Getting a credit card without applying for one?

I’ve been on and off the phone with one of my credit card reps and they’ve been calling me for overdue payments since 3 weeks ago. So, ok, sometimes when I’m too harassed I forget which card I paid online so it has happened on several occasion that I double pay (there was one time I paid Citibank 20k for a Php600USD 10INR 867EUR 10CNY 74 bill) some cards and not pay another card.

But this one is a little strange to me — I got a replacement card for an old Metrobank Value credit card. Then a week later, I also got another Metrobank card and I thought it was the replacement for the other credit card. Nothing fancy, just 2 new cards. So, I put away the old ones in the drawer.

Now, the credit card reps kept on calling and telling me I haven’t paid yet. Turns out I double-paid again.

I checked all my Metrobank cards and now the 2 are actually 3 separate cards (the new one was a Visa). Why? I never applied for a new one. How did that happen? I was actually hoping they’d increase my credit limit for the old one but instead they gave me an entirely new one.

I asked the rep why is this so and she only mentioned I have a good credit standing. But it’s beside the point, I don’t need a new card filling up my wallet, I just need a higher credit limit. This is so confusing. I am really getting old.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

18 Comments

Gloria says:

18 years ago

he he. i thin whoever said is is right: that you should GET an assistant! ;-)
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alwell says:

18 years ago

if you have 3 Credit cards you’ll need to pay 3 yearly fees right? maybe thats the reason why they sent two extra cards heehhe
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ralphot says:

18 years ago

This is so confusing. I am really getting old.

hehehe! dapat i-change mo na yung sa About Me info mo yugs. di na yan 20-something! :P

midlife crisis, here yuga comes!
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AnP says:

18 years ago

pre-approved cards for clients in good standing.

haha natawa naman ako sa yo at nag o overpay. hehe
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KK says:

18 years ago

ID Theft may not be in “vogue” right now in the Philippines but with the rise of credit card users, the international crime of credit card fraud will catch up in the Philippines. That being said, credit card companies should NOT give you a credit card unless you apply for it because it opens up a can of worms.
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The Ca t says:

18 years ago

check out your credit card which you fail to pay on time, sometimes the interest increases.

there can be one bank with two kinds of credit cards, one a visa and another a mastercard. These are two different credit card companies. It’d not Metrobank which is the lending firm. They merely broker and get commissions and collection fees as their income.

We have a lot here. Even airline companies have their Mastercard and Visa credit cards,
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jayvee f. says:

18 years ago

you need a yugassistant to help you with your bills.

and thats the in thing now, overpaying your credit card. i do that sometimes. :P
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elmer says:

18 years ago

“Now, the credit card reps kept on calling and telling me I havenâ€™t paid yet. Turns out I double-paid again.”

This is a new way for CC co. to suck your money out of your pocket. I wonder if those CC reps are actually using a computer to check your payment or still using the old ledger.

“I was actually hoping theyâ€™d increase my credit limit for the old one but instead they gave me an entirely new one.”

Again, this is the CC co. new way of increasing your credit limit. The more CC you have the more chances you’ll miss payments (signs of getting older??), the more money they get from you thru fees and charges :-(

Lesson learned? Pay cash as much as you can, use CC for extreme need only!
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Anthony says:

18 years ago

One technique to waive those annual fees if you have multiple CC is to tell the CC co. to waive your annual fee or else you will terminate your CC.

It works! coz they do not want to lose a client as there are so many CC co. today…
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Fleeb says:

18 years ago

Or perhaps just follow what Elmer says. Personally, I think I would only need a credit card when I will be buying something online.
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