NOT activating a new card
Jun 21, 2012 | 12:12 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,912
NOT activating a new card
Assume I have applied and been accepted for a card that required a large amount of spend to get the points bonus.
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
Jun 21, 2012 | 12:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: AA, UA, Hilton, Choice, Wyndham
Posts: 423
The hard pull is done, and the account is open for the purposes of your credit record. Not activating the card vs. activating and spending $0 is pretty much equivalent, I believe. Correct me if I'm mistaken.
Jun 21, 2012 | 12:26 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Here
Programs: DL GM, BA Silver, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, PC Plat, Hyatt Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 101
If there is an annual fee, not activating the card will not keep you from owing the fee. The account was open when you were approved, not activating the card only affects the ability of the card to be swiped, doe not change your obligation to pay the annual fee on the card. I would STRONGLY suggest you call the credit card company and cancel.
I used to work for a credit card company and I have seen many people get derogatory info reported on their credit report because they didn't pay their AF because they never activated the card.
I used to work for a credit card company and I have seen many people get derogatory info reported on their credit report because they didn't pay their AF because they never activated the card.
Jun 21, 2012 | 10:01 pm
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Usa
Programs: mgsetleGD
Posts: 297
Assume I have applied and been accepted for a card that required a large amount of spend to get the points bonus.
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
Jun 23, 2012 | 2:49 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: In CT,left my heart in Leicester.
Programs: Work in progress.
Posts: 1,237
Assume I have applied and been accepted for a card that required a large amount of spend to get the points bonus.
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
The card comes and needs to be activated. Things have changed and I realize I'll never meet the required spend in the time frame required. Any ramifications of not activating the card? Or should I call them and say I've changed my mind?
Last year(about last november) my father applied for a Chase Marriott credit card because he was going to do a lot of travelling and that card would have gotten him some nice rewards...
Anyway, plans changed...sh*t happens...and he didn't need it anymore. The card had never been activated.
So when he called to cancel the card, the CSR told him that he was going to cancel it in such a way that it would no longer appear on his credit report and if he wanted to apply for the card again and the card came with a bonus offer, he'd be eligible for the offer.
Maybe you should try doing that. ^
Jun 24, 2012 | 9:31 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Traveling some where hopefully
Programs: AS, AA Gold, and Hilton
Posts: 1,953
Just my 2...
Last year(about last november) my father applied for a Chase Marriott credit card because he was going to do a lot of travelling and that card would have gotten him some nice rewards...
Anyway, plans changed...sh*t happens...and he didn't need it anymore. The card had never been activated.
So when he called to cancel the card, the CSR told him that he was going to cancel it in such a way that it would no longer appear on his credit report and if he wanted to apply for the card again and the card came with a bonus offer, he'd be eligible for the offer.
Maybe you should try doing that. ^
Last year(about last november) my father applied for a Chase Marriott credit card because he was going to do a lot of travelling and that card would have gotten him some nice rewards...
Anyway, plans changed...sh*t happens...and he didn't need it anymore. The card had never been activated.
So when he called to cancel the card, the CSR told him that he was going to cancel it in such a way that it would no longer appear on his credit report and if he wanted to apply for the card again and the card came with a bonus offer, he'd be eligible for the offer.
Maybe you should try doing that. ^
Jun 24, 2012 | 9:36 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,253
Activation is simply a security device to make certain that the card is physically in your hands. It has nothing to do with whether or not the account is open.
Failure to activate will also cause you long-term problems with the specific CC issuer because of security concerns having nothing to do with credit history.
Failure to activate will also cause you long-term problems with the specific CC issuer because of security concerns having nothing to do with credit history.
Jun 24, 2012 | 11:27 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: In CT,left my heart in Leicester.
Programs: Work in progress.
Posts: 1,237
Last year I had opened a CSP card and was told it would be 100,000 bonus when I called to activate it. I sent a SM comfirming that to Chase. They said no they weren't bumping it so I called back and cancelled after spending $400. When I cancelled they transfered me to the finacial dept. to have the hard credit pull taken off. They said it would be 30-60 days but pull would disappear and it did. They also told me that if it was less than 30 days you can always cancel and have the hard pull removed, I believe it was to do with the new laws on CC's? The big thing is talking to the finacial dept.
thanks for the heads up!
Jun 25, 2012 | 3:44 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA PLT, HH Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,091
Last year I had opened a CSP card and was told it would be 100,000 bonus when I called to activate it. I sent a SM comfirming that to Chase. They said no they weren't bumping it so I called back and cancelled after spending $400. When I cancelled they transfered me to the finacial dept. to have the hard credit pull taken off. They said it would be 30-60 days but pull would disappear and it did. They also told me that if it was less than 30 days you can always cancel and have the hard pull removed, I believe it was to do with the new laws on CC's? The big thing is talking to the finacial dept.
Jun 26, 2012 | 7:22 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,912
Last year I had opened a CSP card and was told it would be 100,000 bonus when I called to activate it. I sent a SM comfirming that to Chase. They said no they weren't bumping it so I called back and cancelled after spending $400. When I cancelled they transfered me to the finacial dept. to have the hard credit pull taken off. They said it would be 30-60 days but pull would disappear and it did. They also told me that if it was less than 30 days you can always cancel and have the hard pull removed, I believe it was to do with the new laws on CC's? The big thing is talking to the finacial dept.
Jun 26, 2012 | 9:48 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Traveling some where hopefully
Programs: AS, AA Gold, and Hilton
Posts: 1,953
Jun 26, 2012 | 4:37 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 30,343
I believe longhorn11's question is whether the account itself is also removed from the credit report, together with the inquiry line.