FUCK Target Visa!

Once upon a time I had a Target Store credit card. I used to shop a lot at Target cause it was so close to my job. It started out with a meager limit, but it was enough to buy the few things I always purchased there. A couple of years later, I received a Target Visa card in the mail. This replaced my Target Store card and allowed me to use the card at any store...not just Target. At the time I thought Target Visas were replacing all the Target Store cards. I didn't realize that I was just automatically upgraded to a visa card.

Anyway, as time passed, my limit was increased and I used my card with no qualms or concerns. I was actually planning on keeping it when I paid off all my other credit cards. However a couple of months back, everything changed.

I was making payments every paycheck (i.e. every two weeks) on all my credit card bills. Basically, just trying to eliminate most of my debt as soon as possible. I haven't given up on the idea of buying my own house some day. So, I'm making sure my credit is as good as it can be before I finally take the plunge.

Anyway, when I bought the Honda in February, I ended up skipping one paycheck payment to Target Visa. I figured I could afford to since I had been making such big payments and had made a payment just 2 weeks before. Well, the next statement had a late fee assessed on it. I immediately called them up to questioned what the fuck the fee was for.

They said that although I did technically pay them for the month of February, it showed up on the 5th of the month which is also the day they print the new statements. So it was processed as a 3rd payment in January instead of any payment in February. I was livid! I then asked about all those previously over-payments I had made in the past several months. Didn't those count towards future payments? I mean if the minimum payment is $20 and I am paying $100 a paycheck (roughly $200 a month) doesn't that cover any possible missed payments? NOPE!

It seems no matter what you paid the month the before, you still have to pay the minimum $20 monthly payment if you have an outstanding balance with them. So in my case, the past few months I had roughly paid them $1800, but that didn't matter since I still had an outstanding balance of like $500. I have never had a credit card that didn't apply over-payments towards future monthly payments.

They took the late fee off my bill stating it was a one time only deal and they normally never remove their late fees. WHATEVER! I decided right then and there to get rid of that card. I knew within a couple of paychecks I would have the damn thing completely paid off. Then I could close the bitch.

Last week I looked online at the remaining balance. It was low enough for me to go ahead and pay it off. I immediately wrote out the check and dropped it in the mail the next morning. That night I sat here and cut the card up into tiny little pieces. It looked like plastic confetti. I felt so liberated.

Well, today was payday for me. I have direct deposit so I looked at my bank account online to make sure my check was deposited. I then looked at all my cleared transactions and saw my Target Visa payment had cleared. I was so excited! I called them up to close out my account. Upon entering all my damn information into the automated system, it told me I had a balance of $5.06. I then pressed the necessary numbers to get to a person to close my account.

The guy offered to lower my limit (that was never a problem) to keep my card. He never mentioned lowering my interest though, not that it would have mattered. He tried to bribe me by offereing to give me the remaining 500 points I needed to get 10% off an entire purchase made at Target. NOT INTERESTED!

Finally he went ahead and closed my account. I asked him about the $5.06 balance remaining. He said it was accrued interest from the 5th of June and refused to remove it. I was beyond livid. I informed him this was just another reason why I was closing my fucking account.

So I wrote out another damn check to Target Visa for $5.06. If I wasn't trying so desperately to raise my credit score, I would have blown it off. Joe (a.k.a. gay boyfriend) said they got me coming and going. He asked me to just imagine how many other people they do shit like this too. Just one million people would equal $5 million. I was just sick.

So I am on here to warn others. STAY AWAY FROM TARGET VISA! They are sneaky and conniving and don't give a fuck about their customers. FUCK Target Visa!