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.

9 thoughts on “A New Credit Card… Again”

  1. We’ve gone through this with Bank of America too, but the last one really frosted me! Our expiration date was 12/31/13, so when we were breached in early Nov., I asked that we be given our new expiration date with the new number, thus saving me endless headaches. But…no can do! The new cards, with the new expiration dates, are automatically generated no more than 6 weeks before the expiring date. I was 2 weeks early!!! 🙁
    This has become so common that I now keep a list with every acct/website that I have to change….and notes on any quirks that the site might have. Grrrrr…,it’s enough to piss off the pope!!!

  2. I know that credit cards have CVV numbers on the signature strip. I wonder if requiring that ALONG with the credit card number would cut down on fraud. from what I have been told and have read (though I could be wrong), CVV numbers are NOT embedded on the magnetic strip.
    My mother-in-law and sister in law had their cards reissued by their credit union in a proactive step. But it happened right around the Christmas holiday and it took nearly 2 WEEKS to reissue cards.
    Sorry you have to go through this AGAIN, Geoff and Helaine.

  3. My comment keeps getting rejected for being “spammy.” It’s not, just an attempt to be helpful. A Bank of America rep counseled me about how to avoid this problem. They have a link called ShopSafe” which provides false credit card info to use online or by phone. The charges then go right to my actual credit card account. Any fraud does not result in the need for an account change because the fraudster does not know my real information. Apparently, most banks have similar programs.

  4. I highly recommend having a credit card for using “live”, and one from an entirely different bank used only for use in automatic billing. The most common place (by far) for your credit card account number to be “borrowed” is from rigged, pay at the pump gas stations. I have a separate card I use just for gas purchases, so if it happens again, it won’t affect the whole rest of my financial life, or leave me stranded without a working card while away from home. Putting everything you do on one card is asking for trouble.

  5. I don’t know about everyone else but I’m starting to consider going back to paper bills and check writing. Tired of all this concern with these breaches!!

  6. I wish I was there to hold Helaine’s hand. Something like that doesn’t phase me in the least. I’ve had it happen at least 6 times too. No Big Deal! When you have worked in collections and seen it happen numerous times, you know exactly what to do. I remember going into a gas station one time. I tried to pay at the pump, but my card was declined. I went into the store, it was declinded a 2nd time. One of the guys went with me out to the pump and I tried it a 3rd, still I couldn’t pump any gas. I just casually turned around to the guy and said, I guess someone stole my credit card number again. I went home & called my bank.

  7. I have an Amex Blue card (identical in function to a Visa or MC– no annual fee, balances can be carried, etc).

    When I had a security breach, they
    1. called both my home and cell phone and emailed me to alert me.
    2. walked me through charges on my account (via a nice person on the telephone) until we had eliminated all the fake ones
    3. overnighted me a new card
    4. sent me an email listing all the accounts that did monthly billing on that card so I could update the information

    I thought that was superb customer service!

    AND the new card had an expiration date one year later than the old card!

  8. Thanks to Target and other companies who avoid better security, I too have had to change my auto pay accts yet again…..we are sheep …we need to speak up en force to have “our Needs” met with better security or we will change to Amex???? Truthfully I don’t see things getting better…only worse.

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