A New Credit Card… Again

A New Card Is On The Way  GmailExcuse us while Helaine and I pull all our hair out by the roots one strand at a time!

Our Southwest Airlines credit card is being replaced, again. The new card gets a new number. EVERYONE we do business with on a regular basis must be told.

Maybe you remember the last time this happened? We were driving from Connecticut to California. We were in Lincoln, Nebraska when we got the call.

I’ve lost count how many times this has happened, but at least five. We expect Chase not to extend the expiration date, so this will have to be done again in about a year. Make it at least six times.

What we’ve learned through all this is EVERY website puts credit card number changes in a different place. Each requires different hoops be jumped through and that you understand their particular style of business English. Some changes will take seconds, others will follow long minutes of head scratching.

Part of the reason this stings so much is because each-and-every time this has happened it’s been because of how Chase (and other American banks) issue cards.

It’s my understanding the “Target Caper” couldn’t have happened in Europe or Asia. There, credit card issuers have spent a little money to improve security. Here in the states, their security ends up being part of my job!

Not happy.

Playing Fast And Loose

No one is perfect. Though I favor Southwest Airlines even they have been known to make some moves they’d never allow from us. Tonight’s trip is a good example.

We paid the extra money to have my boarding pass automatically issued 24 hours before our scheduled departure time. When we do this, Helaine checks in normally. When I’m on the plane, I hold her seat.

Lsat night we didn’t get around to checking her in until eight hours after her boarding passes first availability. Usually that means she would be way back in the Bs or even Cs.

She got A44.

“Empty flight,” I said. Then I worried.

Were there too few people for Southwest to operate the flight? Schedules are schedules, but losing that much money isn’t fun and airlines have a large book of excuses to avoid it.

As it turns out they didn’t cancel our flight. They cancelled the one immediately before it!

Instead of a flight to Tucson at 5:05 PM and another at 7:00 PM, it’s just one. It’ still doesn’t look totally full.

Oh… and 7:00 PM departure? Not tonight. We’re currently listed for 7:25 PM.