction made with my BOA card. Funny. The older transaction-less card did not get declined.

Note that I am the paranoid type. I regularly sign into all my online accounts on a monthly basis and review them for any unusual activity (and to keep all the usernames and passwords fresh in my mind ). I recalled signing into my BOA account nine days ago, saw there had not been any transactions as expected, noted the zero balance and signed out.

I gave this info to the BOA credit card rep whom I called after trying logging UNSUCCESSFULLY into my online account this morning. The rep informed me my account had been closed sometime in 2016.

Weird. I never received an email, text, letter, smoke signal, nuthin' from BOA stating they junked the card. My online account never posted a notice that the account had been closed OR prevented me from accessing it until today. Yeah, BOA has every right to close an account that has not been used in my opinion. It would not surprise me that condition is stated somewhere in their credit card agreement--which are those envelope stuffers loaded with lawyer font sized print that I rarely read and never keep--but I would have appreciated some warning before I made the what the heck just happened look last night in front of my family.

Oh well. Que sera sera. Time for BOA card to meet the dreaded shred machine!

All you had to say was BOA.

 

[DallasEast]

All you had to say was BOA.