@Anonymous wrote:
You are much more patient than I. Thanks for sharing. Honestly, I'd be using a Target Debit card by this point if I was in that situation. If I didn't say FU like I did to Kohl's when they did some things I disagreed with (not credit, in-store policies).
I wonder...are they issuing major CC's again, or is it only a store card. I know that they did, then they stopped, then there was talk they would again. My Target card has been a Visa (I think when it came chip it may have switched to a MC or maybe that's just the artwork that was floating around.) But maybe that's the reason it's like pulling teeth even with those interventions.
I had $800 or $900 (can't recall) for years. When I found this site, I did the button for the CLI/updated my income and got up to $1300 on their next review (the way I read it here). I had pretty much SD'd the card when we got the Sallie Mae, so that was right about the time it started seeing zero useage, zero report. Recently I used it a few times. I'm not sure if it was before or after the recent use, I got an auto CLI to $2300. (Yeah, still sucks compared to most CLs, but it's usable.)
Anyway, if you have the STORE card, maybe it's worth asking your contacts about the major CC and if that'd make a difference.
In my OP I left out the issues with the Debit card and Prepaid card, though I did reference them in my email to Cornell. I just figured it wasn't substantial to the post and it was already getting very long. Unfortunately the cobranded credit card hasn't been offered in years and target cannot PC me without violating law (they could be and probably would be charged with discrimination if it was ever discovered). However, I noted to Cornell the following issues with both of the credit alternatives.
The first I'll address is the Prepaid card as it's the easiest. They don't offer the prepaid card in the state of Florida (where I live). I even checked if they offered it in Georgia, which would be the next closest state, should I ever decide to travel the 6 hours to the border. They don't offer the Prepaid card in GA either. There's evidence around the net that Target plans to retire and terminate the prepaid option in the near future. Anecdotally, money placed on the prepaid card grows no interest. The smartest leverage would be to plan exactly what you're going to buy, calculate the cost less the %5 then with state sales tax, and finally stand in line at customer service to load that amount, then shop and pay. Not exactly convenient.
The more complicated to explain is why I don't use the debit card, and never will. The first issue is security and fraud protection. I will NEVER link a 3rd party to my checking account as it's a direct link to my cash. Should Target, or any other entitiy with that information be compromised (as Target already has been) the theives would be able to ACH money out of my account or generate fraudulent checks. Cleaning up checking account fraud is no where near as easy as cleaning up credit card fraud. To me this risk is not worth a 5% discount. However, this isn't the only reason the debit card is not a good option.
The other issue with using the debit card is multifold. The first is obvious, it has to link to a cash vehicle. Money in checking accounts earns next to nothing and it's a waste to leave money sit in one. The second issue is the delay as it takes about 3 days for Target to finally draft, however they've been known to be erratic with this. There's also a sort of credit limit on the debit card which a lot of people don't know about. You can hit a spending threshold with the debit card based on Target's risk assessment as they don't immediately get the cash from the transaction, they have to ACH it out of your account. There's been cases where the debit card has been declined despite people having the money in their checking accounts. To make the debit card work for me I'd have to constantly move money from my savings into my checking which would likely trigger over withdrawl (not overdraft) fees as you're limited by US law as to how often you can take money out of savings.
I've aligned all my credit accounts so they're due at the same time. My pay is direct deposited into my savings and I make one withdrawl per month to cover all my expenses. I pay off my credit accounts, car payment, housing, and utilities at the same time. This allows me to maximize savings on my deposits. Complicated I know, but the system is convenient, easy, and net's me extra money in interest and investment margins. Target is the annoying outlier in my system.
