How to Get a Credit Card Replaced Quickly

Here's an email I recently received from a reader telling how he gets a lost/stolen/damaged credit card replaced quickly:

I wanted to give you and the readers a simple but effective tip I’ve used several times with plenty of success. 

When a credit card is lost, damaged, stolen, etc., typically credit card companies offer to snail-mail the new card, and it’ll take 7-10 days to arrive.  They offer to overnight for an extra fee.  To get it overnighted for FREE, follow these steps:

1. Call to report your card as lost, damaged, or stolen.

2. Wait until they tell you the new card will arrive in two weeks.

3. Say “I want to ask you one thing.  I use this as my primary card.  All my purchases go on this card – I use it all the time.  If I have to wait two weeks for the replacement, I’ll have to use [competitor’s card] during that time.  Can you overnight the card to me instead?”

I’ve used this strategy successfully with both Citi and American Express.  The CitiCard was a stolen card, and the AMEX was a damaged card.

My story of using the card as my primary card was true in both cases (this happened a couple years apart).  I certainly don’t condone lying to the company to get a quick card replacement.  The really critical thing with the AMEX was that it’s a Blue Cash – I didn’t want to miss out on any Cashback bonuses!

Sounds like a good tip to me. My Blue Cash from American Express card was damaged a couple months ago (the magnetic strip on the back was partially rubbed off and wouldn't work at Costco's gas station), so I called for a replacement. Sure enough, I was told I'd get it in 7-10 days -- and that's what happened. I used my Chase Freedom(SM) Credit Card in the meantime, but I would have preferred to use my Amex. Now I know how to get a replacement faster if it should ever happen again.

Comments

[Jay]

I actually got my Blue Cash card replaced yesterday! They told me it would take something like 7-10 business days, I asked "Is there any way I could get it faster?" They put me on hold for 10 seconds and told me that they would overnight it.

[Trent D.]

Thanks for posting this, FWF. It's nice to see my hint in print!

The premise of this trick is that the CC company misses out on all the merchant fees while you're not using their card. Profit is going directly to their competitor instead of to them.

Negotiation is all about recognizing the angles, identifying sources of leverage, and applying that leverage appropriately!

[fivecentnickel.com]

Apparently you're not a high roller. Both Amex and Chase have offered to overnight replacement cards to me free of charge without me having to even ask.

[Rick]

I don't condone lying or being deceiptful. I like Jay (1st comment)'s idea, and just ask if you can get it any faster. Well, it's one thing if you actually DO spend a lot of money and put all your purchases on one card, but if you're just saying you do in order to get your card faster, that's being deceiptful.

[kip]

oh yeah lets be carefull and not be deceiptful.lol can i just remind you all that these are the same companys that will not be so nice if they have to look for something from you. id like to see there faces if you told them for every day your card was late you were going to give send them a bill.

[james patrik]

i want to a credit card now for purpose i got the imfom befor pls help me doing it now ok