Best credit card service for the deaf?

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peternagy

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I am having some difficulties with my current credit card company and their policy is not the best for the deaf. My current credit card company is Chase Manhatten.

Who do you recommend to sign up for credit card that has very good service for the deaf? For example, to activate credit card, use online instead of telephone. I have to ask a friend to use my telephone to activate my credit card. I do not want to use relay service for security reasons and I don't want to give my credit card numbers and other security info to relay service. Also, I would like the credit card company to notify me by e-mail for any security issues instead of telephoning me. Etc.

Thanks,
Peter
 
GalaxyAngel said:
:spam:
Click to expand...

How could this possibly be spam. The author is not trying to advertise a company, but in fact, the opposite: inquiring about credit card companies.

Peter, I can understand your concern of security over relay, but as a relay operator, trust me when I say, you're information is safe. Your identity is more likely to end up in the hands of a Nigerian scammer than in the hands of a relay operator.

I don't really have anyone to advise, but do I would not reccomend dealing with Capital One. They've outsourced parts of their customer support, which can be annoyingly difficult to deal with (AOL. Need I say more?).
 
peternagy said:
I am having some difficulties with my current credit card company and their policy is not the best for the deaf. My current credit card company is Chase Manhatten.

Who do you recommend to sign up for credit card that has very good service for the deaf? For example, to activate credit card, use online instead of telephone. I have to ask a friend to use my telephone to activate my credit card. I do not want to use relay service for security reasons and I don't want to give my credit card numbers and other security info to relay service. Also, I would like the credit card company to notify me by e-mail for any security issues instead of telephoning me. Etc.

Thanks,
Peter
Click to expand...

Ummm..nowadays, I don't think the activation representative would activate. Because the last time, I tried to call them to activate my card, they said it has to be DIRECT from the home phone. :( So I called the company and explained why they did it and what for? They apologized. Anyway, the card has been activated anyway. Thought, it's not a credit card, it's like a credit card but it's also a debit card. So I cut all the cc's in half. No more credits. Headache!!!! ;)
 
There is never a perfect credit card company. I use American Express, Capital One Visa, and Sears Mastercard. All three give me good service when I use online relay. They all also have online accounts that I can look at as well.
 
As someone familiar with the financial services industry (and you will hear a great many rants from me on the subject), I do want to suggest that you look carefully at credit card providers. The best one that does the most for your finances may not be the most deaf-friendly one.

Many institutions charge flagrant fees and wrap customers up in a maze of fine print. I spent a lot of time considering my finances and what kind of role my credit card plays and chose a card that optimizes them. This is how I suggest you might want to choose a card.

For example, I use a credit card supplied by a local credit union. They charge me 14% interest which is good for a credit card, but not as good as say, a famous institution like the Boeing Employees Credit Union up in the Pacific Northwest. But my credit union has all kinds of perks that actually fit my infrequent-purchase, immediate-repay strategy for my credit card. I let a little debt accrue on the card (and I only use one card) but always keep it below 33% as one part of a multifaceted strategic approach aimed towards boosting my FICO. My card fits my needs perfectly.

What I totally recommend is determining what you need, and then selecting a card that matches those needs. Don't be thrown by the flashy advertising and bait-and-switch strategies credit card companies use. You may already be doing all of this, and if so, I congratulate you!

You might be interested in this site from the Federal Trade Commission:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/choose.htm
 
i will never use a credit card ever again, it does nothing but put people in debt, but i do use bank card with credit that controls my budget and not the credit card providers forget it !
 
I use credit card for emergencies only and never carry any more than $20. on me at any time. The only time I use cc for non-emergency use is for Christmas gifts. That's all. :)
 
Heath,

What you're doing is smart (though I personally would carry a bit more than $20, but that's just me).
 
maybe $50. tops locally and if I have a really long way to go then $100. that is it. The another thing is cc can be very good if you know how to use the cc appropriately.
 
I never use the credit card and I have atm bank that is all. If I use it, it will be increasing more interest and more costs that means I have to pay it back money of the credit card.
 
The best credit card for the deaf is NO CREDIT CARD!

Trust me, I get a lotta complaints from deafs about credit cards!

Richard

deafdebt.gif


Here's a scavenger hunt for you, try to figure out what the 4 groups of numbers on the card represent. Try it It's fun!
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess all credit card companies are alike. Looks like I'm stuck with what I have and it may be no worse than other CC companies.

For those who use their bank debit cards as credit cards, be careful. I believe debit cards that are used as credit cards may not be as safe as using real credit cards. The insurance (or protection) on debit cards is usually a lot lower than credit cards. Find out from your bank and see how much your debit card is protected.

Thanks again for the reply.

Peter
 
Thanks for the interesting links. CC blocking is new to me but that wasn't the problem.

My latest problem with my CC was my last purchase was larger than my normal spending habit and the CC company red flagged it. My total CC purchase so far was not even 10% of credit limit. The CC company never notified me by phone (using my friend's phone #) or e-mail.

I went to CC web site to view my current activity to check if my last large purchase was processed. Instead of viewing the statement, it said I no longer have access. :wtf: So I called the CC company via TTY and asked them about it. After ten minutes of answering security questions, they finally told me the answer. They said my last purchase was larger than my normal spending habit so they declined it even though it was no where near the credit limit. Then they said this purchase is approved. I said fine. In the next three days I checked my CC web site to see if it got processed and still no charge. It turns out I had to contact the retailer to let them know that I got authorization to purchase the product. The CC company never told me that I had to contact the retailer. Now you know why I am very furious and it caused to delay shipping of the product I wanted to purchase by two weeks. :pissed:

Bottom line, it does not seem to matter what your credit limit is. It's what's your normal spending habit. If your next purchase is going to be much larger than you normally spend, watch out. My CC company said in order to avoid this in the future, contact them BEFORE making a purchase. My response was "When I get a new credit card from a another company, I am gonna cut up the current credit card." They didn't care and hung up. Now, do you call that service?

FYI, the credit card I was using was Chase Manhatten. They have a terrible web site and don't intuitively provide phone numbers for the deaf. Stay away from Chase Manhatten.

Peter
 
Nesmuth said:
deafdebt.gif


Here's a scavenger hunt for you, try to figure out what the 4 groups of numbers on the card represent. Try it It's fun!
Click to expand...

They are birth years of these respective organizations.

1901 = Kappa Gamma Fraternity

1906 = California Association of the Deaf

1965 = Registry Interpreters of the Deaf

1880 = National Association of the Deaf

Richard
 
Nesmuth said:
The best credit card for the deaf is NO CREDIT CARD!

Trust me, I get a lotta complaints from deafs about credit cards!

Richard
Click to expand...

Uh Oh, there's that guy again: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!
Richard, you naturally have a bias, don't you, in saying you get a lotta complaints from your constituency? The fact is, that those complaining represent a minority, don't they? So you come out with the sweeping statement that includes ALL us deafies: "The best CC for the deaf is no CC." Isn't it your consituency that keeps you, Richard "in business"? I hope some of the grants you are given are channeled to educating that small group who are naive, irresponsible, unsophisticated, etc with the privilege of having a CC.

For you to say you get a lotta complaints from deafies about credit cards AS IF it's the CC companies' fault and then run out of here makes me wonder what your'e doing on your end to help.
 
Personally, I don't think it matters as long as you pay off the due before the month's up.. that way you never get interest racked up. Just because you have a credit line, it doesn't mean it has to be a sense of comfort or security. In the end you still hafta pay, period. :)

I have a credit card that I have never used since I have gotten it, and suddenly I'm in the "platnium" club. :dunno: I consider it an emergency source of funds.. just in case. :D And it helps keep my records squeaky clean, too. I have no debts in USA at all.

The other credit card I do use, I don't use its credit line... I use what is in my bank account through its use. My bank issued this credit card, and provides adequate security protection for it. It has my photo on it, and I always use a key device that provides different pw's when logging into my bank account. Maybe it would be a good idea to get a credit card through your regular bank, and ask for those security features? Or at least ask about the security features your bank offers with its issued credit card... at least you can meet them face to face rather than dealing online..
 
Liza said:
Personally, I don't think it matters as long as you pay off the due before the month's up.. that way you never get interest racked up. Just because you have a credit line, it doesn't mean it has to be a sense of comfort or security. In the end you still hafta pay, period. :)
Click to expand...

Very true!

Be careful, though. I believe some institutions charge you interest on any purchase, no matter if you pay it off before the end of the month. Choose your card wisely.

You also are charged immediate interest for cash withdrawals with most cards, even if the policy says you aren't charged for regular purchases until the end of the month.
 
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