I got my renewed credit cards in the mail WITHOUT any toll-free “activate from youe home” sticker over it! Is this safe? And, these cards came from a VERY BIG name in credit cards! of all people, they should know best! What’s the deal?
Is this a some (new?) safe practice? - Jinx
I can’t answer “is this safe” or “what’s the deal” but I can say those stickers aren’t universal. We have about 8 credit/debit cards in this house, and about four of them came with stickers.
Many times the new credit cards are the same card number with only the expiration date changed. Having to call to activate the card would be pointless as the card number is already active…
I’m probably dating myself, but at one time new cards never came with those stickers. The first time I got a card with a sticker I never called, figuring they would only try to sell me crap. The card worked anyway. Since then I have called, and sure enough, about half the time they do try to sell me crap, or get me to transfer my balance, or anything else that will generate another nickel for them.
I’ve either ever gotten renew cards that just work, or I have to call the number from my home phone and it’s completely automated (they don’t sell me anything), or it’s activated the first time I use it with a valid PIN (number) at an ATM (machine).
ryobserver has it exactly right. I got my newest replacement card about a month ago (and thank god I did, as I was away from home, parked in a pay garage, and had forgotten my wallet and had no cash or plastic) with the sticker, including an admonition that I had to call from my home number. I called the regular customer service number on the back of the card and I discovered that there was no need for me to call any number ever.
I believe in some instances the company will use the zip code to determine if there is a high risk of the card being intercepted, and send such cards out inactive. Otherwise it’s an additional cost they prefer to skip.
This would be reliant on the assumption that new cards are mostly stolen by postal employees in the local sorting office or by someone with access to the postboxes of multi-occupancy buildings. I have no idea if this is true or not.
Hey, in the old days (when I was still a kid) companies could send you unsolicited activiated credit cards even if you had no prior business relationship with the company. This was before the bank credit cards were big, but my folks would get gasoline and department store credit cards in the mail all the time – not they had any extra money to be spending.
Which company? I’ve been in all the major CC issuers shops to audit their fraud procedures.
Some use phone screening of every new card by a live agent.
If you can tell me which company you are referring to, I can hep answer your questions.
The last time I got one I called the number and when the computer told me the card was activated, BUT they had various offers for me, I hung up. The card works fine.