Sympathies for WalMart and Discover reps

[Gurndigarn]

A few weeks ago, I was shopping at WallyLand. Paid with a Discover (credit) card. Went to sign the pinpad, and saw a little note: "Cash back? ($20)($40)($60)(NO)"

This is a credit card, not a debit card. I hope. I did have it replaced recently, but...

Skip ahead a week. I'm using the same card at a different WallyLand. "Cash back? ($20)($40)($60)(NO)" OK, there's something wrong with the card. So I call up Discover, and ask them that. No, this is a credit-only card. So I explain there's a problem. And an overly-perky voice on the other end says "No, with Discover Card, you can actually get cash for those impor..."

I cut her off. "So, this is a cash advance?"

"Yes, sir" (Still perky. Damn, whoever manages the Discover Card Ohio Customer Service Center (tm), please, switch the place to decaf!)

"With the cash advance fees, increased card rates, and kicking in service charges for all future purchases?" None of which, I expect, are explained at the pinpad. And which a lot of people aren't going to think about, either.

Miss perky mumbled something unintelligible. At which point, I ended up thanking her for her time and hanging up. I had the information I needed. But damn, it's going to be a headache for the customer service reps at Discover and WalMart when people get their bills and start asking questions. (And I predict about four months until the class-action suit for misleading advertising is filed, myself.)

[Kogarashi]

Hopefully Wal-Mart won't actually have to deal with that, since I assume it's Discover's decision to allow the cashback/cash advance on the pinpads. Previously, only the Wal-Mart credit cards (one of the two of which was done through Discover) allowed you to get money back on your purchase, and all the other credit cards still skip that prompt.

OT, it's weird, but today I had no less than three customers asking if they could get cashback on a credit card, and none of them were using Wal-Mart/Discover cards. One did have a debit card, and I had to explain to her that she had to run it as debit to get money back on it. Where do they get the idea that they can get cashback on credit cards?

[SuperDan]

Not sure about the WalMart register system, but it is possible on my store's system at least to sneak some cash back. It shouldn't give the prompt though.

I discovered this trick when some old asshat wanted to do a multipe-payment-method transaction (not a big deal) but waited until AFTER I had rung up the cash to find the change to even out the dollar ammount that would go on the credit card. I told him I wasn't sure I could ring up the dollar amount exactly on the credit card because the register was expecting two cents less (actually I told him twice) but he appeared to have not heard a word of that. Anyway, I put in the amount he wanted on the credit card before I hit the electronic tender key (much like I would do with a food stamp card or the first card in a two-card transaction) and it did go through with the extra cents that way. I believe if you do it that way it all goes through as a transaction, not a cash advance.

[Crosshair]

Hmm, that is interesting SuperDan . I'll have to check that out. That could come in very handy if I am short on cash and need to buy something using credit anyway. I'll need to be sure I don't screw myself with higher interest rates first.

[Auto]

Hopefully Wal-Mart won't actually have to deal with that, since I assume it's Discover's decision to allow the cashback/cash advance on the pinpads. Previously, only the Wal-Mart credit cards (one of the two of which was done through Discover) allowed you to get money back on your purchase, and all the other credit cards still skip that prompt.

OT, it's weird, but today I had no less than three customers asking if they could get cashback on a credit card, and none of them were using Wal-Mart/Discover cards. One did have a debit card, and I had to explain to her that she had to run it as debit to get money back on it. Where do they get the idea that they can get cashback on credit cards?

Lots of CC give cash advances. Which is very different from a debit card. If discover ends up (surprise) tacking fees on every such cash advance, I think they're going to be facing lots of complaints.

[dawntazz]

actually the decision is on walmart . they take the credit for any and all credit/debit purchases. u can get cash back from almost all cards. they have fought with people before over the fees.

[Kogarashi]

actually the decision is on walmart . they take the credit for any and all credit/debit purchases. u can get cash back from almost all cards. they have fought with people before over the fees.

The only actual credit cards I've seen the prompt for are Discover, and the Wal-Mart card (one of the two of which is a Discover card, the other of which is a Wal-Mart-only card). Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and any others that might come through don't prompt for cash back unless they're actually a bank card (which is different). The Discover card's cash back prompt is also very new. So no, you can't get cash back from "almost all cards." Unless they've recently changed the register system so you can charge more than the total purchase amount to a credit card, but that would work differently anyway.