Friday, December 18, 2009

lackey lacks credit

I know I swear to post more often, but here I am letting more than a week go by without a word. And I need to blow off steam.

I know I shouldn't have done it, but yes I have credit card debt. If I ever begin to lament about having it I remind myself that no one twisted my arm to borrow on plastic. And Betty and I have a lot of neat stuff and have traveled to great places. Traveling is cause to a large percentage our debt. It is easy to use credit cards on the road.
One long-term card I have used is with Capital One. For a time after others' charged a foreign transaction fee, Capital did not. Now just like the rest, they do, 3%.
My limit at Capital has always been $5000. A mere pittance compared to the automobile buying power I have (if I want it) with others. For a long time and intermittently, I have used the card. The interest rate used to be high, 9.9%, seen in the light of how high other cards have gone these days it is good.
For the past twenty years, Capital has cut down and processed a number of trees just to make the paper to send me, multiple times each month, checks to use the remaining balance of my card. I haven't taken advantage of them for decades. Recently I was carrying about $3000 and they were anxious for me to have the full $5000 in use at all times.
I have higher interest money out on credit, so Thursday I took advantage of the better interest rate and the "no fee" Capital checks and used $1500 dollars to pay off some higher debt (paid from my checking account, Capitals check deposited to same.)
Friday morning I got a call from Capital one. I presumed they were just checking for theft because of the large amount of the check I sent.
Instead, they called to inform me that the account's upper limit would be changed to $3600. In essence creating a great over-the-limit fee for themselves instantly.
To say I was miffed is an understatement. I was far unkinder to the the telephone representative than I should have been. After a lot of loud and impolite conversation, Capital One graciously changed my upper limit back to what it has been for the past twenty years. I assume I was supposed to be grateful to them for this "favor". I wasn't.

I will try to rant less and create more in the future.

1 comment:

Pat said...

Same thing happened to me years ago with a CitiBank Mastercard. That was when I decided to go cold turkey, pay them off and stop charging unless it was an emergency. Now we save for stuff. Helped me retire early. No debt. :) Debit cards work just as well for travel it turns out, except you have to actually have money before you can spend it. What a concept! Wasn't easy for a while, but so glad now. And Merry Christmas to you and Betty. WOn;t be long before we are setting up our little tents again.