REPLACING OUR AARP CREDIT CARDS WITH BARCLAY BANK CARDS - SEE POSTSCRIPT WRITTEN 09/21/21 and 09-24

[notsoyoung]

Has anyone else been concerned about the closing of our current AARP credit cards and its effect on our credit scores? We've had our VISA for many years and have built a lot of history with them. Now AARP is going to CLOSE those accounts and replace them with a new one that won't have any history. Just closing the account will lower our scores significantly. We, for one, don't want to use the Barclay cards, which offer significantly less rewards, so the total amount of our credit will be reduced, another factor in the building of our credit scores.

What do you think?

POST-  Postscript 09-21-21: To head off what I was sure would be a catastrophe, and after looking up references on Barclay, we created a new Chase CC account (on August 12th, received it on the 15th), set up our auto-pay bills, and set up the new account for auto-pay from our bank. We paid off the balance on the old AARP account by 09-08-21, and cashed in all our rewards. Then today, we activated the Barclay account (online) and immediately canceled it (by automated phone call). We're in the process of setting up a second Chase card to compensate for the first CC account lower credit limit. Guess we're  lucky to have managed to get through to our Barclay account. Keep trying, folks, and don't hold back on your comments to both companies. They certainly could have done a better job of planning all this. Giving their customers a voice in the choice should have been STEP NUMBER ONE.

AND yet another POSTSCRIPT on 09-24: Today Barlcays was daring enough to send us a 'welcome' email with a reminder to activate our card, to which we replied,

"Thanks, but no thanks!

We didn't, and don't, want your card. We have already activated and immediately cancelled our Barclay cards.

For those poor folks who are, to this day, still trying to activate their card or just talk to a live person at your company, we extend our sympathy. Your company has made what should have been a direct and automated process so overly labor-intensive for so many seniors that you won't soon be forgotten or forgiven.

Shame on AARP for choosing you and shame on you for being so ill-prepared to handle the conversion.

Signed, 'notsoyoung'

[AmyJ307031]

Checked the card............still not activated! If you talk to customer service and they say your card is activated I recommend you double check it before assuming all is well. 

[AARPJanelleM]

@AmyJ307031 Barclays transferred all of your personal information that was available from your prior Chase account. If your information was outdated you would have experienced issues activating your card. You will need to contact Barclays using the number on the back of your credit card to confirm your information and finish activating your new card.  

[mlafayet]

Great post.  I still haven't even received my card and have wasted way too much time trying to reach them.  I'm afraid my new bill will become due and I won't even know it.

Class Action suit works for me.

[wh7197]

I am still trying to get in.  This is Day 3 of S...HOLE service.  Again, still think the AARP VP responsible should be fired.  We should investigate for kickbacks that he may have gotten.  FBI/BBB/Consumer Affairs.. if you can hear me,  please investigate.. follow the money! 😎.     I too will cancel the card.  Capitol One Savor is a better deal

[mccunney]

AARP advertised that I could activate my Barclay's AARP Master Card on 9/20/21.  As of the mail of 9/21/21, I still have not received it.  I tried to contact Barclays, but after over two hours on hold, I hung up.  I tried to create an online account at Barclays, but the website will not allow it without a credit card number, which I obviously do not have.

From looking at other complaints about Barclays, AARP made a huge mistake in doing business with them.

I am considering cancelling my AARP membership over this fiasco.

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by Barclays. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[mlafayet]

It is now 9/22/2021 and I still haven't received my card.  I had a monthly payment for insurance coming off my Chase card.  I can't even switch it without the new card number.  After reading all theses posts, I will switch it to another one of my cards and then  payoff and cancel my Barclay's card if I ever actually get it.

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by Barclays. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[AARPJanelleM]

@mccunney  @mlafayet  The phone # for members who did not receive a new credit card from Barclays is 866-677-1563. If you are still unable to get through to them, please try later today or tomorrow. The extended hold times are a result of a reported outage within the Barclays system. We understand how frustrating this can be and we appreciate your patience as we work with Barclays to get everything resolved

[mccunney]

When I call Barclays at 866-677-1563, I am asked for the last four digits of my credit card number.  Since my card has not yet arrived, I obviously cannot enter this information.  When I state I do not know my credit card number, I am then asked for the last four of my SSN and date of birth.  From there, I can report my card is lost or stolen.  It is neither.  I can lock my card, which I did.  However, none of these options solves my actual problem. 

I remain cardless with no solution in sight.  My patience is wearing very thin.

[mary3144]

..and when you enter the card number they issued, you receive a message that says that is an ERROR.

[AARPAngelaC]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the difficulty you encountered with obtaining a new card. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPAngelaC” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Full name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best email address and phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[intersan]

I tried using that link but it said access denied

[mlafayet]

I could have written your post. I have not received my card either and have so far wasted 1.5 hours on hold before giving up.  I was very happy with Chase and am not at all happy with Barclays.  I am very disappointed with AARP and the way this has been handled.  I will hopefully cancel this card ASAP.

[mlafayet]

Great  post - I totally  agree with you.

[DonaldS147760]

AARP dropped the ball on this one. My mom received a letter regarding the transfer to Barclays, and also received a letter from Chase stating she would be transferred to a Freedom Card. Confused, I called Barclays, and after waiting on hold for an hour, I finally spoke to a rep who could not answer any of my questions. In fact the rep rude, and in frustration, I hung up. To date, mom has not received a new card from Barclays. She did, however, receive her Freedom Card from Chase, and all is well. 

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by Barclays. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[DonaldS147760]

Mom doesn't want the Barclays Card, as the transfer to Chase Freedom was flawless. As the negative messages mount from those unlucky enough to receive a Barclays Card, AARP needs to "escalate" a reversal of it's decision to leave Chase. 

[josiebrown71]

I too, have had Chase AARP card for a long time.  You cannot get anyone on the phone in Barclays.  Waited over 3 hours and hung up.  Paid up my Chase Card and now Barclay took out the balance I paid Chase.  Waiting this morning half an hour.  Do you know another number other than the one listed on the back of the card?

[AARPAngelaC]

Hi there, here to help. The influx of calls is causing extremely high call volume and wait times, so it would be best to postpone calling if you can, or to call later in the afternoon when folks are less likely to call. The transition is still finishing up so all of your information may not be loaded into Barclays' system at this time. Members have begun to report that their incorrect/incomplete account information has been updated, they just needed to allow a couple days. I hope this helps!

[DavidK642095]

This explanation is pure B. S. If the Chase AARP card is the only card you had or it is one that has pending payments due soon and you can't activate your card what in the H E double LL is a person to do? Miss payments, not be able to pay amounts coming due that transferred to the Barclays hot mess card? For all of the huge number of AARP card holders who are less tech savvy this is a nightmare beyond comprehension. For those of us who have at least a bit of capability online it has still been a complete mess. I find it so insulting that AARP has refused to admit their culpability in this catastrophe. I sit here at my PC and words fail me as to how bad we have been and are being treated. I want and demand an explanation from the absolute top management of AARP on how YOU are going to fix all of this mess. How many people are going to have unexpected and unwarranted late fees, downgrades in their credit ratings because payments are not being made and who knows what else. AARP says it is the advocate for those age 55 and up. You have so failed in what you say is your purpose that I cannot find a way of ever trusting the organization ever again.

[intersan]

I agree with you. Now, we're going to get late fees. Terrible customer service. 

[suzy0916]

Sorry, I don't know another number.  However, I did discover Barclays is crediting the length of time we had our Chase card.  I received an email confirming I signed up for paperless statements and in the corner of the email was a block with my name, card ending in **** and "member since"  11/2007.  That's when I became a member of Chase.

[AARPJanelleM]

@josiebrown71 Some of Barclays’ customer-facing channels have been reported as down and/or experiencing extended hold times. We apologize for this inconvenience and recommend trying again. The best phone number we have for them is 866-677-1563.

[lisaonthegoco]

I waited over 2 1/2 hours, finally got someone - but in the end because of 'system problems' they could not help me.

[john258]

I used my new card today and it worked which surprised me. Never have had such problems with a credit card. Read my 2 earlier post on the problems.

What really bothers me on this is that I called the AARP 800 number Friday night after not being able to find info on Chase, and Barclays. It was evident there was going to be a disaster with this credit card launch. It was not planned well period.

The AARP 800 center was totally unprepared for the mess arriving. They had no one from the AARP implementation team present to assist them. The 800 center had no information other than what we all were sent. Talked to a supv. who had no interest in doing anything to try and head off what was coming.   All I got from her was it was after 10PM at night and she would file a report and someone would get back to me in 5 to 7 days. I told her what was going to happen and it has.

The time has come for AARP to look at its member service organization which failed just as bad as the bank, and the AARP team who put this program together. AARP should reinstate the 3% dinning discount to all, and give everyone at least a $200 credit. The money could come from the increased funds AARP is making off the new program.

[mlafayet]

Great post

[suzy0916]

I started on the phone with trying to use Barclay's to activate and use the website!  What a cluster F.  The web site is horrible. Not easy to navigate and every time you do an edit and every time you log into the site, you have to not only log in with user id and password, then you have to type in the card number, DOB, 3 digit code and then they have to call your phone number to give you a secure pass code to enter.  This happened 10 times today.  And then I tried to change to this new card on a merchant's site such as Amazon.  Would not accept this card!!  I have tried to call Barclays since 9 am to 12 midnite for a total of 4 hours on hold.  Never had these problems with Chase!  Plus the hit my credit report is gonna take.  I wish I had opted out of this and stayed with Chase.  As I type this at at 12:58am, I've been on hold (again) for 33 min. waiting for a "relationship manager" to pick up.  What a joke, relationship my ***.

[lisaonthegoco]

I tried phone activation twice - and never got into the system to activate... 

[AARPJanelleM]

@suzy0916 Barclays was experiencing a system outage that affected most customer-facing channels. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Please try contacting Barclays again today. Also, your existing Chase trade line on your credit bureau report will be updated to reflect Barclays as the issuing bank. This will not appear as a new or secondary trade line, but will simply update the existing one. The changing of the issuing bank will not impact your credit score. Your credit bureau report may take up to 60 days to update following the transfer.