AGR Credit Card change (October 2022)

[AFS1970]

I just applied for the preferred card and was approved. There was nowhere to tie this to my AGR account. I will figure this out when the card comes.

 

[joelkfla]

I just applied for the preferred card and was approved. There was nowhere to tie this to my AGR account. I will figure this out when the card comes.

I hope they don't automatically open up a new AGR account, as the Program Terms implied. That might make a mess of things.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This is on the banner at the top of the website (bold is my emphasis):
"EXISTING CARDHOLDERS: Please enroll for an online account and update your profile to allow us to provide you timely and relevant communications regarding your card account. If you are a current Amtrak Guest Rewards® member, please be sure to use the same email address for online account management."

I need to contact them about this as my AGR email is different than my normal email because I was not getting Amtrak promo emails years ago and someone suggested that it could be because of my email carrier. I used my regular email when I signed up on FNBO which means I may not get my points. I'm not going to be happy if I have to use my backup email when my AGR number should be just fine.

 

[TheVig]

This is on the banner at the top of the website (bold is my emphasis):
"EXISTING CARDHOLDERS: Please enroll for an online account and update your profile to allow us to provide you timely and relevant communications regarding your card account. If you are a current Amtrak Guest Rewards® member, please be sure to use the same email address for online account management."

I need to contact them about this as my AGR email is different than my normal email because I was not getting Amtrak promo emails years ago and someone suggested that it could be because of my email carrier. I used my regular email when I signed up on FNBO which means I may not get my points. I'm not going to be happy if I have to use my backup email when my AGR number should be just fine.

My email is the same on both ends. Yeah I wouldn’t be happy in your shoes either.

I can see a crap storm brewing if FNBO is linking to Amtrak via email address instead of AGR number for the posting of points.

My cards don’t close until Nov 9th and Nov 21st. I’m anxious to see my points post from credit card spend.

 

[zephyr17]

I hope they don't automatically open up a new AGR account, as the Program Terms implied. That might make a mess of things.

Makes me happy I just let them transfer my BOA account...

 

[Railfan1983]

I was able to add the FNBO account to Quicken One-Step update via Express Web Connect with no issues.

Yeah I got it to work in Quicken Update but the website itself ar FNBO doesn’t allow for a daily update of cleared transactions, but Quicken One-Step does pull a daily cleared transaction. So far all is good with FNBO, except still waiting for a payment I made with BofA on the 21st to arrive at FNBO… BofA sent it as a check so I’m not sure who to call to figure out where it was sent and when it may get to FNBO and clear.

 

[joelkfla]

I've been a FNBO customer since 2015. They like to pull all three, not just one or two. Most likely the frozen bureau is what did it.

Yay! Got the freeze lifted, called FNBO, and the CSR was very helpful. She contacted the credit department, verified that the freeze was the problem, and said I would be notified shortly. I got an email that I was approved a few hours later.

BTW, Experian credit bureau has the absolute worst customer service. It is literally impossible to talk to a real person. Heaven help anyone who has a real problem with their credit or an identity theft. I managed to lift the freeze on their automated phone system; if their website had just told me to do that in the first place on Saturday, it would have saved me all the angst.

 

[TheVig]

Yay! Got the freeze lifted, called FNBO, and the CSR was very helpful. She contacted the credit department, verified that the freeze was the problem, and said I would be notified shortly. I got an email that I was approved a few hours later.

BTW, Experian credit bureau has the absolute worst customer service. It is literally impossible to talk to a real person. Heaven help anyone who has a real problem with their credit or an identity theft. I managed to lift the freeze on their automated phone system; if their website had just told me to do that in the first place on Saturday, it would have saved me all the angst.

Glad to hear it worked out in the end.

 

[Winecliff Station]

Yay! Got the freeze lifted, called FNBO, and the CSR was very helpful. She contacted the credit department, verified that the freeze was the problem, and said I would be notified shortly. I got an email that I was approved a few hours later.

BTW, Experian credit bureau has the absolute worst customer service. It is literally impossible to talk to a real person. Heaven help anyone who has a real problem with their credit or an identity theft. I managed to lift the freeze on their automated phone system; if their website had just told me to do that in the first place on Saturday, it would have saved me all the angst.

Years ago I had a major credit report problem after an auto dealer neglected to pay off the loan on my trade-in. Experian was the worst of all 3 credit bureaus about updating my credit history, even after I provided proof of restitution from the dealer to the bank (he was convicted of multiple felonies for doing the same to other customers) and a written affidavit from the bank manager.

 

[StrangeronaTrain]

You don't need to cancel it. All recent BOA cardholders receive the new card, but if you canceled with BOA, you won't be able to set up a FNBO account. Just shred it.

This happened to me, only I had specifically told Bank of America I was only canceling that account, because it charges me a big fat annual fee. I waited until I had already activated my FNBO card to do it, and I thought I had done everything right. Found out today that both credit cards are worthless to me now. Really delightful thing to happen to my credit report after 20 years of never missing a payment. I'm angry at all of them--BoA, FNBO and Amtrak, for handling the whole switch in a half-baked, absurdly complicated way.

 

[Ryan]

You seem to be very confused about what happened here. There was only ever one account, and it was transferred between the banks at the appointed hour. If you cancelled the account, you cancelled the account. And you're mad because the bank did exactly what you told them to?

 

[Rasputin]

Please pardon my ignorance in these matters. I have received, activated and used the new FNBO Amtrak credit card.

Will points for the use of this card automatically go to my Amtrak Guest Rewards account or do I have to do something further to link the card to the AGR account?

My old Bank of America Amtrak credit card had my Amtrak Guest Rewards account number imprinted on it but the new card does not.
Thanks

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Please pardon my ignorance in these matters. I have received, activated and used the new FNBO Amtrak credit card.

Will points for the use of this card automatically go to my Amtrak Guest Rewards account or do I have to do something further to link the card to the AGR account?

My old Bank of America Amtrak credit card had my Amtrak Guest Rewards account number imprinted on it but the new card does not.
Thanks

I think it’s linked by email address, which will be a problem for me. See my post above.

 

[joelkfla]

I think it’s linked by email address, which will be a problem for me. See my post above.

Is there not a place to enter AGR member number on the Profile page of the website? (I haven't received my card yet, so I can't check myself.)

 

[TheVig]

Is there not a place to enter AGR member number on the Profile page of the website? (I haven't received my card yet, so I can't check myself.)

No.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Just received my AGR MasterCard (the no-fee version) in yesterday's mail. Need to get it activated, though.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Is there not a place to enter AGR member number on the Profile page of the website? (I haven't received my card yet, so I can't check myself.)

Not that I could find.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Just received my AGR MasterCard (the no-fee version) in yesterday's mail. Need to get it activated, though.

Just got it activated. Didn't see anywhere to sign the back of the card (a feature of all my previous credit cards).

 

[TheVig]

Just got it activated. Didn't see anywhere to sign the back of the card (a feature of all my previous credit cards).

If you get bored, do some googling. Visa, MC, Amex, and probably Discover pretty much don't care about signatures anymore. I've got about 25 cards, almost half have no signature block.

Edit--- My BofA Amtrak cards (recent renewals) didn't have signature blocks either.

 

[jebr]

I just looked at the 9 credit/debit cards currently in my wallet.

• 3 have no signature space whatsoever.
• Two have a space that's presumably for a signature, but it's not labeled as a signature block
• One (an American Express) has the block and in really teeny tiny letters above it says "sign."
• Three have a traditional signature bock with "Authorized Signature" next to the field.

At least based on my random assortment, it seems as though the signature field is being de-emphasized for a lot of cards.

 

[Bonser]

You seem to be very confused about what happened here. There was only ever one account, and it was transferred between the banks at the appointed hour. If you cancelled the account, you cancelled the account. And you're mad because the bank did exactly what you told them to?

After activating my account and setting up auto pay I thought my job was done. But there still is the "missing month" before it takes effect in December so if I wasn't paying attention I'd have missed that payment because the BOA autopay would not have processed it . It's not as seamless as some here are suggesting.
.

 

[joelkfla]

The signature was there to match against the signature on the charge slip. I think it's been 10 years since I've seen a charge slip. Occasionally I'm asked to sign with my finger on an electronic device, but what my finger does looks nothing like my signature with a pen.

 

[Ryan]

Yes, reading comprehension and paying attention are perquisites to being a functional adult. As in any business dealing, not reading the information provided will lead to a Bad Day.

 

[jis]

After activating my account and setting up auto pay I thought my job was done. But there still is the "missing month" before it takes effect in December so if I wasn't paying attention I'd have missed that payment because the BOA autopay would not have processed it . It's not as seamless as some here are suggesting.
.

No one AFAICT here or in any documentation on the transfer, has suggested that all your auto pay setups would transfer automatically. How did you manage to imagine that? Reading and understanding the documentation is actually quite important.

 

[jebr]

Really delightful thing to happen to my credit report after 20 years of never missing a payment.

The current iteration of the AGR credit card was only available since ~2016, since the Chase to BoA change didn't have the account move over (a new card application was needed.) There wouldn't be 20 years of never a missing a payment as far as the AGR card is concerned.

Also, unless the AGR card was a large portion of your available credit, and you're using other cards heavily, or it's one of your oldest accounts (which, if you've had 20 years of never missing a payment, should mean you have a 20-year credit history with a 20-year-old account) it shouldn't be a large ding to your credit. The closed account stays on your credit report for up to 10 years, so for average age of accounts it won't even affect you for a number of years.

In general, the transition didn't seem complicated when reviewing the literature sent out. My AGR credit card account was moving from BoA to FNBO on 10/23, and other than some housekeeping items like setting up autopay and making sure to grab old history my account was essentially the same, just with a new credit card number and new bank. If I closed the account before the transfer, the account wouldn't transfer over to FNBO since the account was now closed out. For most people, this is the best scenario - no worrying about whether you'll be approved for the card at the new bank, no having to get another hard inquiry and a new line of credit, etc.