I have a Discover card. With Capital One buying it, should I consider cancelling it and getting a different card?
Why? Iâd think itâs bit early to make those decisions since the buy isnât even approved yet.
Could be but Iâm not impressed with Capital One.
And Iâm not impressed with Discover card. They boasted a âone time CCNâ that I wanted. I used it for several subscriptions that I wanted to control. At the end of the period I could decide whether to renew or not.
Much to my surprise [and anger] those subs rolled over automatically. I called Discover and said I believe a âone time CCNâ means it can only be used one time, hence the name.
âOh yes,â the rep proudly explained. âNo other seller can ever use it. Ever.â She was very pleased with this.
âBut my subscription was paid by you when the year was up.â
âOh yes, thatâs our feature! That vendor is the only one who can use it.â
That was NOT my definition of âone timeâ. I closed my account and went to Citi Bank and their Virtual Card Numbers.
Iâve been a VERY satisfied customer of Discover for over 30 years and am a little apprehensive about a possible merger. Discoverâs customer service is the bestâby far ofâof any on-line business I do business with. I talk to live people, whom I can understand, and Iâm always satisfied with their resolutions.
My local 30 year financial institution had a merger several months ago and I continue to deal with their non-positive changes. If the merger goes through between Discover and Citi, Iâm hopeful Discoverâs current policies and customer service remain the same.
Thank you Clark Howard for the valuable information you provide. I read your emails daily and trust your advice, which I share with my husband, family and friends!
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You are correct. Discover CS is easily available 24 / 7.
I listen to Pandora a lot for Music. During the commercial breaks, they are always advertising for Discover card and how great they are.
Until CO institutes their cost cutting moves. I hope Capital doesnât screw up Discover Card. Iâve had one for 40 years.
Discover was the one card that allowed me to take my soon to be ex off our card, freeze it and request a new (numbered) card be mailed to me within a minute of calling. Capital One on the other hand allowed the freeze but wouldnât remove the ex until I mailed in a physical requestâŚdragging out the process almost 2 weeks. Thankfully I donât expect to be in that jam again but the way each handled things forever changed my view of both. Outside of an occasional promotion Iâve hardly used CO in the 10 years since.
I have had a Discover Card since it was owned and operated by Sears. Does anyone else remember that?
Since then, Discover has been through many changes. I think it is too early to decide if you want to keep the card or cancel it. Letâs see how the terms change, if they do at all.
I do not use my Discover Card much. I use it maybe once a year just to keep it active. I am not a fan of having to keep trac of what categories pay the most cash back. Maybe Capitol One will change the cash back feature to something easier.
I had some Capitol One accounts after they acquired ING Direct. My experience with Capitol One was okay, but I end up switching to Ally Bank to get the better rate on my saving account.
Both B/A and Discover had a âone time CCNâ feature for years. B/Aâs was called, Shop Safe, and it was the greatest ever. You could get a one time CC online, or with a card they mailed. Press a dot and a new CCN on the cardâs display, and it could only be used once. After that, that number was dead.
We used it for years and it was great. Then B/A cancelled that feature. I called and a rep said it was cancelled. âBecause their security was so good you donât need itâ
Grrrrrr
So, we began using Discoverâs one time CCN for subscriptions that we might to continue after the expired date or not. We could choose.
One software subscription was auto-renewed. Called and the rep proudly explained that number could only be used for that merchant. In other words, forever.
I cancelled Discover and realized neither bank really cares about security. Both do not understand â or care â about security.
I got a Citi Bank CC and it has one time Virtual Card Numbers, that can only be used once.