[RANT] PenFed Payment UI

[FinStar]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

I don't use my Penfed card but looking now it has the same feature as one of my other accounts (USAllianace I think) that i HATE, no option for "Current Balance" so you have to select Other and then enter the figure.   I guess most people outside forums like this don't pay multiple times, so statement balance is good enough, but not a huge deal to code!

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Looks like myFICO members were not directly consulted nor part of their focus group for assessing improvements to their UI 😜

[longtimelurker]

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@FinStar wrote:

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Looks like myFICO members were not directly consulted nor part of their focus group for assessing improvements to their UI 😜

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Maybe it was done pre-Covid, so an actual in-person focus group.

[MyFico type, not at all nerdy, really]  "Hey, shouldn't we have a, you know, Current Balance option?"

[Chorus']   "Why, we already have statement balance, and an Other for those who want to pay less"

[MyFico] "But suppose you want to pay several times a month for utilization and.... [realizes that people are staring] oh, just saying it's possible.   But let's not bother...."

[JR_TX]

My iOS app still pops up the "under development progress" error whenever I try to view FICO score or messages. For over a month now!!

[SoCalGardener]

Just curious as to why you're not using your bank's bill pay to pay this credit card?

I realize that if it's an outside bank--and you're not signed up for e-Bills (something I never use)--your bank won't show you your CC balance, minimum payment due, etc. To me, that's never been a problem--I mean it takes two seconds to log in and get the CC info. I pay all of my bills via BofA's bill pay; I can schedule any CC payment for any date, any amount, and pay as often as I want. Rather than tolerate a crappy app, why not pay using your bank?

[Gregory1776]

well I'm a little late back here, but PenFed is my main CU. Considering changing back to my local CU though. 

[CreditMagic7]

I'll concur and lightly interject here that i also simply PUSH payments to PenFed and honestly it's so easy peasey with my bank that PenFed almost always receives it before my bank's own pay-by date. Which for me is 2 days and done. If that helps.

[practical1]

I can't speak about this from specific experience -- I'm new to PenFed and can't even access the payments option just yet.  However, I do know about how banks -- and credit unions -- typically procure their IT development work (I'm in the biz) and from whom they often do.

All I'll say is this:  If PenFed operates like their peers, none of this is a surprise, unfortunately.  The best you can do is try to complain directly to the CEO; be polite, constructive and point-out that not only is this intolerable, but it is embarrasing to the institution and constituents that they serve.  Folks who have given so much to their Country deserve better treatment than this.  If they are using one of the usual suspects for their IT outsourcing, as a very large and significant client, maybe, just maybe a little heat from above can get some resolution.

If you are torqued enough about this to complain, hope it is productive -- for everyone's sake!

[EAJuggalo]

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@SoCalGardener wrote:

Just curious as to why you're not using your bank's bill pay to pay this credit card?

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I'm paying this out of my PenFed checking account.  I have DD set to go there so I get 2% CB rather than 1.5%, that DD is only used to pay this CC and my auto debited city water bill.

[CreditMagic7]

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@SoCalGardener wrote:

Just curious as to why you're not using your bank's bill pay to pay this credit card?

I realize that if it's an outside bank--and you're not signed up for e-Bills (something I never use)--your bank won't show you your CC balance, minimum payment due, etc. To me, that's never been a problem--I mean it takes two seconds to log in and get the CC info. I pay all of my bills via BofA's bill pay; I can schedule any CC payment for any date, any amount, and pay as often as I want. Rather than tolerate a crappy app, why not pay using your bank?

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While it is as obvious as the sun rises, most put their trust in various Bill Pay on the Creditor end expecting and obviously successful for the most part. One of the reasons that in all my years with creditors i have never ever even come close to missing a payment and sport a 100% flawless payment record, is that i NEVER trust the other end to PULL the payment timely or suffer a malfunction. PUSH payments is been timely even in advance of the Bank's tentative payment time the payment will be drawed/or PUSHED in my case. 

I read too many stories over the years of using the Lender's autopay only to wake up one day thinking they had a bill covered but that payment for whatever reason failed to initiate as expected. Hence until said Lender's autopay can term stipulate that they guarantee they will never miss (yes, THEY will never fail to PULL) it's always been of the mindset on this end to allow MY BANK to shove the payment DIRECTLY to them on whatever date is the customer's preference. And as i mentioned, not a single time in over 20 years have i seen a single deviation or delay.