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4 Ways to Help Loved Ones Who Don’t Like Dealing With Credit Card Companies

  • Million Mile Secrets

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    Helping friends and family get Big Travel with Small Money is one of my favorite things about our hobby.

    But what if your friend or family member doesn’t feel comfortable dealing with credit card companies for things like retention offers and denied applications.

    You can help them by communicating with banks on their behalf, to be sure they don’t miss out on the best deals!

    Do You Know Anyone Who Wants to Join the Miles & Points Hobby but Hates Dealing With Banks and Credit Card Companies Over the Phone?

    I’ll show you 4 ways you can handle dealing with credit card companies on behalf of your friend, partner, or family member, who dislikes that part of the hobby.

    Help Your Loved Ones In the Miles & Points Hobby

    1.   Use Secure Messaging

    One of the easiest ways to contact a credit card company is through secure messaging.  When you’re signed-in to an account, you’ll be able to find an option to send a message to the bank.  It’s basically like sending an email.

    Million Mile Secrets team member Joseph said he’s handled lots of credit card matters through the internet for family members.  He’s used secure messaging with Chase and Citi for issues like referral points not tracking and difficulties with promotional offers.

    And another friend has been able to cancel a Barclaycard through a secure message.

    2.   Use Online Chat

    Citi and American Express both offer online chat.  And as long as you’re signed-in under your friend or family member’s account (with their permission of course!), you can chat with a customer service representative about their issue.

    But sometimes, online chat representatives are not authorized to do everything a phone representative might be able to do.

    3.   Become Authorized to Speak on Their Behalf

    Folks on Reddit have reported success in getting their partner or family member to authorize them to speak on their behalf.

    One commenter called Chase after his wife was denied for the Ink Plus card.  He told the phone representative his wife would prefer he handle the call, and the Chase representative just asked that his wife verify her identity.  It was that simple!

    Just remember, if the customer service agent you speak to first can’t or won’t help you, politely hang up and call back again. 😉

    Note:  It’s NOT a good idea to pretend you’re the family member.  Because it’s illegal and the bank may flag the account for fraud.  So just have your friend or family member call in to give you authorization, then hand the phone to you!

    4.   Utilize 3-Way Calling

    Million Mile Secrets team member Keith said he’s set up a conference call with his mom and her credit card company, and was able to get her bonus points through a retention offer.  That’s pretty cool!

    He also called Chase’s reconsideration line with a friend on a 3-way call.  And although she was denied for the Ink Plus card at first, Keith was able to convince the Chase representative to look over her application again.  And in the end, she was approved!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)