Carnival Sea Miles - should have known better

[-ClevelandRocks-]

No wonder the financial services companies are financially/morally bankrupt, they're also sincerely stupid and conscientiously ignorant. I have excellent credit, but HBSC canceled my MC due to lack of use. It was a union sponsored card with no rewards so why should I use it. Then Chase sent me a notice if I didn't transfer my checking account to them, they were canceling my Freedom Signature Rewards Visa. I canceled them instead. I replaced the Visa with a Fidelity Signature World Rewards and the MC with a Carnival Sea Miles Platinum (Juniper Bank).......big mistake. One of the features is you can access your credit score anytime after the first month. Well, mine didn't work so I wrote them an email. No response so I wrote them another. No response to the second so I wrote a third and again no response and NO record of the three requests. I got this card for use with this upcoming cruise but I'll be shredding it before I board. Unlike the financial services companies, I have excellent credit and can go anywhere, anytime, and receive excellent customer service. Why should I accept anything less? Carnival is doing a MAJOR disservice to their customers by sponsoring this card and my next letter is going to THEM! Like I said, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, I've read enough complaints here but didn't think I'd have a problem...............WRONG!!!

[Fighterone]

No wonder the financial services companies are financially/morally bankrupt, they're also sincerely stupid and conscientiously ignorant. I have excellent credit, but HBSC canceled my MC due to lack of use.

Interesting! MC Seamiles also just cancelled my DHs card for lack of use. We just use mine and pay in full each month...any idea how long before they cancel mine!

I also received a letter asking me to call them. I did and was on hold for 33 minutes before one of their "representatives" ...(they used some other big title in the letter) finally came on the line! They wanted to check on a suspicious charge.

These credit card companies are getting out of hand and impossible to deal with.

[Maxax]

And typically...the "deals" aren't much in the way of "deals" to begin with! You literally have to spend something like $125,000 or more...on your card before you qualify for anything!

[P2B12]

Nice EGA..... just wanted to say Semper Fi!

[slotaddict]

Interesting! MC Seamiles also just cancelled my DHs card for lack of use. We just use mine and pay in full each month...any idea how long before they cancel mine!

I also received a letter asking me to call them. I did and was on hold for 33 minutes before one of their "representatives" ...(they used some other big title in the letter) finally came on the line! They wanted to check on a suspicious charge.

These credit card companies are getting out of hand and impossible to deal with.

 

I think as long as you use the card they won;t cancel - my DH had a couple of cards that he didn;t use and two different banks cancelled the cards.

[juicesjokers]

No wonder the financial services companies are financially/morally bankrupt, they're also sincerely stupid and conscientiously ignorant. I have excellent credit, but HBSC canceled my MC due to lack of use. It was a union sponsored card with no rewards so why should I use it. Then Chase sent me a notice if I didn't transfer my checking account to them, they were canceling my Freedom Signature Rewards Visa. I canceled them instead. I replaced the Visa with a Fidelity Signature World Rewards and the MC with a Carnival Sea Miles Platinum (Juniper Bank).......big mistake. One of the features is you can access your credit score anytime after the first month. Well, mine didn't work so I wrote them an email. No response so I wrote them another. No response to the second so I wrote a third and again no response and NO record of the three requests. I got this card for use with this upcoming cruise but I'll be shredding it before I board. Unlike the financial services companies, I have excellent credit and can go anywhere, anytime, and receive excellent customer service. Why should I accept anything less? Carnival is doing a MAJOR disservice to their customers by sponsoring this card and my next letter is going to THEM! Like I said, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, I've read enough complaints here but didn't think I'd have a problem...............WRONG!!!

 

Wow, I cant believe it, how could they ever do that?

[-ClevelandRocks-]

I should clarify, Chase didn't cancel my Freedom Sig card they were just canceling the rewards because I wouldn't switch my checking to them. I canceled their card! Just got off the phone with Juniper (Barclay's) ugh customer service. They're supposed to get back to me no later than Monday and explain why I can't access my credit score and why my message center doesn't work (or their reply center). I told them my "payment service" would be out of order until they fixed their services. We have a legal agreement. If they won't live up to their end, I see no reason for me to honor mine. I REALLY like Carnival and it's a shame to see their name on these moron's cards.

[SandyW]

We heard late last year on tv from a business chanel that one of the ways credit card companies would start cutting back was to cancel those accounts that have not been in use. (I guess that is so all those people don't charge on their cards all at once and stop paying sending them into a second financial crisis!!) So far we've had six cancelled. One of them was my Carnival Sea Miles card with a mere 15,000 points. (Sadly they won't transfer those over to our other card.) We switched to using just my husbands so we could build those points. There are better rewards programs. It is very difficult for the average person to gain enough points for a free 7 day cruise. Every time we get close they up the number of points needed, or the cruise we want isn't offered when we want to go, etc. We also heard from someone else who had their CSM card cancelled that Barclay's only allows one card per family now...even if the other card isn't a CSM card.

[habby]

I also received a letter asking me to call them. I did and was on hold for 33 minutes before one of their "representatives" ...(they used some other big title in the letter) finally came on the line! They wanted to check on a suspicious charge.

These credit card companies are getting out of hand and impossible to deal with.

 

Gosh, I guess we must be one of the lucky ones. We cruised last May. Got into Miami a day early and spent the aftenoon/evening at Bayside. I used my Seamiles card twice, once at the Sketchers store and once at Bubba Gumps. In June we got a call from Seamiles asking about some suspicious charges. Checked the account on line and sure enough there were some charges made at a McDonald's near Miami, small change stuff. Then a larger purchase at a sporting goods store. All of these about two weeks after the end of our cruise and a total of about $400. Spoke with a rep from Seamiles and told them when we were in Miami. They immediately put a hold on the card, issued me a new one with a different number, and credited all of the "suspicious" charges. I'm glad they called about the suspicious charges and that they were gracious enough to give us credit as soon as they did.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience, fighterone.

[aggieastrosfan]

I told them my "payment service" would be out of order until they fixed their services.

 

There's no legal agreement out there that gives you the right to withhold payment because you can't get your credit score on their website. All that's going to give you is a perfectly legit 30-day late on your credit report. Bye-bye clean credit.

 

And the credit score they give you isn't a true FICO anyway, it's just a TransUnion score. It's completely useless.

[maxamuus]

I told them my "payment service" would be out of order until they fixed their services. We have a legal agreement. If they won't live up to their end, I see no reason for me to honor mine.

 

I would rethink that. Your 31 days late and they will ding your credit score and if you think trying to access your free credit report is bad, try getting them to correct a negative mark on your report.

 

Like you mentioned with Chase is easier to just close the account and move elsewhere. I got a card thru WaMu with 0 interest for a year on a balance transfer and they have a free credit monitoring as part of the card.

[tgray69]

they sent a letter cancelling our card due to not using it.

[Cruise-Crazy]

I have had the Carnival card for almost two years now and can't really complain. Every time I have called them I have received prompt service.

 

I am going on a four day cruise on Monday using points, all I had to pay was $47 in taxes.

[KroozFoolz]

I have had the Carnival card for almost two years now and can't really complain. Every time I have called them I have received prompt service.

 

I am going on a four day cruise on Monday using points, all I had to pay was $47 in taxes.

Looks like you are going on Majesty of the Seas. Carnival has to love that - using "Carnival card" reward points to cruise on Royal Caribbean.:D

Actually, I am considering using my points toward a Celebrity cruise.

[Cruise-Crazy]

Looks like you are going on Majesty of the Seas. Carnival has to love that - using "Carnival card" reward points to cruise on Royal Caribbean.:D

Actually, I am considering using my points toward a Celebrity cruise.

 

Yeah, kind of a funny way to try out RCCL. :)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I should clarify, Chase didn't cancel my Freedom Sig card they were just canceling the rewards because I wouldn't switch my checking to them. I canceled their card! Just got off the phone with Juniper (Barclay's) ugh customer service. They're supposed to get back to me no later than Monday and explain why I can't access my credit score and why my message center doesn't work (or their reply center). I told them my "payment service" would be out of order until they fixed their services. We have a legal agreement. If they won't live up to their end, I see no reason for me to honor mine. I REALLY like Carnival and it's a shame to see their name on these moron's cards.

 

I had a master card with Juniper that they just canceled because I didn't use it for about 4 months.

 

I used to get email notifications when my credit score would change. When I went to the website to check the score it wouldn't let me because I hadn't used the card that month.

 

Bill

[-ClevelandRocks-]

We heard late last year on tv from a business chanel that one of the ways credit card companies would start cutting back was to cancel those accounts that have not been in use.

 

DUH, if the credit card companies want to save money, they can stop sending me the preprinted checks twice weekly from every card I carry. I LOVE trees, HATE junk mail!!!

 

BTW, if you really want a card with GREAT fraud protection, DISCOVER hands down. I'm a cheap ol %*&$#@ and the card companies know it. I take their rewards but pay my balance monthly and they make nothing from me. When I bought my new house, I bought new washer, dryer, stove, frig, + tractor from Sears and had it delivered to the new home rather than moving the old. The phone was ringing when I returned home, it was DISCOVER. They KNOW I don't spend money like that. But, make sure you notify them when you cruise. Last cruise, they put a hold on my card due to out of state charges driving to the port. They even caught fuel charges in OH, then WV, thren OH again in the same day. I had to explain to them my stupid GF forgot her purse and I had to turn around in WV in the middle of a snow storm and go back. She's lucky her burial expenses didn't go on the card that day. Their automated N/C fraud protection is the best around.

[pe4all]

Sea Miles must have put out a mass mailing, cause we just got notification last week that our card was cancelled due to lack of use. No big deal, as we get more perks from our other cards!

[futaba951]

Welcome to the brave new world of finance and credit. I personally believe that after the economy recovers, that people will have drastically changed the way they handle personal finances and credit and these banks and credit card companies are going to be scratching their heads wondering what happened to their business models after their slash and burn policies they are implementing now. We already combat the junk mail we get now by sending back all of their business reply envelopes empty. That way they have to pay to send it to us and then pay to get an empty envelope back that they have no idea where it came from. I'm sure it doesn't affect their bottom line, but we get a small amount of amusement out of it at their expense.

[nagster]

Several cards I have lowered the limit and BOFA has cancelled me, all this is doing for me is making me leaner and meaner (in regards to credit) I wonder if this will backfire on them in a few years.

[futaba951]

Several cards I have lowered the limit and BOFA has cancelled me, all this is doing for me is making me leaner and meaner (in regards to credit) I wonder if this will backfire on them in a few years.

Their greed is already backfiring on them. That is why they are taking the actions they are now. Personally, I think it's great, and I thank them for forcing me to make damn sure that I stay independent of these greedy weasels. Karma evidently hates greed because it has sure busted the chops of retail and finance this year.

[cruisedirect2]

They lowered the limit on my Carnival Card without notifying me before hand. Apparently if you don't use all your credit they will lower to your highest balance. Not good when you go to use it and are told it is not good. We pay off each month, never carry a balance. So beware of not only cancelling your card.

[Traveler353]

I cancelled my seamiles card over two months ago and am still recieving e-mails from them. The latest was lowing my limit. Their IT program is as screwed up as the rest of the company. I called them about it and all I got was attitude. Worst customer service dept that I have had the displeasure of dealing with a long time.

[marty30907]

My DW and I both have this card and we recieved letters last week that they lowered our limit due to high balance and we are making a little more then the minimum payment. I will agree that mine is high but my DW is less then 50% of her limit.

 

As soon as they are paid off, we are closing them!

[NCTribeFan]

Personally, I think it's fiscally-sound and a wise move for banks and others to cancel cards that aren't being used.

 

Anything they can do to help their balance sheets makes sense in this economic climate.

 

Why have a card you don't use, anyway? If you want it and get benefits, then use it. If you don't, then why have it?

 

I have two cards - one MC and one Visa. I use the Visa most of the time. Earns points which I then redeem for Carnival certificates! The other is used for smaller items. Between the two of them, I have some insane credit limit of about $70,000!! :eek:

 

I don't want or need other cards.

 

Use what you have or close them. Don't open new accounts just to have a card and then not use it.

 

Plenty of articles out there on the internet about wise credit card use and how having not enough or too many open cards can hurt your credit rating.

 

Rather than being all indignent about it, perhaps think about why it is happening. Many banks are hurting. Making sound decisions is a GOOD thing for them to do. The more banks that survive, the better, for us as consumers, in the long run.