# In which I hope my bank gets punched in the metaphorical balls **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 25, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618 "2011-02-25T20:15:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/21 "2011-02-27T02:50:32Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Or he knew that he would be spending more than his limit on vacation (easy to do if transport and lodging are being carried), and has the cash saved up to cover. > > Reminds me of me on a cruise we took - had to get the credit limit raised to give a cushion for everything. > > Joe Exactly. I got this credit card right out of school, so it’s always had a small limit, but that suited me because if it ever got stolen or anything there’d be less worrying. The trip package costs more than the limit on the card, which is why I need to up it, and the only payment option accepted is credit card. I’ve always immediately paid off everything from laptops to LCD TVs and don’t carry a balance. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/22 "2011-02-27T03:40:39Z")
> [@The\_Bodhi](#): > > Not having the credit limit to go on vacation would seem to validate everything I said. Or, it just means that you don’t regularly run up high bills on your credit card and would have no need for a high limit. How informed you must be sitting at your keyboard about the creditworthiness of strangers on the internet. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/23 "2011-02-27T04:12:10Z")
Ball management fee. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/24 "2011-02-27T05:16:41Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I’ve banked with the New Scottish bank, and their counter service seemed to be mentally deficient. > > The Green Armchair bank isn’t bad. The bank that is in Montreal has been OK so far. The Red Movie Bank, aka The New Scottish bank had a teller that would not allow me to deposit CASH into my boyfriends business account, with one of his deposit slips that had the encoded numbers and everything, because the account was a an out of town account and we are in Thunder Bay. She kept going on and on about how there was “no recourse if the deposit was no good.” Ummm it’s cash? If you take your black lights and so forth you know if its good right now. She wanted my banking information, and kept encouraging me to write a cheque to cover the cash amount and deposit the cash in my own bank account. Or open an account with that bank. I finally had to get a manager to ok the deposit. Of course they consistently put every cheque deposited on a 15 business day hold, so no damn way was I going to put a cheque instead of cash into his account whenever it was possible. He’s been using the bank that is blue and could have been in a foreign country and it is much better, but everyone I know who has built their own house in the country and done a mortgage through Banque de Bleu ends up screaming and ranting and doing a little dance of rage and if they speak French, words like chalice and tabernacle end up among the words. I just keep telling people “green armchair” over and over. Really, I have never in my life been told I have to do something in my own branch. I was actively discouraged from closing a BC account in favour of a local one 7 years ago, but I did anyway because it felt weird having an out of town bank. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/25 "2011-02-27T18:25:04Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > My tour group operator is in the US, I am in Canada (it’s a niche tour). If I could walk into their office and give them a big wad of cash right now, I would. The money is sitting pretty in my bank account, just waiting to be applied to the credit card. > > I guess I could ask if they’d take a Western Union money order. :rolleyes: I’ve never had the need to try something like this, but if the money is in your bank account, couldn’t you just pre-pay your credit card (i.e. so you have a large negative balance on your card)? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/26 "2011-02-27T18:29:48Z")
I’ve done that - gone into the bank who issued the card, said I wanted to first pay off the card, and then generate a positive balance. I walked out with something like 2K credit on a card with a 1K limit, and then bought plane tickets worth a total of 2.25 K - no problemo. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/27 "2011-02-27T20:08:49Z")
I think you can name banks here if you want to (I believe I have in the past); it’s CIBC that is giving you a problem, **kushiel**? We recently dumped my husband’s long-term account with them because of their brand new, screw our customers as much as possible policies. I also have a credit card with a very low limit ($1000) because I tend to use it only for internet purchases (it’s with RBC though). We use a line of credit with much lower interest rate (prime plus 3%, I believe it is) for most of our borrowing needs (we borrow money each year to buy shares in my husband’s employee owned company that returns around 30% dividends). Also, you should name the banks because they are moving into the US in a big way, and the US Americans should know what they’re in for. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/28 "2011-02-27T20:50:06Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I’ve done that - gone into the bank who issued the card, said I wanted to first pay off the card, and then generate a positive balance. I walked out with something like 2K credit on a card with a 1K limit, and then bought plane tickets worth a total of 2.25 K - no problemo. This is bloody brilliant! I just assumed that even if my credit card has x + more in it, it won’t let me put a charge larger than x on it. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think you can name banks here if you want to (I believe I have in the past); it’s CIBC that is giving you a problem, **kushiel**? We recently dumped my husband’s long-term account with them because of their brand new, screw our customers as much as possible policies. I also have a credit card with a very low limit ($1000) because I tend to use it only for internet purchases (it’s with RBC though). We use a line of credit with much lower interest rate (prime plus 3%, I believe it is) for most of our borrowing needs (we borrow money each year to buy shares in my husband’s employee owned company that returns around 30% dividends). > > Also, you should name the banks because they are moving into the US in a big way, and the US Americans should know what they’re in for. 🙂 Nah, it’s Scotia. In this adventure I also learned they have horrible, horrible bank hours compared to the other banks. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/29 "2011-02-27T21:04:15Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > If I could walk into their office and give them a big wad of cash right now, I would. The money is sitting pretty in my bank account, just waiting to be applied to the credit card. What if you just deposit a check (or wad of cash) to your credit card account? Won’t the spending limit be credit limit plus credit balance? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/30 "2011-02-28T02:33:53Z")
Oh yes Scotia has crappy hours. TD is now open Sundays. ---
**Author:** ![Snifit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Snifit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snifit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/31 "2011-02-28T07:57:20Z")
What was with all the beating-around-the-bush descriptions of the banks? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/32 "2011-02-28T09:03:57Z")
> [@Snifit](#): > > What was with all the beating-around-the-bush descriptions of the banks? > **[Bland-Name Product - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlandNameProduct)** > > When you want to refer to a well-known brand name, but the legal department is advising you to avoid using trademarks in your show, you can just change a few letters around to thinly disguise the brand name (Coca-Cola â Coke … ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/33 "2011-02-28T15:18:22Z")
Mostly because Kushiel did not name his bank in the OP I just asked a question in an obvious way without mentioning names. Also I thought it was fun. I know you can name them, but every Canadian knows the Blue and Gold Lion Bank vs the Green Armchair Bank, the Movie Bank, the Banque de Bleu. etc etc. We only have 5 main banks, so it isn’t hard. But whatever. Scotia sucks rocks, actually most banks do. I am pretty lucky with TD Canada Trust, one ranting error in 16 years and it was fixed rapidly and restitution made. Royal bank aka Blue and Gold Lion bank made all these errors and has the worst “branch to branch” service I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/34 "2011-02-28T15:22:52Z")
> [@The\_Bodhi](#): > > Seems so many in this day and age can not figure out that if you need credit to go on vacation, you probably should not be going in the first place. > … Helpful? not much. How are you to make the _payment_ for the vacation even if you’ve got cash in the bank? A check is slow - you have to mail it. I wouldn’t want the vacation place to have access to my banking info to allow them to draft the payment directly. A debit card doesn’t (in the US anyway, the OP is in Canada so rules are likely different) offer the same protections as a credit card. The OP might just want whatever reward points his card offers. Wanting to use a credit card for initial payment might just have not-a-damn-thing to do with whether you have the cash on hand to pay for the vacation. Oh - and I hear ya on the BS of being told that you need to go to the issuing branch. Many years ago, when I lived in Charlotte NC, I opened an account with NCNB (later Nationsbank, now engulfed by Bank of America). About a year later, I moved to Chapel Hill. Filed an address change, statements sent to new address, etc. Then they started screwing up overdraft payments (I had a balance on the overdraft line of credits, and I always made payments on time). Long story short, someone at a branch there looked at the account, saw that it was opened in another city, and said “Oooooh, you need to close that account and open one out of a local branch, that’s why you’re having these problems”. WTF? this was a statewide bank! Needliess to say, I only took the first half of her advice. ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618/35 "2011-03-02T00:40:51Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I’ve done that - gone into the bank who issued the card, said I wanted to first pay off the card, and then generate a positive balance. I walked out with something like 2K credit on a card with a 1K limit, and then bought plane tickets worth a total of 2.25 K - no problemo. Hmm, I think that it depends on the bank, or perhaps it depends on the situation. Just yesterday I found that I couldn’t overpay my credit card bill online. This was with a large US bank. I couldn’t try going into a branch to pay it, as there isn’t one within 400 miles of me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-hope-my-bank-gets-punched-in-the-metaphorical-balls/572618.md?page=1)