Ah the joy of getting a new credit card. Whether it’s a brand new card that you just applied for or a replacement card for a lost or stolen card, there’s always a level of excitement in receiving a fresh piece of plastic. I’m exaggerating a bit of course, but I do quite enjoy receiving a new credit card. That is, if I receive it.
See, a little over a month ago I actually downgraded one of my oldest card accounts to another credit card. Specifically, I product changed my Citi Premier card to the Citi Double Cash card. I did so for a variety of reasons that I was excited to write about when the card arrived. However, my new card didn’t arrive. Not in a week, not in two weeks, and not in a month. I have no idea what happened to it.
So, today I called up Citi and requested a new card. On the phone I was asked if I had ever received the card, nope, and then the phone agent check to see if the card was returned, no again. It seem somewhere in the world is a little white envelope with a new Citi Double Cash card inside waiting to be found. At that point I confirmed with the phone agent that I did in fact want a replacement card. This is where things got interesting…
Requesting Expedited Delivery Of A Credit Card
With most normal cards (no or low annual fee cards), card issuers send new or replacement cards via standard mail. These are the unmarked envelopes with a card affixed to a piece of paper inside. The reason for this of course is that standard mail is fairly cheap. However, standard mail in certain places is also terribly unreliable. I’m looking at you Chicago, IL!
With more expensive cards though, card issuers tend to send these cards via 2-day FedEx. So instead of the new card arriving in your mailbox via the USPS, they arrive at your door via FedEx. When they arrive you’ll generally receive a small cardboard envelope with the same white envelope inside. The benefit of getting a card delivered this way is that of course it’s faster, but it’s also trackable. When a card issuer sends you a new card via FedEx, they often also provide the tracking number. This way you know for sure that you are going to get your new card.
Now, what card issuers absolutely won’t tell you is that you can actually request expedited delivery of all credit cards for no extra fee. This of course costs the card issuer a bit more in shipping costs, but it is an available option. Usually, when requesting a premium card the issuer doesn’t think twice about expedited shipment. However, for no annual fee cards, they’ll usually try to avoid it. That being said, this is an available option and one that I often take advantage of.
The Situation With My Citi Double Cash Card
I product changed to the Citi Double Cash card in late February. At the time I was told that the card would arrive in 7-10 business days via standard mail. I wanted the card sooner, but figured an extra day or two wouldn’t hurt. I pay rent with my credit card, but even with expedited shipment I wasn’t going to receive the card in time. So instead, I paid rent with another card and earned just 1X points on the payment.
Fast forward to 30 days later and I still haven’t received my card. That means a second month of rent is due and I again have to use a card that only earns 1X points. I was hoping to pay rent with my Citi Double Cash card and earn 2% Cash Back which I would then convent to Citi ThankYou points, but that didn’t happen.
So, today proved a costly reminder that I needed to call Citi to request a new card. The whole process took only a few minutes, but toward the end of the call I was again told that the card would arrive in 7-10 business days. That’s when I simply asked if I could have the card expedited. Without hesitation the request was approved. About an hour later I received an email with a FedEx tracking number and can confidently say that my new card is currently in Memphis, TN.
Final Thoughts
The situation with my Citi Double Cash card is a reminder of why I nearly always request expedited shipment of any new credit card. I would say 9/10 times I get a new card I request expedited shipment. However, this time, since I didn’t actually need the card I figured that I would avoid it and clearly it didn’t work out.
I’m not sure if everyone knows that expedited shipment is an option when getting a new card. Likewise, I don’t know if everyone knows that this is a free option to receive a new card quickly. Expedited shipping can also come in handy if your card is compromised or lost just days before traveling. So, next time you have to request a new credit card, I highly recommend asking for expedited shipping.
