I just got a statement from one of my credit card companies. It was primarily sent to inform me of updates to their account terms that are effective soon.

I generally read these kinds of changes but don’t take any action. They’re usually just technical clarifications or changes in fees. This update, however, had more changes than I’m willing to accept. I plan to close the account, which is something I’ve never done before based on a terms change.

So, what I find objectionable is the updated section “Contacting You”. Its purpose appears to be to give them more ways to do debt collection.

• …we may contact you using any contact information related to your Account including any number … (ii) from which you called us.
• You give consent to allow us to contact your past, present and future phone service providers [who] may verify any phone number your supplied to the name, address, and status on their records.
• We may use any means to contact you and this may include contact from companies working on our behalf to service your accounts. This may include […] any other data or voice transmission technology.

Reasons I don’t like these changes include that the first and second items in the list are outside of their privacy policy–they’re collecting more information than what the privacy policy states. This appears to reduce the protection of my information.

It also reverses the flow of information with my phone providers. The phone company can check my credit when I open an account. As long as I pay my bill, they don’t need any information beyond that. I don’t think that the phone company will give them the information this policy describes (with today’s regulations; tomorrow, I don’t know.)

Also, “any other data or voice transmission technology” is too open ended. All the contact methods I have right now don’t cost anything to me, but again, tomorrow, who knows.

It is a little picky on my part, but I don’t need to give businesses that are not providing a necessary service an expanded set of private information. I can take my business elsewhere.

Original image: Credit Card Payment. By Tax Credits [Image license]