Don't sign up for the target debit card and hope to use it bf

[clm101798]

I just found out the hard way that you have to slowly build up a relationship between the debit card and you bank before you can make any type of substantial purchase. I signed up for the card last week and I went to buy a tv on sale this week and it was decline - it was too large of purchase. It could take weeks of making several smaller purchases to build up enough of a relationship to buy something that expensive - and it is only a 32" tv so it really isn't all that expensive.

 

If I make several smaller purchases between now and BF I still may not be able to use it for more than $100, and he could not guarantee that much. And there is no way to know how much I can use it for on BF until I get to the register.

 

So unless you have only a little to get at Target on BF don't plan on using the debit card and saving 5%.

[sweetflower429]

I do not have a Target Debit card so I do not know their rules but couldn't you put a small amount on the card and then use another payment and still get your 5% off?

[mabennett]

thats odd. i have the credit card from there...not the debit and i bought over 300$ worth of stuff on the first purchase...no problem.

[sweetdiggity]

What a stupid policy. It is coming directly from your bank account, so they shouldn't be able to tell you how much you can spend!!

[siczlo]

When we first opened our chase checking account, I made an online purchase for like $10. Later that day I went to a store and tried to use my debit for a $28 purchase and was declined. Called the bank and they said I set off the fraud alert. Happened to me 3 more times in the first month! PITA and embarassing! Who are they to tell me how much of my own money I can spend?!

[Jen8112]

I got the debit card today and turned around and used it for $250, worked fine. Does that mean I won't be able to use it again by BF?

[lakj98]

I have the target CC and DC. I just got the DC last week. I have used it three times already and my SMALLEST purchase was $179.00. I have not had any problems at all with it. Maybe it depends on your bank???

[Jen8112]

I have the target CC and DC. I just got the DC last week. I have used it three times already and my SMALLEST purchase was $179.00. I have not had any problems at all with it. Maybe it depends on your bank???

That's what i was thinking.

[clm101798]

I have my account with TD bank, so it not like a little local bank. Maybe the unwritten limit in the beginning is $250? I was getting a $450 tv. I think I might go see a manager and ask them to make up the 5% I can't get with the card with gift cards like I have heard Walmart sometimes does. Thing that sucks is that there is no way of knowing what the limit might be...if it is around $250 an on BF I spend $275 am I going to be denied?

[Rockfordmom]

when a card is declined can't they call a number or give you a phone number to call when you get home to find out why?

 

my card was declined recently at dicks sporting goods for a $400+ purchase, the cashier asked if I wanted to pay another way, it was my discover card and I usually pay it off each month and my credit limit is much higher than that, so I asked her if she could call and find out why and she did and then the card went through fine, it turns out it was whatever service dicks sporting goods uses to authorize credit card purchases and not discover that declined my card

 

who told you that you have to build make smaller purchases first in order to make a larger purchase?

[AudreyNicole]

I just got my DC and used it today for the first time for $200 worth of groceries and it worked fine... I was planning to use it on BF too, but will take a backup payment method just in case... Thanks for the heads up!

[fluffkin79]

If you apply in store do they give you the card right there?

[Rockfordmom]

they give you a temporary card that you can use on that purchase and at Target until your card comes in the mail, it's usually a piece of paper so I don't think it would work anywhere else

[peppysfireball]

With my bank debit card there is a daily limit of 500. I was told last year if I want to make a larger purchase, I have to call the bank and they make a one day okay to use the larger amount. All debit cards have a daily limit, my mother's is 750 and hers is a different bank than mine.

[clm101798]

Well, I called the debit card people again to find out why I can't buy much....basically I am being punished for usually paying cash or debit card for my prior purchases there. If you have a history of using checks there you can use the target debit card for more. She said that they need to establish a history with my bank sending them the payments, as time goes on and they continue to get paid by my bank they will start to increase my limit. And according to her it takes a week or so for them to get a payment from my bank. I find that hard to believe since I used it for a $10 purchase this morning and that money has already been taken from my checking account. If it is a transaction between two banks I am sure it is done electronically. And there is no way for them to be able to tell how much I can use the target debit card for ahead of time. I am sure that she was trying to be helpful when she suggested that I use the target debit card and another form of payment to get the tv I want. When I asked her she had to admit that I would only get the 5% off the amount I use their card for...there is a big difference between saving $5 vs. $25. Plus I pointed out to her that I have no idea how much I can use it for so I would have to keep guessing and having it denied until I got to an amount that they would approve. Wouldn't you love to be the one behind me playing this guessing game on BF? If you are shopping in the Plainville, MA Target on BF, don't get in line behind any large women with light brown hair. I plan to start the guessing game high and go down by only $5 each time, I want the most for my 5% :)

 

Luckily the manager of the electronics dept at this target was sympathetic. And it made no sense to him because the day he got his he spent about $600. He gave me a rain check for the tv so that I can get it when this finally gets straightened out.

[Kimbers2010]

The Target Debit Card isn't really a debit card like the one that you more than likely use from your bank. Most bank debit cards are run very similar to the way a credit card runs in that the system uses the card number to verify your available balance at the time of purchase. Targets cards use your information found on the bottom of your check and therefore run as an ACH transaction to debit your account (Most Wal-marts use ACH to clear checks now). ACH transactions can not be instantly verified and in some cases can take several business days to clear. This is probably why Target has this policy about limiting transaction amounts. I hope this helps!

[clm101798]

I can understand why they do it, but don't call it a debit card if it really isn't a debit card. And I specifically asked about using it on BF and was told I could, but not told that there could be limitations.

 

According to the agreement paper work I received they say they use EFT, not ACH. I thought EFT verified the funds availability in real time, unlike the ACH system.

 

One thing that kills me is that both people I spoke with urged me to go ahead and make several purchases around $100 each to help bring my limit up to the $450 I need for the TV (even though the tv would no longer be on sale) and to make more available to use on BF (of course they have no idea what that amount could be). So I should go and buy several hundred dollars of stuff that I don't really need right now so that I can save 5% on BF? I don't think so.