Quote Originally Posted by Globetrotter View Post
Sorry, that wasn't clear at all! I shouldn't type when I'm upset. Yes, it's what you said. She thought this could replace her Costco Amex, but the point is she is too eager to believe salespeople. She wanted to open an account to save $16, without understanding how the process works, whether this is a good Amex, leave aside she just opened a Macys visa two weeks ago! Why have two Macys cards?

After I posted, I sat her down and explained how I opened store cards when I was young, but my dad got upset with me and explained it's not a good idea. I told her how salesclerks have quotas for new accounts so they are very pushy and make it hard to resist. I even went so far to say that she is going through that process now that I went through at 20, since she is independent for the first time, and it will take time to understand how things work. I also said that my dad taught me about inflated pricing (Kohls, anyone?). I'm not even sure where I learned that but it's possible it was my dad since he was a huge consumer reports fan. That seemed to resonate, more than anything else we have told her, but let's see if she remembers.

This was unplanned. I was going to keep quiet and figure out a plan, but suddenly this came to me.

I'll respond to pps later- that was great advice.
Have you googled the best/worst cards to have? Even if sites have different outcomes, maybe seeing a few articles (written by someone other than her daughter ) on pros/cons of different cards can generate conversation on what is important longterm and what isn't. I have no idea as my mother is so responsible/skeptical of this type of stuff, but I know "what they say", sadly, can go further than well meaning relatives so trying to come up with ideas for you to use that might help your mom.