Discover Card - Can't you just automatically sign me up for cash back bonuses???

[tiapam]

OK, I get cash back bonuses. And I also get emails encouraging me to sign up for cash back bonuses! Are they the same? Am I signing up for something I already have? And why are you sending me emails that for all I know are fraudulent? Yes, I WANT CASH BACK !! Big surprise! Just give it to me, I promise not to complain.

There I feel better.

-Pam

DD - Two years old!

[schums]

You get e-mails asking you to sign up for bonus programs that up the percent you get back on specific purchases. For example, they're running one right now that gives you a 5% rebate on gas, car repairs, hotel stays (I think) and amusement park and museum admissions. If you don't sign up for the program, you get just the standard 1% or less on the purchase.

Not sure why they make you sign up for these special programs, but it might have something to do with tracking so they can justify the added cost to the merchants.

HTH,
Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[Kungjo]

I complained to Discover about this as well. I told them that I have your card and that I thought it was a waste of my time to have to log in and sign up for the additional bonus programs. They should be automatic because we all have the card for the cash back rewards so why do we have to go in and sign up every few months? They basically told me that they offer this option because not everyone wants to participate. WTH?!?!? WHo wouldn't want to earn additional cash back bonuses? Idiots!!! They must use it for tracking info.

PITA!!!

[belovedgandp]

I think it's every 3 months they change what you will get 5% cash back on instead of the usual 1% (when it first started it was 10% which really added up). Right now gas, hotels, etc. Other times it has been restaurants or bookstores/health/home.

Best way to avoid the spoof e-mails is to type in the website yourself and go directly to discovercard.com

Personally, I'm on the website at least two or three times a week to check up on activity. It helps me mentally with our budgeting, so I always see when there's a new special coming up to sign up for - takes two seconds to do.

As for an opinion on why they do it, I think they are trying to get more people to use their website for everything so they can stop sending paper statements and such to save the company money in the end.

We alternate using our Discover Card and Costco American Express based on the promotions.

[katydid1971]

Our Delta Sky Miles card does the same thing. You get double miles in the summer for gas, food, etc but you have to eithor sign up online of call in. One year I hadn't read the postcard they sent right and thought it was automatic and didn't get the miles like "no I really don't want to get the miles faster." I don't know why they don't just do it automaticly. It always bugs me because I seem to miss out of the first week or so of the offer because DH is great about throwing out junk mail before it enters the house and throwing out the offer postcards without looking at them.
Sarah

[HallsofVA]

This way they put the onus on you. They can say that they offered the extra bonus programs (which is true) but they also save money by not having to pay out bonuses to folks who don't go through the effort of signing up for the extra bonuses.