please ignore

[madge]

This is actually a small source of frustration to me. I'd like to be able to pay my new charges the day I make them. I want to go to Target, charge my stuff and get the points , and go home and pay that amount online. It's a little too easy to forget how much I've spent if I wait a month, or even a week. But of my two credit cards, one only allows online payments once every 10 days , and the other only allows me to pay 20% more than the current balance (and since that Target charge wouldn't have posted yet, it's not part of the current balance). Does anyone know if the Chase Disney Visa has restrictions on online payments?

I don't think so, I pay on my every few days and haven't had any problems. Occasionally I'll try to schedule a payment when I have one already scheduled and I can't do that.

 

[Mac and Us]

We have 4 rewards cards that we use regularly. We never carry a balance.

When I shop, I always put the slip in my purse (instead of the bag). I keep all my slips in an envelope seperated by credit card. I use an excel spreadsheet for my budgeting. Every week I enter the slips in the spreadsheet so I always know what my credit card balance is and make sure it is within our set budget.

Most times I pay once a month on line. Sometimes when we want to make a large purchase I just pay the credit card off so we will have the full credit line to work with. That way we get to keep our money for an extra month AND I get the rewards for using the card.

 

[etwinchester]

We have 4 rewards cards that we use regularly. We never carry a balance.

When I shop, I always put the slip in my purse (instead of the bag). I keep all my slips in an envelope seperated by credit card. I use an excel spreadsheet for my budgeting. Every week I enter the slips in the spreadsheet so I always know what my credit card balance is and make sure it is within our set budget.

Most times I pay once a month on line. Sometimes when we want to make a large purchase I just pay the credit card off so we will have the full credit line to work with. That way we get to keep our money for an extra month AND I get the rewards for using the card.

You might want to invest in Quicken. You can have ALL your accounts listed, put purchases into categories and do a report (various types) by the different categories. You can also set up a budget in there as well.

It is truly a GREAT asset and a life saver. I have all our insurance policies listed as well (called a survivor report) and printed out with all the phone numbers, amounts, etc... incase anything were to happen to me. It also prints out any type of banking accounts you have, credit cards, assets, and liabilities so everything is all together for the person who needs it. Without this, if anything were to happen to me, DH wouldn't know what to do or know how to obtain all the money we may have.

 

[MrsPete]

I was recently notified by 2 of my banks that I have debit cards with that my card could be compromised.

Something like this happened to us recently, but it was a mistake:

Prior to a weekend trip, my husband bought (online) a 7-day fishing license for another state. I knew that he did it.

The next day Discover called me on the phone, but the spokesperson sounded suspicious to me: he could barely string two words together; in short, he sounded like a slack-jawed idiot. He asked me if I'd made any boat-related purchases lately. Nope, we don't own a boat. (Little did I know that a SC fishing license shows up on the CC as a boating/fishing license, and he never used the word fishing.) He told me that he thought someone had used my husband's card inappropriately, and he was going to cancel the card. I was sure that he was a scam-artist, so I basically said nothing to him. I refused to give my husband's mother's maiden name, etc. I thought it was odd that he didn't ask for my card number, but I figured this was the "warm up the victim" call, and he'd be calling again later for the number.

This call happened about 10:00, and I knew my husband was coming home for lunch, so I just took down Bozo's number and did nothing. Well, that was a mistake. At noon, my husband made a quick stop at Bass Pro Outlet to pick up some fishing items . . . and his card was rejected. The slack-jawed idiot really did work for Discover, and he had cancelled my husband's card.

My husband came home mad as a wet hornet because he'd been embarassed to be unable to make a $20 purchase, completely ignorant of my part in the whole thing. We pieced it all together: he made the purchase online, and Discover was suspicious because it was an out-of-state thing. I didn't recognize his purchase because he man just said boating.

I don't think this necessarily means that Discover is monitoring its clients purchases well though. My husband regularly travels to Georgia, Florida, Louisiana . . . even out west. And he uses this card everywhere. Just don't buy an $11 fishing license in SC.

 

[MrsPete]

I know some people are afraid of overspending. I don't mean to be rude or offend anyone but I've always had trouble grasping this. When I walk into a store, I know what I can and can't afford. It doesn't matter if I'm paying with cash, check, CC, gold doubloons or shark's teeth. Either I can afford it or I can't. So if I've decided to buy something, why not use the form of payment that is most advantageous to me. We'll be spending 4 days at a Marriott at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco next month and the hotel is paid for with reward points earned by using our Marriott Visa (instead of paying $189/nite).

While I agree with you, I do see how people get into the over-spending habit:

It's so acceptable these days to carry debt -- it starts out with student loans, which many people see as unavoidable. Then people "need" so much for their first apartments -- you know, stuff like matching curtains and bedspreads. Whereas people used to "make do" with hand-me-downs from their parents' homes and Goodwill finds, today they charge it.

Then there's advertising everywhere that tells you that you NEED this, or you DESERVE that. Recreational shopping (as opposed to going out to buy a specific thing that you need) is probably the #1 hobby for women today, though many probably don't realize that they're using it as such. It's easy to get into the habit of spending.

Then there's TV and magazines. The people we see on TV live in lovely homes that appear to have been professionally decorated -- even if the characters have average jobs. This gives us the impression that "everyone" lives this way; if we don't, well, we're inferior.

We also know that savings is at an all-time low today. So people are living paycheck to paycheck, then suddenly a real need comes along -- the kids NEED jeans for school, the transmission went out . . . whatever. So they "have to" charge that necessary item. The truth is that they were living too close to the financial edge in the first place, and they rationalize it by saying that "everyone" has debt.

Don't get me wrong -- I hate debt, and I think it's a huge problem in our society today. But I do see how people get themselves into it.

 

[luvthatdisney]

Hi guys,

Well the charges finally came though on my debit card - it is $130 to Bestway Rent to Own - local store and Avon $230 - appears to be an online purchase. But I cant tell. I have placed Fraud Alerts on me (with the 3 credit reporting agencies)- since it was my debit card # used. I have also faxed my bank a letter of dispute for these 2 charges. yesterday they closed down my card and they are issuing me a new one. Which I dont think I will use that much - based on the prior updates on this thread.

Should I contact the police now - or wait for the bank to investigate. This is very new to me so I am not sure what the next step is. I am not sure if I can contact the local business they used my card at and advise them of what happened - or will the bank do that?

BTW - this is a Visa debit card - I am not sure if that makes a difference or not. The letter I faxed in was to the Banks Visa Department.

Your advice has been great in this difficult time - I feel like I have been robbed - oh wait, I guess I was

 

[MrsPete]

This is actually a small source of frustration to me. I'd like to be able to pay my new charges the day I make them. I want to go to Target, charge my stuff and get the points , and go home and pay that amount online. It's a little too easy to forget how much I've spent if I wait a month, or even a week.

With all the choices out there, the world of credit cards is a buyers' market. I'd suggest that you shop around and find one that allows online payments.

I find it slightly dishonest that they won't accept mid-month, online payments. It makes me think they WANT you to forget what you've charged so that you will overspend accidentally. Obviously, this could be to their advantage because you might then pay them interest.

 

[MrsPete]

Should I contact the police now - or wait for the bank to investigate. This is very new to me so I am not sure what the next step is. I am not sure if I can contact the local business they used my card at and advise them of what happened - or will the bank do that?

Yes, you absolutely were robbed! It's no different from a thief coming into your house and taking your TV.

I have no experience here, but I think you should contact the police now -- and possibly a lawyer. Even if you trust the bank completely, I would not sit back and assume they would do everything necessary. And don't forget that you need to DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT every word you say to anyone.

Good luck with this very scary problem.

 

[tlbwriter]

I don't think this necessarily means that Discover is monitoring its clients purchases well though. My husband regularly travels to Georgia, Florida, Louisiana . . . even out west. And he uses this card everywhere. Just don't buy an $11 fishing license in SC.

What a weird thing to raise their red flags!

I've been in this situation twice. The first time, someone had actually stolen my CC number (not the physical card, just the number). The CC company called and said there had been unusual activity on the account, and gave several of the most recent purchases. Most were computer-related and all purchased from online vendors, and they totalled almost $800. None were ours. We realized later that the "perp" had made a purchase on the previous cycle as well - it had been about $50 to a bookstore, DH assumed it was mine, and thought nothing of it. Valuable lesson learned!

The second time, we were putting together a new computer and purchased the components from 4 or 5 different online retailers. I made all of these purchases online within a span of about 45 minutes. We received a call the next day saying there had been an "unusual amount of computer-related activity" on the account, and they had suspended all but the first 2 purchases. It was easily straightened out with a couple of phone calls. So it seems that buying computer parts and software raises suspicion. But who knew fishing licenses did too!

 

[tlbwriter]

With all the choices out there, the world of credit cards is a buyers' market. I'd suggest that you shop around and find one that allows online payments.

I find it slightly dishonest that they won't accept mid-month, online payments. It makes me think they WANT you to forget what you've charged so that you will overspend accidentally. Obviously, this could be to their advantage because you might then pay them interest.

I think you misunderstood. Both allow mid-month online payments, they just have restrictions. One only allows an online payment to be made every 10 days. That means I can't pay the balance every day, or even every week, as I would like. The other lets me pay the balance in full any time I want to, but it won't let me pay much more than the current balance. Which means if I make a purchase, I can't pay it off that same day, because it won't be reflected in the current balance yet (it takes a couple of days to post to the account). In other words, if my current balance is $100, and I spend $1000 on a mattress today, I can't pay it off tonight, because that $1000 charge wouldn't be posted yet. Nor can I pre-pay that $1000 if I know I'm going to spend it tonight. I can only pay $120.

 

[peacefulgirl]

please ignore

 

[peacefulgirl]

please ignorehttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm

 

[hlane]

Something like this happened to us recently, but it was a mistake:

Prior to a weekend trip, my husband bought (online) a 7-day fishing license for another state. I knew that he did it.

The next day Discover called me on the phone, but the spokesperson sounded suspicious to me: he could barely string two words together; in short, he sounded like a slack-jawed idiot. He asked me if I'd made any boat-related purchases lately. Nope, we don't own a boat. (Little did I know that a SC fishing license shows up on the CC as a boating/fishing license, and he never used the word fishing.) He told me that he thought someone had used my husband's card inappropriately, and he was going to cancel the card. I was sure that he was a scam-artist, so I basically said nothing to him. I refused to give my husband's mother's maiden name, etc. I thought it was odd that he didn't ask for my card number, but I figured this was the "warm up the victim" call, and he'd be calling again later for the number.

This call happened about 10:00, and I knew my husband was coming home for lunch, so I just took down Bozo's number and did nothing. Well, that was a mistake. At noon, my husband made a quick stop at Bass Pro Outlet to pick up some fishing items . . . and his card was rejected. The slack-jawed idiot really did work for Discover, and he had cancelled my husband's card.

My husband came home mad as a wet hornet because he'd been embarassed to be unable to make a $20 purchase, completely ignorant of my part in the whole thing. We pieced it all together: he made the purchase online, and Discover was suspicious because it was an out-of-state thing. I didn't recognize his purchase because he man just said boating.

I don't think this necessarily means that Discover is monitoring its clients purchases well though. My husband regularly travels to Georgia, Florida, Louisiana . . . even out west. And he uses this card everywhere. Just don't buy an $11 fishing license in SC.

My DH works for Discover Card in the Fraud Prevention Dept. They do monitor all accounts for suspicious activity or anything that is out of the ordinary based on account history. They then place calls to verify purchases. If the person they speak to is suspicious acting, unwilling, or unable to verify security info a block will be placed on the account. Normally to have the block lifted the cardholder will have to go to a store with a valid id and the store clerk will call Discover to verify identity. I know it's a pain but it's for the cardholder's financial safety.

 

[Nicolepa]

Should I contact the police now - or wait for the bank to investigate. This is very new to me so I am not sure what the next step is. I am not sure if I can contact the local business they used my card at and advise them of what happened - or will the bank do that?

You should absolutly contact the police immediatly. No matter what the bank does you need to have record that you were robbed. Without the crime on record it will make it very difficult to clear up your credit or any other problems that might arrise from this.

I used to work for one of the companies that process bounced checks. If you didn't have a police report stating that your check(s) were stolen then you were pretty much out of luck. And it believe me, you don't want to wait until you need to show the police report. If you need to call a collection agency for whatever reason, you want to have the police report in hand to fax to them. If you have to get it later it will be a huge pain.

 

[got2lovedisney]

One only allows an online payment to be made every 10 days. That means I can't pay the balance every day, or even every week, as I would like.

tlbwriter...Discovercard has this type of limitation. If their website tells me I can't make another payment yet...I post one through my free online bill pay with my bank.

 

[disneysteve]

One only allows an online payment to be made every 10 days. That means I can't pay the balance every day, or even every week, as I would like.

I agree with got2lovedisney - just send the money direct from your bank rather than at the card issuer's own site. Or just write a check if you don't have online banking (though its great to have and free from many banks). I pay my bills online through my bank, never at the individual sites. Much easier to do it all in one place.

 

[disneymom3]

While I agree with you, I do see how people get into the over-spending habit:

It's so acceptable these days to carry debt -- it starts out with student loans, which many people see as unavoidable. Then people "need" so much for their first apartments -- you know, stuff like matching curtains and bedspreads. Whereas people used to "make do" with hand-me-downs from their parents' homes and Goodwill finds, today they charge it.

Then there's advertising everywhere that tells you that you NEED this, or you DESERVE that. Recreational shopping (as opposed to going out to buy a specific thing that you need) is probably the #1 hobby for women today, though many probably don't realize that they're using it as such. It's easy to get into the habit of spending.

Then there's TV and magazines. The people we see on TV live in lovely homes that appear to have been professionally decorated -- even if the characters have average jobs. This gives us the impression that "everyone" lives this way; if we don't, well, we're inferior.

We also know that savings is at an all-time low today. So people are living paycheck to paycheck, then suddenly a real need comes along -- the kids NEED jeans for school, the transmission went out . . . whatever. So they "have to" charge that necessary item. The truth is that they were living too close to the financial edge in the first place, and they rationalize it by saying that "everyone" has debt.

Don't get me wrong -- I hate debt, and I think it's a huge problem in our society today. But I do see how people get themselves into it.

This was me and my DH. We had debt but "not all that much" but we had small savings too. (Part of the problem) Then DH lost his job due to a co going bankrupt and suddenly we were in deep trouble. Some medical issues came up and the health ins didn't pay--long story--and suddenly we were way over our heads. Then, yeah, the car broke down. It just keeps snowballing. I am now one of those people who is afraid of what I will do with credit. I just don't trust myself yet.

We now have a credit card and I recently used it to purchase some curriculum for a group of homeschoolers who will all be paying me back, but I am paranoid about that credit card right now. Credit cards just make it too easy to have access to money you don't and maybe never will have. For those of us still in "recover" it is just too scary to chance.

 

[tlbwriter]

I agree with got2lovedisney - just send the money direct from your bank rather than at the card issuer's own site. Or just write a check if you don't have online banking (though its great to have and free from many banks). I pay my bills online through my bank, never at the individual sites. Much easier to do it all in one place.

Our credit union recently made this available... I need to look into it.

 

[hlane]

I forgot to mention. If a cc company calls to verify purchases or any other info and you don't feel comfortable giving your info to them ask them if you can call them back. Just call the number on the back of your cc and ask for that department.


HTH

 

[tlbwriter]

I forgot to mention. If a cc company calls to verify purchases or any other info and you don't feel comfortable giving your info to them ask them if you can call them back. Just call the number on the back of your cc and ask for that department.

Also, keep in mind that a CC company will not ask you for your CC number. That's one easy way of knowing something isn't legit (but the fact that someone already has your CC number obviously doesn't mean they're legit either!)