@kdm31091 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
If the Chase Freedom really is going away, they better inform the Vice President and Manager of Public Relations at Chase, because he doesn't seem to be in on it!
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/will-chase-freedom-card-discontinued/
It's not like they are going to admit anything ahead of time, because then no one would apply for it. They aren't bound to say "yes, we plan to discontinue the card" and realistically, when does a bank ever do that? Usually, cards go away without any fanfare. Sallie Mae was pulled at random; there was no prior notice.
Of course, not saying it's wrong, because the rumors are just that, rumors, but Chase definitely has made the card much less prominent and the lack of in branch apps points more towards a phasing out.
But Barclays didn't issue a statement explicitly saying they weren't going to be phasing out Sallie Mae.
It's a pretty bold thing to have the VP of Public Relations at Chase go out of his way to make a statement to dispel rumors about the Freedom being phased out if they are actually planning at this moment to phase the Freedom out. There are so many vague ways this rumor could be addressed without flat-out lying to the public, i.e.: "We are considering all options at this point", "No final decision has been made" or even "The Freedom Unlimited is a card that we think will have more long-term value for the majority of our customers, so we may consider implementing changes that will benefit our current Freedom customers", and so on. You know, the typical PR spin-doctor mumbo-jumbo. But to make an explicit statement: "The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is not replacing Chase Freedom" and [the Freedom] "will continue to be available", that is a whole different story.
That isn't to say they won't phase it out in the future. But these rumors all supposedly started in the first place because there was supposedly bank-level talk that the card was actively being phased out right now. I highly doubt this is true, based on Rob Tacey's comments. If anyone would know about behind-the-scenes Chase machinations, it's the guy who is making official statements to the public.
