Flying J credit card issues

[elainny]

Just wanted to let others know that if you have a Flying J credit card and don't use it every month, you may be rejected when you try to use it. We had one and paid the balance, then tried to use it a couple months later and it was rejected. When we called in about it, they told us the system will mark it "inactive" and it can't be used until you call them to reset it. We thought that was ridiculous so we cancelled the card.

[DavidEM]

Ridiculous, perhaps, but understandable. My bank would block use of my debit card for atm withdrawals if we hadn’t used it for a while. Had to go inside the bank and have them reset it.

Minimizes fraud, but yes it is a pita.

David

[EA37TS]

Card issuers prerogative. Unused cards have a carrying charge (overhead) associated with them. Why should they pay the overhead when you don’t use the card? You’re not special or entitled to special privileges.

[Scubawise]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Card issuers prerogative. Unused cards have a carrying charge (overhead) associated with them. Why should they pay the overhead when you don’t use the card? You’re not special or entitled to special privileges.

Agree my wife store cards do the same.
Good fraud process.

[Pete'sMH]

We use our Flying J card just a few times a year. Never had a problem. Maybe it’s a newer policy for them to cut costs or reduce their fraud losses. But I’ll call before we head to Florida next month, thanks for the heads up.

[Lt Keefer]

Thanks for the reminder. As a side, a lot of card companies do that.

[Elite Washington]

As a life long banker this is an industry standard. You might be upset now, but think of how upset you would be if someone put a couple thousand dollars of charges on it. There are timing requirements per reg E and if you don’t report the fraud fast enough you could be liable for the funds.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Elite Washington

As a life long banker this is an industry standard. You might be upset now, but think of how upset you would be if someone put a couple thousand dollars of charges on it. There are timing requirements per reg E and if you don’t report the fraud fast enough you could be liable for the funds.

If what the OP experienced is the "industry standard" then many credit card issuers don't follow that standard. I have a "backup" credit card that I only use once every 6 to 9 months just to keep it active. Clark Howard recommends using credit cards at least once every 6 months to keep them active. Two months of inactivity is ridiculous.

According to the Fair Credit Billing Act you have 60 days from the billing statement date to report unauthorized credit card charges; otherwise:

Since the introduction of the Fair Credit Billing Act, consumers in the United States are liable for no more than $50 in fraudulent charges. This is regardless of the total value of unauthorized charges made to the credit account.

The account holder will have zero liability for stolen credit card number that is obtained through an unsecured online connection or as the result of a data breach.

[Elite Washington]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

If what the OP experienced is the "industry standard" then many credit card issuers don't follow that standard. I have a "backup" credit card that I only use once every 6 to 9 months just to keep it active. Clark Howard recommends using credit cards at least once every 6 months to keep them active. Two months of inactivity is ridiculous.

According to the Fair Credit Billing Act you have 60 days from the billing statement date to report unauthorized credit card charges; otherwise:

It is standard for a lot of issuers to block cards that are not in use but it’s not a requirement. My institution it’s 6 months on non usage but it could be whatever their fraud departments decide is an acceptable risk. It’s mostly used on debit cards, but since a lot of fraud happens at gas stations I could see gas cards being conservative. Gas cards can be debit cards

In regards to what someone is liable for 50.00 is correct if you report in 60 days of the charge. There are some differences between debit cards and credit cards. If it’s past that time the financial institution can hold you responsible. They have to prove that your inaction caused the fraud and generally most places will cover it for customer service. But as fraud losses continue to rise that could change.

[cgeace29.3]

We use our BJ’s cc and save 10 cents a gallon off their all ready low price