Suntrust to offer Debit card. Mile for every $1
Jun 9, 2009, 7:11 am
#61
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
This is a debit card product, not a credit card product. It implies people would want to make deposits to fund accounts. While a lot of stuff is ACH these days, there's still a need to have Branch or at least ATM depository access for most people. SunTrust will have neither in most of DLs hub and focus cities.
Jun 9, 2009, 7:14 am
#62
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM, SPG Plat, Hyatt Diamond, MTA Rust, Hertz Five Star something or other
Posts: 2,858
This is a debit card product, not a credit card product. It implies people would want to make deposits to fund accounts. While a lot of stuff is ACH these days, there's still a need to have Branch or at least ATM depository access for most people. SunTrust will have neither in most of DLs hub and focus cities.
Jun 9, 2009, 7:35 am
#63
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Yea this will be a dealbreaker for me. I opened a US Bank account for the 5k bonus miles and the only way for me to fund my account was to "bank by mail" which takes over a week to process per deposit. And obviously you can't send cash in the mail..very annoying. I'm not about to open a Suntrust debit card in NYC and pay crazy ATM fees. Totally not worth it IMO
When living in New York but working out of DC and using Suntrust retail banking while around the DC area or in the Southeast, I used to too often have to fly back down to DC -- often on the DL shuttle -- just to get some banking things done for amounts of money that varied from large sums to rather trivial sums; and then I'd have to return to NYC on the fist shuttle flight back after done with whatever banking matter required my presence.
There are still banking functions that on a timely basis have no substitute with a stop in a local branch. And most customers generally aren't willing to deal as persistently with a retail bank branch network that is far removed from the area where they would find it convenient, especially not on a weekend.
Jun 9, 2009, 10:57 am
#64
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: DTW
Programs: DL Platinum Medallion
Posts: 938
This is an interesting move from Delta. With all the emphasis they've been putting on New York, as well as integrating the Northwest hubs into the system, they go with a bank that has zero presence in any of these places? I can see wanting to support another Atlanta business, but this shows no matter how big they grow it's always Atlanta first and other places second.
I share the sentiments of others in that I would never bank somewhere that doesn't have branch offices local to me. It would have been nice to have a debit card to supplement the Amex at places that don't take it, but this isn't going to cut it. I see that Comerica is still featuring the WorldPerks debit card on their website, so my only hope is that will carry over to Delta but I'm not betting on it. I just hope we see more banks added so that Delta has an offering that truly covers their network.
I share the sentiments of others in that I would never bank somewhere that doesn't have branch offices local to me. It would have been nice to have a debit card to supplement the Amex at places that don't take it, but this isn't going to cut it. I see that Comerica is still featuring the WorldPerks debit card on their website, so my only hope is that will carry over to Delta but I'm not betting on it. I just hope we see more banks added so that Delta has an offering that truly covers their network.
Jun 9, 2009, 11:09 am
#65
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
It was a simple question.
Upon further analysis of your statement, I wonder what was the purpose of even including the word Pacific? While technically the statement is true, most likely many people who read it understood it to mean US Bank has no presence in WA, OR, CA, the states that are along the Pacific, when in reality US Bank does.
Upon further analysis of your statement, I wonder what was the purpose of even including the word Pacific? While technically the statement is true, most likely many people who read it understood it to mean US Bank has no presence in WA, OR, CA, the states that are along the Pacific, when in reality US Bank does.
Jun 9, 2009, 11:37 am
#66
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: RDU, Delta GM/1MM, Hilton Diamond (for now), Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 3,443
The issue with a US Bank deal would be that they are in many of the same states Sun Trust is. Once you have a small regional like Suntrust you run into issues with larger banks like a US Bank, Wells Fargo, etc. But there are certainly no shortage of regional banks. For classic NW hubs you could do a TCF, maybe an M&I. There's certainly a number of options on the east and west coast to boot.
Jun 9, 2009, 11:39 am
#67
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: RDU, Delta GM/1MM, Hilton Diamond (for now), Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 3,443
This is a debit card product, not a credit card product. It implies people would want to make deposits to fund accounts. While a lot of stuff is ACH these days, there's still a need to have Branch or at least ATM depository access for most people. SunTrust will have neither in most of DLs hub and focus cities.
Jun 9, 2009, 1:14 pm
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: check swarm
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, SPG/Bonvoid LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, $tarbucks Titanium
Posts: 14,404
This is a debit card product, not a credit card product. It implies people would want to make deposits to fund accounts. While a lot of stuff is ACH these days, there's still a need to have Branch or at least ATM depository access for most people. SunTrust will have neither in most of DLs hub and focus cities.
Jun 9, 2009, 1:22 pm
#69
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: UA Silver, BA Gold, DL Gold
Posts: 9,779
Certainly, US Bank, which seems to lack a presence in NYC, DTW, and ATL isn't the answer.
I would be mildly surprised if the SunTrust deal were exclusive and wouldn't give up hope that DL might have more debit card providers coming. CO, for example, has two debit card providers.
Beyond that, I think many people can get by quite well without ever having to deposit a check. I'm lucky if I have one check per month to deposit. I'm sure that some deposit a lot more checks than that, but with direct deposit from your employer, a debit card, and online bill-pay, I think many people are probably more attached the idea of "needing" a local branch than they should be. Heck, I've been preaching the virtues of USAA bank to the 'rents for years and they still insist on "needing" a local branch - not sure what for, though.
Jun 9, 2009, 1:57 pm
#70
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: the ATL
Programs: skymiles silver, spg gold, aa gold
Posts: 17
They serve:
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.
I don't understand why they wouldn't choose a bank like Wells Fargo which has branches in almost every state. According to the Wikipedia SunTrust doesn't even manage their card portfolio, they have a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska manage it. FNN also does cards for some of the foreign Airlines such as JAL.
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.
I don't understand why they wouldn't choose a bank like Wells Fargo which has branches in almost every state. According to the Wikipedia SunTrust doesn't even manage their card portfolio, they have a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska manage it. FNN also does cards for some of the foreign Airlines such as JAL.
Jun 9, 2009, 3:21 pm
#72
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
Jun 9, 2009, 3:26 pm
#73
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,884
It'd be great if they could partner with something like Wings (the credit union that airline employees can join). They have locations in nearly all the major markets. 
But the Wells Fargo + Wachovia option would be a good alternative. Sticking with SunTrust is rather stupid. Great for people in the south, but Delta is no longer a southern airline and they need to act like it.
But the Wells Fargo + Wachovia option would be a good alternative. Sticking with SunTrust is rather stupid. Great for people in the south, but Delta is no longer a southern airline and they need to act like it.
Jun 9, 2009, 4:00 pm
#74
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,679