topic Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It in Credit Cards

Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Scuba — Sun, 27 May 2012 02:13:27 GMT

I pull my reports almost daily and I saw about a week ago Target CLD me from $1K to $200 and I received the letter today to say I haven't used the card in 12 months and to use it in the next 30 days or they will close the account.

I like the way they start the letter about closing the card then point out "remember your CL is $200". Very sutle way of saying they CLD the account and they threw me away as a customer.

Funny thing is it is not 12 months since I used the card, but I do use it infrequently. I pay at the cash register and then stand in line at the service desk and pay the amount I just bought. I do that because I use the card so infrequently I don't want to forget to pay the bill and have a $30.00 charge cost me a 30 day delinquency.

Good by Target.. Evey card has a purpose and you helped me get a Palladium .

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 02:40:54 GMT

A few years back i had an hsbc that i had been running a balance on. I think the cl was about 5000 and the balance was about 3k. They did a cld on me to about 3200 but then didnt keep moving it down as i paid it off, so i figure things are stable anyway, no worries. When i finally did pay it off in full, the cl was still at 3200. I went to log into my account about two months later and i could not log in. I called them and they told me they canceled the card for non use, inactivity. When i told them that i had been running and paying off a balance they said that didnt count. I had not charged anything on the card in about a year and therefore it was closed. They never did email me, call me, send me a letter or anything else. On the other hand, i had a chevron card that i had actually forgotten about and hadnt used for at least two years. I got aletter from them in the mail telling me that if i could like to keep the account open, please use it at least once in the next 30 days. I bought a tank of gas and they left it open just like it had never been inactive. Two ends of the spectrum.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:59:23 GMT

Obviously there is no drug testing policy in the CC industry!

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:32:36 GMT

geez what a joke. lol i would just shred the card and mail them the shreds lol no really dont do that. you did good by posting here and letting future target holders know whats up

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Mike360 — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:32:32 GMT

well the target card is just horrible to begin with. good for rebuilding since they will give almost anyone a $200 limit card. i use some of my cards rarely also but credit cards are so easy to manage with pageonce or mint even if you don't use them often.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

marty56 — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:51:24 GMT

I normaly like store cards but I make an exception with Target. DW got a Target card 2 years ago to get a discount for a store purchase.

Didn't use it for about a year and she want to use it one day and they said it was closed and before I could stop her she opened one again at the service desk.

In that they never notified her that the card was closed or even sent her a statement or anything else is my reason for not dealing with them on any level.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

LS2982 — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:05:28 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
geez what a joke. lol i would just shred the card and mail them the shreds lol no really dont do that. you did good by posting here and letting future target holders know whats up

That is too awesome!!!

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

marty56 — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:28:23 GMT

@LS2982 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
geez what a joke. lol i would just shred the card and mail them the shreds lol no really dont do that. you did good by posting here and letting future target holders know whats up
That is too awesome!!!

They only thing I would add is to send the video of the card being shredded with a good sound effect background.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

lithium78 — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:35:56 GMT

I use mine about once a month for some minor purchase just to show use. I did use it back on Black Friday to buy a TV, but I don't make many major purchases on it. I like the 5% off for using it. When it comes time to get some new clothes, I might use it then and keep it active.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:07:43 GMT

I just noticed that Target has the best prices where I live on protein bars, even before my 5% discount. So I will be putting $20 a month on this card, before any other little things I might need from Target.

Anyone that lives near a Super Target, does the 5% translate into all grocery purchases as well?

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:13:47 GMT

Seems reasonable to me to close a department store card without purchases for a year.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:22:25 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Seems reasonable to me to close a department store card without purchases for a year.

Actually I would think that dept store cards would care less about any constant purchases and instead try to tempt you into the store with offers. My JCP sat for a year and then I was tempted last summer with a 0% term (think min purchase was $300) and then when I paid that off I got another 0% term for holiday shopping (that gets paid off the 1st). Wally world is also pretty good about 0% terms to tempt me into debt. Dillards is contantly offering special sales discounts if you charge the card on in store purchases during special days. Macy's has never messed with me when I do not make purchases. Kohl's seems like the most likely candidate to close one of my store cards for lack of use. They would probably do it without warning as well, at least from what I have heard from card holders when I worked there one holiday season.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

GST2008 — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:28:10 GMT

When I worked at Bloomingdale's, the policy was after three years of no use, the card would be closed. This probably applies for Macy's as well.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:31:28 GMT

@GST2008 wrote:
When I worked at Bloomingdale's, the policy was after three years of no use, the card would be closed. This probably applies for Macy's as well.

That actually seems reasonable

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

GST2008 — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:39:19 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@GST2008 wrote:
When I worked at Bloomingdale's, the policy was after three years of no use, the card would be closed. This probably applies for Macy's as well.
That actually seems reasonable

I thought so too. Plus, at that point re-applying made people eligable for the 15-20% discount on all purchases. After three years, how anybody could remember that they even still had the card was a mystery to me.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Scuba — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:02:19 GMT

I think it is reasonable for a store to close the card if not used but I tried to close the account in October 2011 (I keep records of this stuff now) because I wasn't using it.

But when I called in, they talked me into keeping the card but I wanted to mail it back so I don't always have to argue with the analysts.

I just never got around to it.

So now it will be closed but they are doing what I wanted 7 months ago.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

lithium78 — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:50:54 GMT

Yes, it works for grocery purchases as well. I've also used it at the Pizza Hut Express in my local Target.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

Anonymous — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:25:13 GMT

This happened to my mother as well, as she had not used her Target card in almost 6 years, and her 800 limit was dropped to 300. She called customer service and they did a review, and increased it back to 700.. go figure.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

moonman — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:48:01 GMT

Update on this thread: I did not use the card since Oct 2011 and today i found out it was closed with no notice or anything but it was to be expected.

Re: Use Your Target Card or Lose It

trumpet-205 — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:25:27 GMT

Since this thread was bumped I will add my 2 cents.

It is perfectly reasonable for Target or any other store to CLD or close your account for inactivity. Since you are not using the card actively, who is to say your credit risk is the same?

Barclays even has a policy that requires you to use the card at least once every 6 months for face account closure.