I Think Target Misses Me
May 19, 2008 – 6:00 am
Got these in the mail the other day. A new set of Target VISA credit cards. I’m not sure why they sent two new cards, I don’t think the ones they had previously issued were even expired. Of course those had been cut up and stored away in a “safe place” (ie. someplace so safe that I forgot where I put them).
I wonder if Target’s bank saw my non-existant account activity and thought some brand new cards would get me to start shopping again? I imagine the account representatives’ conversation went like this.
Rep #1: ” Hey, look at Stupid Spender’s account. She has paid off her entire balance, we aren’t earning any interest from this account!”
Rep #2: ” Hmm…you are right. And it’s been over a year since she has charged anything on her Target card. I wonder what’s going on?”
Rep #1: “Maybe she just misplaced her cards. I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”
Rep #2: “We should issue her a new set of cards right away. The economy is hurting right now and a lot of people could use the extra money. We should help her as much as we can. I’m sure she’ll appreciate the new cards.”
Rep #1: “I’ll get them in the mail right away.”
Little did they know the scene at my house when I got my new credit cards in the mail would go something like this:
I (former Stupid Spender) had just come back from a quick walk down the driveway to the mailbox. Upon opening the envelope from Target I quickly searched and found a pair of scissors. Snip, snip, snip.
Now it’s time for me to stop being so lazy and actually call and close the account.
7 Responses to “I Think Target Misses Me”
LOL, that’s awesome.
By SingleGuyMoney on May 19, 2008
You may want to consider NOT closing the account and just continuing to cut up cards as they come. Your credit score takes a small hit everytime you close an account because you’ve just removed X amount of thousands from your available credit.
On the other hand, if you’re worried about keeping track of a credit card that you’re not even using (like if someone were to find your account number somewhere and go to town at Target) it might be better to cancel it.
By K on May 21, 2008
K,
Thanks for visiting.
The credit score drop has crossed my mind before, part of the reason the accounts are still open. We won’t be taking on any debt this year, but we will be renting so I assume they will do a credit check. The next time we will need to think about our credit score will be when we buy a house again, but that won’t be for a couple of years.
Any idea on how much the score might drop or how long it might take for the score to recover? Is there a formula or something I can use to figure it out?
By Momof3 on May 21, 2008
I read about new rules in a magazine in the last few months, but I can’t find the article now! Here’s one link that might help: http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/whatsinyourscore.aspx and here’s another: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/104062/Default-Lines-The-New-Math-of-Credit-Scores. The second is an article that tells how FICO changed things starting this year. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much it will drop, so I can’t help you out there.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
By K on May 22, 2008