Warning do not get Open Sky it is trash

[CreditGuy03]

So I recently got out of CH7 and went with OpenSky since they said no credit check. I put down my deposit and proceeded to rent a car.

After renting the car Avis charged me money for tolls which put my small accout $1 over the limit. So when that happens open sky froze the account and opened up a dispute to see why I was charged tolls (which is valid mind you) that put me over the limit. 

Fine whatever. So Avis sends back that it is in the contract that I signed because this was a valid charge. it just happened that they amount just put me past the limit. So instead of open sky unlocking the card and the account so I can pay off the card in full, they say my card will remain locked for 60 more days. 

I asked them why? They said because they don't want Avis to charge me again. I told them repeadedly that the charge was valid and Avis wont charge me again just allow me to pay the charge, the fees and the card in full. They said I can but the entire account will remain locked until April 3 2020. They wont even allow me to pay off the card and close it out. 

This not only is the first time this has happened to any card ever but for them to lock your entire account where you cant even pay the bill online is asinine. There is no fraud here.

Please stay far, far away from this card

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. 

The root of the issue is that the card was allowed to go over the secured credit limit. While you may not like the consequences of that, I'm not sure I'd advertise the card as trash. 

Open Sky upheld their end of the deal in allowing charges up to your defined, secured limit. Anything over that is not part of the deal. Secured cards are, in some ways, a different animal and the lenders are very vigilant for instances that may put them at risk of financial loss. 

[FinStar]

It sounds like the timeframe restriction would seem inflexible at best while the resolution takes place, but for those who have (or have had) this specific CC, it wouldn't seem like it's 'trash' to be honest.  Sometimes this is usually the best alternative given other options individuals may have. 

A lot of other details are left out, such as the CL and the available credit before embarking on the trip.  By and large, given how rental companies, hotels, etc., place some authoritization charges ahead of of time (even afterwards once all transactions are settled), it's always a good idea to have sufficient available credit to cushion things and avoid any issues or interruptions.   And, having an extra payment method (just in case) never hurts. 

[thornback]

OpenSky serves its purpose without a credit check or charging predatory fees -- so, while it may not be an ideal tool for all types of spend, it's not a "trash" card.

I usually suggest folks not use secured cards in the same manner they'd use an unsecured card - ie. do not to use secured cards for things like car rentals because of the nature of how rentals intially authorize charges - which are often higher than the actual amount charged once all is said and done; car rentals can also end up charging more than the amount initially anticipated due to other factors such as the state of the vehicle once returned.  Unless you have an unusually high secured credit limit, you run a risk in using it for this type of transaction.  Secured cards have different terms and as such, should be used for rebuilding purposes only -- meaning, make standard purchases with firm costs, pay it off, repeat on a monthly basis.   

Biggest concern here is making sure a payment is made to that account.   Your post reads as if the account being locked will prevent you from making a payment online for the next 60 days, is that correct?  If so, can you make the payment over the phone?  If not, I'd suggest pushing a payment from your bank account to the account or even mailing a payment (use a money order and send with some sort of tracking).    Do not let this ride out for 60 days without payment. 

Best of luck. 

[calyx]

As others have said - going over the limit for a card is bad, especially for a secured card.   Honestly, Opensky does secured cards with no credit check - they're already dealing with high risk clients - going over the limit would've set off a lot of red flags.

They didn't close the card, they just put a hold on it - it could have been worse.  I don't think they acted at all unreasonably considering the signs you gave them.   I had Opensky, and never had a problem, but I was also very careful with how I managed my card.

[Anonymous]

Get the address and mail them a check.

What Calyx said....you are high risk you do not get the benefit of the doubt (from the bank)....sorry that is just the way it is. A lot of us had to deal with that while rebuilding.

[Anonymous]

Can they even deny payment? Is that legal? That would incur a late payment, a 30 day late, a score chop, fees, etc. And I mean not accepting payment in any way, not denying payment through their website.

Pushing a payment would be great, providing that they do not block it. I can't imagine they'd do that.

A no credit check card I'm sure is going to be close to zero tolerance when it comes to any payment issues, going over the limit, late payments, etc. They have to be because of the risk involved. 

I'd make sure you can pay that card in some way and do so earlier than usual, just in case pushed payments fail, etc, so that you can find an alternate way to pay. Those types of cards have been known to claim "we never received payment through the mail" or credit your account 7 days late.

[19eighty5]

I wholeheartedly disagree with your stance on Open Sky. When I started my rebuild, this was the only card I could get. After it hit my profile, I was able to start opening better cards. While inconvenient, I don't think that Open Sky is the problem here...