topic Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade in Credit Cards

CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

UncleB — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:02:46 GMT

I logged into the CareCredit site to clear the message that was causing an update failure on my USAA dashboard, and I was greeted with this:

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Ironically just a few years ago this would have been reason to celebrate, but these days not so much.

If it weren't for how Synchrony reports an upgrade it would be a no-brainer but I'm just not sure it's worth the 'ding'. I made a small purchase at Rite-Aid a few months ago to keep the account alive, but while there I found out the location is changing to Walgreens (dual-signage right now) so it's questionable how much longer I'll be able to continue using the card there if I keep it as a PLCC (this is assuming the upgrade is optional).

I keep hanging on to the account in case I have an exceptional dental need (or decide to try Lasik) but otherwise it's not that useful. As a PLCC It's perpetually on the chopping block and while I think I recall seeing reports of an occasional spend promo on the MasterCard version overall the product is rather underwhelming.

Anyway, TL;DR for anybody interested Synchrony is still occasionally offering upgrades on CareCredit.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

CreditCuriosity — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:04:35 GMT

Ya if I got that offer and wasnt counted as a new account I would be all over it, but if offered it and was a new account I would have to pause and think about it.. Turning it down or letting it simmer?

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

UncleB — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:08:45 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
Ya if I got that offer and wasnt counted as a new account I would be all over it, but if offered it and was a new account I would have to pause and think about it.. Turning it down or lietting it simmer?

For the moment letting it simmer... I figure there's no reason to make a hasty decision.

Without this I'll be 2/24 in January, so if I were to go for it I'd have room for one more 'addition' still assuming a January goal... any more and it'll be another eight months tacked on to my 5/24 counter.

To be fair, there's no 5/24 card(s) currently on the radar, but I like to at least pretend I'm keeping the option open.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

CreditCuriosity — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:37:19 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@CreditCuriosity wrote:
Ya if I got that offer and wasnt counted as a new account I would be all over it, but if offered it and was a new account I would have to pause and think about it.. Turning it down or lietting it simmer?
For the moment letting it simmer... I figure there's no reason to make a hasty decision.

Without this I'll be 2/24 in January, so if I were to go for it I'd have room for one more 'addition' still assuming a January goal... any more and it'll be another eight months tacked on to my 5/24 counter.

To be fair, there's no 5/24 card(s) currently on the radar, but I like to at least pretend I'm keeping the option open.

2/24 in January wow! I could only imagine as you know lol.. I had to login to my card to see if it was offered esp since the huge charge i put on and paid off, but nope.. Guessing you got to have been with them so long and other various scenarios (score sure is one of them as well) to be offered it.. Not sure I would take it or not as no huge value and plenty of stores I can use a PLCC if I needed to around here other then the big ticket items such as dental or cosmetic type of stuff etc.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

jacetx — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 12:28:14 GMT

Mine was upgraded automatically but I didn't mind the ding because forget Chase and their 5/24. I like my bonuses too much. The good thing about it is that for the first full year they are doubling my rewards. 4x points on medical providers, groceries, drugstores, pet stores, and 2x points on everything else.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Adkins — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 13:11:58 GMT

Interesting. I could easily use this for dental work but I've got enough synchrony accounts right now.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

AverageJoesCredit — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:18:35 GMT

Grats on the offer UB. This would be a prayer for most who crave the CareCredit line but as you and I have often commented, Synchrony and their MC or Visa usually come way to late to want to take the dive

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:25:45 GMT

Congratulations on the offer; if you decide to take it, let us know how it works out. I'm curious as to what form the rewards take.

I do have a Care Credit card - in fact, it's currently got my biggest credit line - and it's come in useful for various health-related purchases (mainly dental and veterinary). It's got its limitations, though, notably the high APR; also it can't be used to pay for things like lab tests, which is an annoyance because I have a bill for a test coming due (I may end up applying it to one of my existing rewards cards anyway). I'm looking to see if Sync offers an upgrade on my Walmart store card now that it's a year old, though I'm not counting on it; in any case, I'm more interested in the Paypal 2% MC anyway, though it'll be at least next month before I'm ready to apply for that.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

pizza1 — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:30:41 GMT

Nice UB !! I understand your dilemma, and on a side note, 2/24 in January?? My DREAM!!! LOL!! As it looks now, I won't be 5/24 till 10/2020, or somewhere around there.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 15:36:32 GMT

Congrats on the offer. I got one when they first started offering them. I WAS at the stage where I was like 'Woo Hoo!' but it definitely was a new account. There are occasional spend offers but the rewards (which can be taken as a statement credit, I don't remember if there are limitations on amounts) are S L O W to post. I think you GET the rewards credit okay, IIRC it's getting the statement credit to post that is a nightmare. Trying to zero out an account and not have it report and not end up with a credit and not end up owing interest was dicey. Definitely SD for me.

I got my original CC when I did get lasik. Best. Decision. Ever. YMMV, but I am so happy I did it, especially when I buy a pair of sunglasses off the rack. (It also came in handy when I had a dog with health issues.)

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

admiralq — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 18:59:58 GMT

I logged on to Carecredit today and chatted with an agent asking about the upgrade. I was told they are doing it in waves and have now stopped temporarily. Apparently you can't request the upgrade - they have to offer it to you.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

SunriseEarth — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 22:09:30 GMT

When I got my upgrade offer, I held off on accepting it, so I could apply for Chase Freedom in the brief time that I was actually within 5/24. The nice thing about that was that my new CareCredit MC account had the offer date as the opening date, so I got somewhat of a backdate. So make sure to pay attention to when the offer expires, if you need to hold out for some reason.

CareCredit subsequently sent out a spend offer (10,000 points for a $1K spend). They also threw in a 4X points offer for spend in their usual 2X categories. Combined with special financing that I needed for a vet bill, this made the offer very enticing, and I ultimately accepted it. For me, it's worked out well, as I recently had a 10X point offer for gas and still have the 4X points for the rest of this year.

So that's my recommendation...hold out for a bit and see if they send any offers.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 22:13:56 GMT

I wonder if getting a major CC with Synchrony makes it any more likely for them to offer upgrades on existing cards? I got a Paypal 2% MC last week, and Walmart and Care Credit are my two Sync cards that are at least theoretically available for upgrades to MC if the bank so decides.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Thatficotho — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 23:18:44 GMT

Just a random question, does CareCredit allow authorized users to be added to account?

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

UncleB — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 23:23:10 GMT

@Thatficotho wrote:
Just a random question, does CareCredit allow authorized users to be added to account?

I don't have info specific to Care Credit but most Synchrony cards do allow AUs to be added, but personally I wouldn't do so.

Back when the "blue envelopes" were going out that was believed to be one of the factors that got attention.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 22:33:56 GMT

Apologies for the poor quality pictures I wanted to share -

I was able to activate the upgrade while keeping my credit on ice.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 23:47:18 GMT

Are there any data points on how long one has to have had the "basic" CareCredit card before Synchrony will offer the MasterCard upgrade?

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

UncleB — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 01:30:47 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Are there any data points on how long one has to have had the "basic" CareCredit card before Synchrony will offer the MasterCard upgrade?

I got my own CareCredit in August 2015. I'm not sure if there's any consistency, though.

When they first started the upgrades it was thought that the state you lived in had something to do with it as well. I don't think we have enough data points on that to make a case either way.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

CreditCuriosity — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 16:21:41 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Are there any data points on how long one has to have had the "basic" CareCredit card before Synchrony will offer the MasterCard upgrade?
I got my own CareCredit in August 2015. I'm not sure if there's any consistency, though.

When they first started the upgrades it was thought that the state you lived in had something to do with it as well. I don't think we have enough data points on that to make a case either way.

Still think state plays a role as I know I saw alot of CA residents along with I believe Alabama or Georgia ones.. Would love to know if it is rolled out to all 50 states.

Re: CareCredit MasterCard Upgrade

UncleB — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 06:37:25 GMT

Since I was planning on accepting the upgrade anyway and there's 4x rewards at grocery stores through the end of the year (which I suspect might include Walmart) I went ahead and activated the new card.

I had until 11/30/18 to activate it, although the fine-print in the T&C listed an August date as the deadline to refuse the new terms. I'm not sure which is actually correct, but in any case it's a moot point now. I figured I might as well 'take the medicine' (score ding) now and get it over with.

Also, when I went to my account dashboard to add the new account (which they've been nagging me about for a few weeks now) I saw that the credit line is slightly higher. The old CL was $8k, and the CL on the new CareCredit MasterCard is $9.5k.

I don't really need a CLI on the new account but at some point in a few months I might try for a small 'bump' to make it an even amount.

(I'm assuming at some point the old account will drop off the dashboard completely.)