Todd Ossenfort | Posted: Friday, April 2, 2010 Q: I missed the opt-out letter from my bank credit card. I have a $10,000 balance, and my former APR was 9.24 percent, but it was increased to 29.99 percent. I’ve been a customer since 2000. I’ve called several times to ask that my APR be reduced and/or a payment plan, and they said no because my account is current. I pay online and simply missed the opt-out offer.
This is my next to last debt to pay off so, of course, that’s good. I have been using the debt snowball method, which has really accelerated my payoffs. Any suggestions on what to do from here?
The interest per month is around $240, and it’s killing me. Because of the debt snowball method, I can make the minimum payment but just hate to lose so much money each month. I have $2,000 from my tax refund to apply to the card, but just hate losing so much money in the interim.
I have a part-time business that also is helping me pay more than the minimum each month. They told me that, because my account is in excellent standing that they have no programs to offer me, but if I miss a payment or pay less than the minimum, then call back because they will be able to assist me. Of course this is ludicrous to me since all I need is for them to lower my APR back to 9.24 percent.
A: Great job on paying down your debt and reaching the point that you have only one account left to pay off. I understand your frustration and looking at it from just your side, it seems unfair. However, if you were the creditors, you would understand their point of view as well. They decided, for whatever reason, that you were an increased credit risk and needed to change your annual percentage rate (APR) to reflect that.
Your creditors wrote you a letter explaining this decision and gave you the option to close your account and opt out of the increase in your APR. When they did not receive word from you that you wished to opt out, they increased your APR and left your account open.
On the surface, it may seem odd that your credit card issuer will not lower your APR and allow you to pay out your balance at the old rate. The sticking point for your creditors is that they appear to perceive you to be an increased risk and your account remains open — meaning you can increase your balance with additional charges. Because of these things, the issuer believes it must charge you an increased APR to minimize risk.
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