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Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today

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Medic981
Valued Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today

Just got off the phone with Citibank.

 

Yeah, boy howdy. (Mod cut)

 

Anyhow, I just got a promotional APR with Citi at 3.99% until April 2020. My APR was 20.24% which it will return to at the end of the promotion. 

 

I also set up a Citi Accelerated Savings Account at 2.21% where I will deposit my cashback from my Double Cash rewards.







Your FICO credit scores are not just numbers, it’s a skill.
Message 21 of 66
Medic981
Valued Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@Anonymous wrote:

@Medic981 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@Medic981 wrote:

@RSX wrote:

1 other  point.

 

I SD'd my CarCare CC for over a year, and they dropped my CL to half. I called in and got most of it back, but best to run 1 tank of gas per month/ every other month so that doesn't happen.

 Until you decide to close it anyway

 

 


Thanks, good to know.

 

How do you keep your CareCredit active if you do not have ongoing health care expenses? 


You can use CareCredit to buy anything at Walgreens except cash equivalents, alcohol, and tobacco and you can use it for health care items at Walmart. 


I should have known. You can use CarCare at a convenience store to buy chips and soda even if you don't purchase gas for your car.


Yeah these cards go with long periods of non-use so they either have to have totally idle credit lines or just find partners that will take the card. 


That explains why I have been getting the emails and flyers in the mail announcing the options to use my CarCare credit card. 







Your FICO credit scores are not just numbers, it’s a skill.
Message 22 of 66
Medic981
Valued Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@Aim_High wrote:

IMO, charging rates north of 25% is just excessive for any lender and any consumer, unless perhaps there has been recent default with that lender. 

The financial shareholders might not agree with you, however, I do feel your pain as well. 







Your FICO credit scores are not just numbers, it’s a skill.
Message 23 of 66
Medic981
Valued Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today

My last card is my NFCU Flagship Rewards. I tried their secured messaging system for the first time. As I was on such a roll, I forgot that you had to have had your account for a year before requesting an APR decrease. Needless to say, I have to wait until mid-November to make a request. My APR currently stands at 13.49%. 

 

So there you have it. My APR reduction spree. Not as satisfying as an app spree but it will have to do.

 

Bank of America  21.99% to 18.99%

Synchrony/Amazon 28.24% to Nope

Synchrony/CarCare 29.99 to Nada

Synchrony/Conoco 29.24% to Nilch

Discover 24.99% to 20.24%

American Express 0% promotional APR ending to 18.74%

Citibank 20.24% to 6 months 3.99% promotional APR

NFCU 13.49% not yet eligible for an APR reduction

 







Your FICO credit scores are not just numbers, it’s a skill.
Message 24 of 66
CreditCuriosity
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today

Just a reminder to all - although it hasn't crossed the line tread lightly with regards to off-shore call centers.  There is a respectful way of discussing and well obviously the opposite.  It is better just to avoid it overall.  Thanks for all your cooperation.

 

--CC

myFICO Moderator

Message 25 of 66
BearsCubsOtters
Frequent Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@Medic981 wrote:

My last card is my NFCU Flagship Rewards. I tried their secured messaging system for the first time. As I was on such a roll, I forgot that you had to have had your account for a year before requesting an APR decrease. Needless to say, I have to wait until mid-November to make a request. My APR currently stands at 13.49%. 

 

So there you have it. My APR reduction spree. Not as satisfying as an app spree but it will have to do.

 

Bank of America  21.99% to 18.99%

Synchrony/Amazon 28.24% to Nope

Synchrony/CarCare 29.99 to Nada

Synchrony/Conoco 29.24% to Nilch

Discover 24.99% to 20.24%

American Express 0% promotional APR ending to 18.74%

Citibank 20.24% to 6 months 3.99% promotional APR

NFCU 13.49% not yet eligible for an APR reduction

 


Congrats on the cards that you were able to get reductions on. It never hurts to ask! Personally, I come to expect higher APRs on store/non-network cards but again, never hurts to ask if one is available. 

I would welcome you closing each of them and replacing them with the Southwest card and a USAA card. I'd also like to see the BOK card removed from your wishlist. I never trust a financial institution that uses another lender to issue their cards. In this case, Elan. 

Message 26 of 66
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@Medic981 wrote:

@Remedios wrote:

First, congrats on your current successful rebuild and all the progress you've made. 

It's impressive and great job on having discipline and persistence to achieve your goals. 

 

Thank you, it has been long however this forum has been most educational and helpful in getting there.

 

With that said, you've been around long enough to know Syncrony does not do APR reductions on demand, just like Chase does not and yet, by your own admission and recent thread, that's what you "covet"

 

Actually, no I have not seen anything regarding Synchrony and APR reductions. This is a new data point for me.

 

It's not their business model and they are not discriminating against you. Anyone calling would have received same response. 

The nature of UW for store cards is such that higher APRs compensate for higher risk of default. 

 

I never said that I was being discriminated. I was just relating my experience trying to lower APRs.

 

If you have no use for these cards, and they are no longer meeting your needs, than closing them is the right choice, regardless of APR. They are not trying to trap you into paying interest, you're the one who is in control of what you pay. These cards were not meant for balance carrying.

 

I didn't say I had no use for them. I just today realized though my experience why retail cards are not as useful as bank cards are. As of today, I have placed Synchrony cards in the sock drawer and they are on the chopping block. When I am done in the garden and begin my measured and thought out application for credit, I will evaluate if the Synchrony accounts are worth keeping. Until then, they remain in my credit arsinal. 

 

When you got these cards, terms were spelled out, and APR listed in no unclear terms, so there should have been no surprises there.

 

No suprises, just realization. How often do you think about the terms of a credit account before you use it?

 

Also, written language does not contain accents, so it couldn't have been that. 

 

All of my communication today has been verbal, so no, I have not had any accent related issues in written language today.

 

You've mentioned heavy accents  in three consecutive posts for no obvious reason,  so I'm hoping mine does not offend you. 

 

I mentioned heavy accents in three consecutive posts because the last three phone converstions I have had dealing with my three Synchrony accounts have been with offshore call centers. I state this because some companies are more concerned about keeping jobs in the US than others. My first post stated that I spoke with a CSR in a US-based call center. It is just to compare and contrast, nothing more as I am not offended accents. 


 


Sometimes heavy accents add confusion and a lot more time to the conversation. Once, I had a conversation with a CSR where I could not get past one sentence she was saying after repeated attempts to clarify. We both paused for 30-40 seconds in silence.  Then I asked her to spell certain words after saying them. That was a challenge too, but we got through it. I didn't have much confidence that the issue would be resolved, but it was.

 

When you can't understand someone, it makes it much tougher and time consuming to solve a problem. That's a fact of life. We live in 2019 and want fast results. Otherwise it's a frustrating task to complete.

Message 27 of 66
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@Medic981 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@Medic981 wrote:

@RSX wrote:

1 other  point.

 

I SD'd my CarCare CC for over a year, and they dropped my CL to half. I called in and got most of it back, but best to run 1 tank of gas per month/ every other month so that doesn't happen.

 Until you decide to close it anyway

 

 


Thanks, good to know.

 

How do you keep your CareCredit active if you do not have ongoing health care expenses? 


You can use CareCredit to buy anything at Walgreens except cash equivalents, alcohol, and tobacco and you can use it for health care items at Walmart. 


I should have known. You can use CarCare at a convenience store to buy chips and soda even if you don't purchase gas for your car.


Maybe they are hoping you spill your chips and soda in the car and will need CareCare to get it cleaned.

Message 28 of 66
AverageJoesCredit
Legendary Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today

Very nice successSmiley Happy

I just want to point out Synchrony Bank and its many retail cards, even bank cards, come with high apr as the norm and in my experience and suggestion is best to use as a pif card to combat the high interest. I dont think one has to shy away from them or denounce them as pure evil but just be cognizant of their terms. Not many lenders offer sp cli or the extent of very high credit limits based off ones credit. Just my average penny that if you use them wisely, you can be much hsppier with them in ones portfolioSmiley Happy
Message 29 of 66
Medic981
Valued Contributor

Re: Achieved One of My Gardening Goals Today


@AverageJoesCredit wrote:
Very nice successSmiley Happy

I just want to point out Synchrony Bank and its many retail cards, even bank cards, come with high apr as the norm and in my experience and suggestion is best to use as a pif card to combat the high interest. I dont think one has to shy away from them or denounce them as pure evil but just be cognizant of their terms. Not many lenders offer sp cli or the extent of very high credit limits based off ones credit. Just my average penny that if you use them wisely, you can be much hsppier with them in ones portfolioSmiley Happy

AJC, once again you are correct. The more I have thought about it, the high APR is an incentive to PIF or make sure to pay off before the special financing terms are up. Amazon Prime and CarCare will most likely have a future place in my CC lineup. Conoco is actually a duplicate since I can purchase gas with the CarCare card at Philip66/Conoco/76 stations.







Your FICO credit scores are not just numbers, it’s a skill.
Message 30 of 66
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