Thom Brown Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 Today I was denied an application for a Walmart credit card at the Ajijic Walmart store because I was 65. Does anyone know if this is actually a Walmart policy or was I being discriminated against for some other reason? Can this be legal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo1 Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 Unless you are a Mexican citizen, they have the fear that you would die before paying off the credit card. Or worse, running up the balance and leaving the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 Years ago I applied for an Alaska Airlines credit card. I met the minimum income and my credit rating was fine. Twice they turned me down with no explanation. I called the airlines, who told me they really had nothing to do with the credit cards, that was administered by BOA in the States and MSBN (not sure if I got those letters right) in Canada. Being Canadian, I called MSBN and asked why they kept declining my application. I already had a credit card from my bank. The guy asked if he could check my credit rating, I said of course. A few minutes later he came back on the phone and said "Yes, you have an excellent credit rating". Then dead silence. I asked, "Then why won't you give me a card?" He answered hesitantly, "Well, it has to do with your age." I said, "Excuse me, I don't understand." "Well, he said, we would expect a person of your age to have had a credit card for much longer than you have." (I'd had a credit card for about 4 years at that point, I never needed one before, I lived in small town Canada and was busy raising 3 kids, I paid cash or cheque for everything). I said, "So you mean to tell me that if an 18 year old applied for a credit card from you with the same income and no credit rating since they'd never had a credit card before, they would get one?" The answer was "Well, yes." Then I called the Canadian anti-discrimination office and asked if this was not age discrimination. The agent said absolutely, but that banks and credit card companies can turn down anyone with no explanation and aren't subject to anti-discrimination laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Berca Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 With some cards, the cutoff age is as low as 60. You were discriminated against, of course. Unfortunately, discrimination is alive and well in Mexico and perfectly legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 This happened to my husband years ago....he had been given a Bancomer credit card...he was well over 65.....We changed the type of account that we had which precipitated us having to have new CC.....they refused to give him a new one based on his age and claimed he had been given the first one in error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 My husband and I were turned down by Walmart , Bancomer and Banamex because of our age..I was 68 and my husband 72. BY the way it is not Banco Walmart any longer and when they changed bank they dropped my husband from the account.. We are closing the account today.. I turned 70 and Bancomer offered me a credit card because I "had become a Mexican citizen".. Age discrimation is alive and well in institution in Mexico but also they have no credit records on foreigners.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkEliot Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 Why are you concerned? GEEZE. Just enjoy paying cash. This is a cash country. You have to have better things to do in life than to complain about stupid stuff. If you are old enough to move here you would think you are old enough to figure this out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedroshalfbrother Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 36 minutes ago, MarkEliot said: Why are you concerned? GEEZE. Just enjoy paying cash. This is a cash country. You have to have better things to do in life than to complain about stupid stuff. If you are old enough to move here you would think you are old enough to figure this out That's what I thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 28, 2016 Report Share Posted November 28, 2016 You guys are not too bright. if you cannot figure out why people may need a credit card or maybe you have one from the States or Canada.. Flat and simple , I travel a lot and I do not want to pay ahead of times for hotels, I have been turned down several times by car rental companies because I did not have a credit card , I have debit cards and that did not work. Credit cards make life easier. I never have a balance on mine but they are useful when you travel. I moved here when I was 54 , and was turned down then when I applied. I applied again when I was 68 and was turned down for being too old..By the way I applied after two banks offered me credit cards..to turn me down... At 70 I was offered a credit card again by Bancomer and I told them I was too old and they told me oh no we see that you are a Mexican citizen and we are happy to offer you a card... so now I have one, Go figure.. If you think Mexicans do not have credit cards..again it shows how much you know about the country where you live..wake up Mexico is in the 21st century and you are not.. It looks like the age is really not the problem but it is used as an excuse in this community by the financial institutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnMama Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 What would possess anyone to want a credit card from WalMart? Banks like HSBC will give older folks credit cards. Think of it as a push to buy elsewhere and get better quality for less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheldon Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 yes, I know that after 60 we are not subject for credit.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheldon Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 No, Pedro, this is a TOWN of cash, but the rest of the country, specially CDMX is a CC Country, I never travel with cash for security reasons, I pay all the time with CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 Mtn Mama You did not read the thread the regular banks will not give you credit cards-(officially if you are over whatever age,,) When we moved to Mexico we had Am Ex and had it since 68.. one year when it came due for renewal , the Fed Ex package was opened by customs and then hell started as our ID was stolen, the Am -Ex got linked to other accounts and we cancelled the card. After that we could not get a credit card because we did not have an address in the US. One way to get a credit history was with Walmart that was pushing credit cards along with their extra discounts on merchandise. They asked us to apply we did and then they turned us down for age.. I suspect that one of the reason people cannot get cc in Mexico is that as foreigners they do not have a credit history in Mexico and the fact they can leave town easily.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Brown Posted November 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 47 minutes ago, MtnMama said: What would possess anyone to want a credit card from WalMart? Banks like HSBC will give older folks credit cards. Think of it as a push to buy elsewhere and get better quality for less money. They offer a 3% money back on merchandise and I wanted to chronicle my expenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonia Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I know several expats age 65 and up with credit cards, car loans and a few with mortgages, mostly through Bancomer and Santander. The first credit card may require a prepayment and limit about 5000 p. One needs to build up a Mexican credit score. Your US or Canadian score will not be considered. You also need money going into a Mexican bank account and only that amount will be used to determine eligibility for credit. Neither deposits nor investments in a foreign account will be considered. Credit card interest rates are commonly 65%for WalMart, Coppel, Electra etc. Bank credit cards typically 25 to 50%. You can set up your bank account to pay 100% of outstanding charges each month and avoid interest. Most credit cards have an annual fee with about 500 p and up being common. Ours has no annual fee, high limit and rewards but that is not common. For bank approved mortgages they have to be paid off at a lower age than in Canada or US. The age is approx.: Banco Bajio age 70, Santander 77 and Bancomer possibly as high as 85. I believe the issues stated here are less age related and more Mexican credit rating. If I went to the US or Canada I suspect same issue of my not having a credit rating there. saludos Sonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barcelonaman Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 thom, are you sure this is still the case ? walmart bank doesnt exist anymore. they were taken over earlier this year. imbursa now. also as sheldon says cc are invaluable travelling in the bigger cities in mexico. hotels prefer or only take cc not debit cards. online many only take cc.and cc mexican. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 It is now Inbursa . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 6 hours ago, Sheldon said: "...the rest of the country, specially CDMX is a CC Country, I never travel with cash for security reasons, I pay all the time with CC." It's always hard not to generalize from our personal experiences to believe that everyone's experiences are (or should be) the same. I've lived all over Mexico for a very long time--including Ajijic, Guadalajara, Morelia, and Mexico City--and have never used a foreign credit card anywhere and don't own a Mexican credit card. I use a USA debit card anywhere in Mexico for ATM withdrawals and for online purchases, especially for purchasing bus tickets. My personal experience is that debit cards are accepted everywhere; I've just finished booking a tour from Mexico City to Veracruz (I'm the guide) and paid for air fares, hotels, rental car, and the works with a USA debit card. We'll also be touring in small towns in Veracruz where I was asked, rather than to use a debit card, to make a deposit to the business owner's bank account. Lots of business owners in smaller towns don't even have a bank account; in those places, it's still a cash economy. Obviously YMMV, but my long-term experience is different from yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlylost Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 Having a Mex CC has many advantages. Months without interest in many purchases can help budget a large purchase. Just filled my tank $956 with points. Just bought exercise bike online Walmart Mexico $2000 less than in store free delivery 6 months no interest. Recharge my toll key, pay my Telmex, my predial, my CFE, and the list goes on. Definitly not a cash society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barcelonaman Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 14 minutes ago, Mostlylost said: Having a Mex CC has many advantages. Months without interest in many purchases can help budget a large purchase. Just filled my tank $956 with points. Just bought exercise bike online Walmart Mexico $2000 less than in store free delivery 6 months no interest. Recharge my toll key, pay my Telmex, my predial, my CFE, and the list goes on. Definitly not a cash society. In this urban backwater its still pretty much cash. but in the majority of mexico where technolgy and advancement into a new milenium have happened, its like the rest of the world, debit and credit cards are the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 Then like Moreliana says in smaller places throughout Mexico it is cash only or deposit in accounts.. In some parts of Chiapas you make reservations by phone and you cannot pay ahead you just have to show up before the dead line or you do not have a room but areas where toutists go they accept pretty much everything.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 Aside from the very occasional use of a debit card or a no foreign transaction fee Master Card only where both never leave my presence, cash works just fine here. Many hotels easily booked on Expedia now and charged safely through them to our U.S. credit card. Paid a big hospital bill with a U.S. credit card, no problem. Don't have a Mexican credit card and just see no real need for one either. Credit card fraud is rife here. You may eventually get the money back but the process is a hassle. If this place is a "backwater" I can't imagine how some of the other much more primitive places I've been to in Mexico would be described. For the first third to half of my life, the U.S. was primarily a cash economy too. It wasn't a particular hardship. Neither is this. Why complicate things? Cash is easy here. And with cash in hand negotiating price often bears nice savings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 How do you rent a car with cash only Mainecoon? Have you ever tried.. A Canadian friend of mine did and I ended up having to use my card for her.. The fraud he is on cards wether credit or debit and wether they are Mexicans or US , does not make a difference.. What you did in the past is irrelevant things have changed a lot everywhere in the past 20 years let alone the past 50, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hud Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 22 minutes ago, bmh said: What you did in the past is irrelevant things have changed a lot everywhere in the past 20 years let alone the past 50, EXCELLENT STATEMENT !!!! Some people seem to ALWAYS forget this when they talk about things NOB, when they haven't actually lived there in 20 years. Things do change, and people do move on. Only a few continue to live in the Past. Maybe people will remember your wise words the next time they say that they have lived there and know how things are, when it was 20 years ago. Thanks, bmh ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barcelonaman Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 the larger hotels i use insist on cc to open a ,voucher. to pay for meals, drinks , extras. and as above car rentals the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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