Capital one just works

[Anonymous]

Go jets!!!!!!!

[Cmikul]

I had the opposite experience....

of course this all starts out with.....I went on vacation......and didn't tell anyone.

My Cap 1 started declining charges randomly....until it was useless.

I had a brand new AMEX Grn that I was scared to blow up because I would have to PIF ....but had no choice.

They approved every transaction .....on a brand new card....up to $7k the first month.  I PIF'd before the statement hit....so hopefully they have a smile.

Too bad I couldn't reap any rewards for all that spend .....Cap 1 really messed my vacay up doing that.

[UncleB]

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@Cmikul wrote:

I had the opposite experience....

of course this all starts out with.....I went on vacation......and didn't tell anyone.

My Cap 1 started declining charges randomly....until it was useless.

I had a brand new AMEX Grn that I was scared to blow up because I would have to PIF ....but had no choice.

They approved every transaction .....on a brand new card....up to $7k the first month.  I PIF'd before the statement hit....so hopefully they have a smile.

Too bad I couldn't reap any rewards for all that spend .....Cap 1 really messed my vacay up doing that.

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Was your vacation overseas, or in the US?  Also, did you call them?

While they are solid as a rock for most people, they do protect themselves if something looks totally haywire, which is not a bad thing. 

It's just that for most folks, what Capital One considers 'totally haywire' is usually really far off from a normal spending pattern. 

[Cmikul]

was in NY...didn't call prior. 

[Kidcat]

They have their preculiarities and can be a pain when you are trying to grow a card as kdm said.  However, their pre-qual site is good, so at least if you have to apply for new cards, you know for which you will qualify.  Also at least as of late, they reward the 3 CB pull with nice SL, withouth the need to recon on activation etc.  And as others have stated, they just work (from subprime to average to excellent credit).  In the real world, everyone I know has a highly favorable view of Capital One.  Of course they only know about the Venture and Quicksilver.  

Also consider on the JD Power CC results they came in 4th, up from 10th I believe.  So they are moving in the right direction.

[UncleB]

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@Cmikul wrote:

was in NY...didn't call prior. 

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That's really peculiar... with Capital One you don't have to let them know if you're only traveling from state to state... they even tell you that on the website, and I travel different states often.  You only have to tell them if you're physically going to be out of the country.  (I say 'physically' since I place orders online to both Canada and Australia several times a year, and never have a problem).

In your case, perhaps they thought there was a fraud issue? 

Regardless, I would have given them a call after the first denial, just to make sure nothing nefarious was going on.  That's actually my biggest concern; being inconvenienced at the moment is always annoying, but if there is an actual fraud issue actively taking place with my account I want to know so I can deal with it.

I guess the true take-away here is to always have diversification in your wallet! 

[Cmikul]

Yes, I didn't think to tell them either because I travel frequently and just don't think of as traveling....just happen to be in a different zip code today. 

I did call them and they said they cleared it up ....and it kept happening. 

I called AMEX and told them my issue with Cap1 and I needed them to pitch hit and they stepped up.

[UncleB]

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@Cmikul wrote:

Yes, I didn't think to tell them either because I travel frequently and just don't think of as traveling....just happen to be in a different zip code today. 

I did call them and they said they cleared it up ....and it kept happening. 

I called AMEX and told them my issue with Cap1 and I needed them to pitch hit and they stepped up.

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That's definitely a 'head-scratcher'... especially since Capital One doesn't consider that traveling, either.  If they could at least give you the root-cause that would make it a little better!

I had a similar situation back in the 90s with an Amex Green card (ironically enough).  Each time I would use it, the terminal would tell the cashier to call in for a manual approval code.  When the cashier would call, it was always approved, but this went on for days, and was a major inconvenience (for both me and the various cashiers, many of whom didn't know their procedures for getting a manual approval anyway... you can imagine!)

Finally, after several days of this and two phone calls to Amex, both times being told there was nothing wrong on their end, I called back absolutely exasperated, and told them something had to be done, and that it was definitely them since the problem was literally everywhere.  The CSR - without hesitation - suggested that I needed a new card, which would automatically change my card number (slightly).  For lack of a better suggestion, I agreed, although I was doubtful this would make a difference.  A few days later, I got my new card, and low-and-behold, the problem was gone.  I never did figure out what actually caused the problem, but since it was 'fixed' I didn't question it any further.

I guess sometimes weird stuff happens. I do feel better when I know why, though.

[Cmikul]

headscratcher.....try this.

The next month after NY I was in Jamaica and the Cap 1 card worked flawlessly.  I still didn't tell them I was going anywhere.

They're kooky.

[Chickenpotpie]

Cap one is the only card where I have issues.  the last time I asked for CLI I got refused.  Not that I have a bad credit profile or that I don't make enough.  It was really kinda a bullcrap reason. Even though I PIF monthly (thats even if I use it)  I got declined when I traveled. That was a pain in the rear.  Its unfortunately my oldest card but I'm seriously considering getting rid of it.

I will agree its nice when  a card "just works" but its when they don't that they can be problematic.