Target red card- what a scam!

SixOfWands

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 12:59 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yes, it was stupid and silly and naive of me to open this card and Amazon prime card. I don't shop regularly enough to make it worth it and it seems enticing at first but in the end, I just incurred late fees, which I can't afford. I managed with each place to knock off some of the late fees but at end of day, it's still way more than I purchased and the small savings was completely not worth it. So in my eyes, the whole thing is a scam.

Why?

According to your account of the story, you failed to pay not once, but for several months.

Didn't you receive the bills? If you didn't, you should definitely fight this, particularly as its very likely to impact your credit rating.

I understand your frustration,and sympathize with you. But its not appropriate to accuse Target of engaging in a "scam" because you forgot to pay the bill.

karat

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:01 pm

1. All credit card companies operate this way.
I’m not sure why you’re singling out Target.

2. It’s all in the fine print so how can it be a scam?
Read it before you sign up for something.

3. Set up your account for both paper and email reminders so that you’ll be less likely to miss a statement.
There were months where the statement somehow got lost in the mail and never got delivered.

4. If you do miss a payment once in a while, call the credit card company and request to cancel your account.
They will ask you why you want to close the account and if you tell them you inadvertently missed a payment and are not finding it worthwhile to keep the account open, they will almost always agree to waive the late fee.
Some banks have a policy of waiving a late fee once annually, no questions asked.

5. I would be less concerned about a $25-35 late fee and more concerned about tarnishing my credit history, so try to be more disciplined about paying your debts on a timely basis.

Last edited by karat on Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Taupe

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:01 pm

No, OP, it's still not a scam. You made a mistake. That doesn't make you stupid or a bad person. We've all been there, it happens. Thankfully, this is a $55 mistake and not a $550 mistake or worse. This is how all credit cards work. And store cards, in particular, tend to have worse terms than regular credit cards, though all still totally standard for store cards. Store cards are rarely worth it. You have to really shop there a lot, and you have to keep on top of your cards and remember to pay (more likely if you actually use the card. Easy to forget if you don't). You messed up, own it and move on instead of blaming Target. And then cancel the card, which clearly isn't worth it for you.

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:01 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Perhaps the issue here is the definition of the word "scam." For your purposes, the card wasn't a good deal. "Scam" suggests something nefarious or sneaky. You forgot to pay so were unable to take advantage of the card benefits, but Target did nothing wrong here.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:08 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If you are shopping at a Target store. You could pay full price in cash up front - or get a 5% discount and pay a few weeks later.

Where is the scam?

seeker

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:14 pm

amother [ Apricot ] wrote:

I do get annoyed at the reduced benefits they offer.
I used to get free shipping with no minimum purchase.
Now it’s free shipping with a minimum $25 purchase.
They also had promotional deals where they offered gift cards.
Now these deals are in-store and store pickup only. We don’t own a car so I’m considering canceling the account.
For me the benefits are no longer worth the hassle of keeping track of another credit card.

I agree, I'm disappointed about them dropping free shipping. I'm not cancelling the card over that but I probably wouldn't have bothered opening it if not for the free shipping in addition to % off.

baby12x

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:15 pm

Late fees are not even in the tiny fine print. They are written VERY clearly when you apply for a credit card.
Credit cards occasionally use sneaky or aggressive marketing tactics.
This is not one of them. OP made a mistake (doenst make you bad). But this one is all on you.
This was an lesson that cost you $55. Make sure to learn from it

groovy1224

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 1:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Feel like you don't know what the word scam is.

"Not worth it" and "scam" aren't the same thing.

A scam would be if they lied to you or deceived you in some way. The interest rates my be through the roof, but they were disclosed, and you agreed to them when you opened the card.

married2020

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 2:37 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If you pay the minimum by the way , you won’t get a late fee, just interest

baby12x

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 4:10 pm

OP, I mean this in the kindest way, do you know how credit cards work?
If not, it may be worth it to do some research so you can learn how they work, why they work and how you can use them responsibly

Petra

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 4:33 pm

I use my Red Card as a debit card. Love it. Especially when I can combine it with deep discounts. I used to order a bunch of things to be shipped to me online with the car but then we had an over-abundance of cardboard boxes just waiting until recycle day so I don't do that anymore. Always worth the 5% savings at least, in my opinion. And at the end of shopping, as usual, the check out clerk will ask if I found everything okay, and I always have think, "yes, too well".

My4Jewels

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 6:20 pm

I do not understand why it is a scam.

Please explain the scam part.

You opened a credit card.. credit card company says if u pay balances late you get a late fee..You paid late.. you incurred late fees.

Therefore your own fault.

Unpleasant ? Yes ofcourse!

Scam?? Certainly not

pause

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 10:17 pm

seeker wrote:

Many items won't ship with less than $25 orders

It's disappointing, but I've almost never had trouble filling my cart with stuff I use anyway, even if I don't need them right now, such as laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, shampoo, baby wipes, napkins, lens solution, etc.

amother

Slateblue

Tue, Apr 30 2019, 10:31 pm

That doesn't sound like a scam though it is frustrating.

I had issues with them too. I took a hit to my credit when opening a new card, which is normal. I paid in full. The next time I tried using it it wouldn't go. Apparently they dropped me to the lowest credit limit because I hadn't used my card in some time. My credit took a hit for that too. It was frustrating. I did nothing to cause that. They said for my security but I didn't stand to lose anything by them not dropping it. They then offered to pull my credit score again to up my limit but I passed and I don't use it anymore.

FranticFrummie

Wed, May 01 2019, 7:34 am

Before anyone complains about credit cards, learn to read the whole contract before you sign. The words are there, and words matter. They're not printing all that stuff for their own amusement.

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, May 01 2019, 8:43 am

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

I love my red card. I made mine a debit card so I still get the 5% discount and free shipping but it debits my checking account rather than take a chance at any late fees.

This - no bills to keep track of but you still get the discount