So about two hours after I’d called and canceled all my credit cards, the wallet resurfaced. {sigh}
Well, I was glad to get the driver’s license back, anyway. The hassle of canceling a credit card and moving all the automatic payments over to a new card number pales in comparison to the hassle of visiting an Arizona Department of Transportation office.
Even more so, I suspect, because ADOT thinks I never renewed my license.
Couple months ago, I got online to kipe a spare copy (I like to carry a spare in the car, so as to avoid lugging a purse EVERYwhere I go). Entered all the data, charged it up on a card, hit “SEND,” and got an error message: this license was never renewed.
So they think I’m driving around on an expired license, even though the current license with an expiration date some years in the future is sitting in my wallet.
I’ve been meaning to go in person to wrestle with the bureaucrats over this, but haven’t gotten around to it. And boy! Was I glad to see that thing come back! The last thing I wanted to do was go in and claim I had renewed a license that I no longer had in hand. Ugh.
Anyway, for the nonce none of my cards work, and it’ll be tomorrow or Wednesday before a functioning credit card reappears in these precincts.
It is amazing how dependent we get on our little habits. In my case, “little habits” includes using plastic for every transaction. I don’t carry cash at all. And the idea of writing a check in every store across the city just doesn’t compute.
Needed to buy gas before any of the new credit cards gets here. I had a meeting at the campus this morning; tomorrow I have a lunch meeting in Scottsdale, then to class way to heck & gone up at Union Hills; then Thursday another meeting in Scottsdale. So I went into Costco and bought a $50 cash card. Bought $20 worth of gasoline, which filled the tank a little over halfway. That should get me to campus once and Scottsdale twice. I hope. By Thursday the cards should be here and life can go on.
It’s funny how you forget. I find it hard to believe that I used to write a check for every. single. transaction, no matter how small or how large. Now it just seems like such a pain in the tuchus.
Interestingly, too, knowing that only XX number of dollars was on the cash card made me feel more cautious about spending money. Instead of filling the tank, I bought just enough gas to get by, figuring I’d use the remaining 30 bucks in Costco. But then decided not to go in…all I needed was bread, some maple syrup, and maybe a bottle of wine.
Why?
I can make my own bread, thank you. There’s no urgency to buy maple syrup. And as for the wine…the less of it in the house, the less of it I’ll drink.
Maybe there’s something to the idea that buying with cash helps you behave more frugally.
Think so?
I’ve lost my card/wallet more than once (although I’ve yet to have a week like you have had!), and now I keep a small amount of “emergency” cash on hand in the lockbox. The equivalent of a week’s gas money/bus fare plus a little extra for food or whatnot. Everything else can generally wait until the new card gets in.
Glad you found it, though!
I think AMEX will deliver a new card really quickly if you ask them to.
@ Remy: Yeah, keeping some mad money on hand is a good idea. Not sure where I’d hide cash in the house, but I suppose it could be in the same obscure place as the Ruger. Then the burglar could use the money to buy fresh ammunition for the thing… 😉
@ frugalscholar: Of course I contrived to do this on a weekend, so there wasn’t a lot the CSR could do. She said she thought the regular consumer card would get here Tuesday (tomorrow) and the business card would arrive Wednesday. That’s pretty fast for snailmail.
She also said you get a six-month grace period for changing over your automatic debits. Most of the vendors I’m working with are pretty easy to contact, but…yay! Another hour or so navigating punch-a-button mazes.
I have had my wallet stolen a few times and gone through this exact process. I now keep a record of everything in my wallet so I can cancel things quickly. I have found companies pretty quick to send new cards if you need them.
Glad you found it.