General Credit Card Questions
Who is Continental Finance
How do I contact you?
Can I send you an e-mail with a question about my
account?
Can I earn rewards on my Continental Finance Credit Card?
What is the current U.S. Prime Rate?
Applying for a Credit Card
How do I apply for a Continental Finance
Credit Card?
What information does Continental Finance
require when I apply for a credit card?
Why do you need my personal information for my credit
card application?
Do I need to complete all the information on my credit
card application?
Why can't I use a P.O. Box as an address on my credit
card application?
Can I apply over the phone for a credit card?
Can I apply for a credit card with a co-applicant?
How long does it take to decision my application?
Do you share the contact information on my credit
card application with other companies?
After Applying
When will I receive my new credit card?
What will my credit limit be?
Can I activate my new credit card online?
How long do I have to activate my new credit card?
What will my annual percentage rate be?
Can I add someone to my credit card account?
Where do I send my payments?
Are there other ways I can make payments?
Who do I contact about traveling out of the country?
Online Account Access
Can I manage my credit card account online?
How much does it cost to view my transaction activity
online?
Who do I contact if I have an issue with an item
within my online transaction activity?
If I use the Online Banking service, will I still
get a paper statement in the mail?
How do I view my Statement information?
Credit Protection
What is Credit Protection?
What benefits does Credit Protection offer?
How do I request Program benefits?
What are the requirements when requesting activation
of Program benefits?
How will the monthly Program charge be billed?
How soon after I enroll can I request benefits
under this Program?
After I enroll in the Program, can I terminate
my participation?
Security and Privacy
What does Continental Finance do to protect
the personal information sent in my application over the Internet?
Can anyone other than the cardholder view statements
or make bill payments?
What if my credit card gets lost or stolen?
If my card is lost or stolen, how can I make sure
that I don't get stuck with unauthorized charges on my bill?
What if I want to dispute a charge on my statement?
Answers
General Credit Card
Questions
Who is Continental
Finance?
Founded in 2005, Continental Finance Company (“CFC”)
is one of America's leading originators of credit cards for consumers
with less-than-perfect credit. The company specializes in providing
credit products and services to consumers who are largely overlooked
by traditional credit card issuers and local banks. As a consumer
finance company, with a state of the art consumer lending platform,
we are able to provide a variety of services to our customers when
other financial institutions will not accommodate them.
Since the Company’s founding, CFC has prided itself on its
corporate responsibility to its customers in terms of a strong customer
support program, fair treatment, and responsible lending.
How do I contact you?
Click on the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of most pages throughout
the website for a listing of our Telephone Numbers and Mailing Addresses.
Can I send you an e-mail
with a question about my account?
No. For your security and in order to protect your account information,
we advise against sending us unsecure emails.
Can I earn rewards on my Continental Finance Credit Card?
At this time earning cash rewards is not available on your Continental Finance Credit Card.
What is the current U.S. Prime
Rate?
If the Annual Percentage Rate for your credit card account is variable
and based on the U.S. Prime Rate, we use the U.S. Prime Rate appearing
in the “Money Rates” section of any edition of The Wall
Street Journal published on the 25th day of each month. If The Wall
Street Journal is not published on that day, then the U.S. Prime
Rate on the next business day will be used. If the U.S Prime Rate
changes, the new rate will take effect on the first day of the following
month.
Applying for a Credit
Card
How do I apply for
a Continental Finance Credit Card?
You may apply online right from our website or return a pre-approved
offer that you received in the mail; application requests are decisioned
depending upon the laws of the state in which you reside.
What information does
Continental Finance require when I apply for a credit card?
You'll need to provide personal information, including your:
• Full name
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Physical address (No P.O. Box)
• Estimated gross annual income
Why do you
need my personal information for my credit card application?
We need your personal information for two reasons:
1. Federal law requires us to obtain, verify and record information
that identifies each person who opens an account. As a result, your
personal information is required and used for identification purposes.
2. We use your personal information, like Social Security number,
to pull your credit bureau data, which in turn is used with other
information like annual income to process your application.
Do I need to complete all the
information on my credit card application?
Yes. We need all of the information to make an informed decision
on a customer’s credit worthiness and to assess risk.
Why can't I
use a P.O. Box as an address on my credit card application?
We need a physical address in order to process your application.
Can I apply
over the phone for a credit card?
Currently, we are only accepting applications online or by mail
in response to a direct mail solicitation.
Can I apply for a credit card
with a co-applicant?
No, we do not offer the option for co-applicants at this time, but
you may add an authorized user during the application process or
anytime after your account is opened.
How long does
it take to decision my application?
In most cases, we will provide an instant decision. However, in
some cases we need to collect additional information to make a decision
which could take up to 7-10 days.
Do you share
the contact information on my credit card application with other
companies?
Continental Finance takes our commitment to protecting your privacy
seriously. Please see our Privacy Policy for more
information.
After Applying
When will I receive my new credit card?
If you're approved and you fully fund any security deposit (if applicable),
we will mail your Continental Finance credit card, credit limit
information and welcome materials within 3 business days.
What will my credit limit be?
Upon approval, we will grant you a credit limit of $300. In some
cases, you may be required to provide a security deposit to qualify
for a credit card.
Can I activate my new credit
card online?
No. To ensure your security, new cards can only be activated over
the phone. Call from your home telephone number to the toll-free
activation number printed on the sticker affixed to your new card
within 30 days after you receive your card in the mail.
How long do I have to activate
my new credit card?
You have 30 days to activate your credit card. If you do not activate
you credit card in that timeframe your credit card will automatically
be closed and you will be unable to use your new credit card for
purchases or other transactions.
What will my
annual percentage rate be?
Please see the Terms and Conditions page
for your APR information.
Can I add someone to my credit
card account?
Yes. Simply call the Customer Service phone number on the back of
your card. Please note that to add an authorized user to your account;
you must be the primary cardholder and fees may apply, where permitted
by state law.
Where do I send my payments?
Please send any credit card payments via regular mail to the address
shown on the Contact Us page. Please include
your credit card account number on your check.
Are there other ways I can make
payments?
Yes. You can pay your bill online using the website identified on
the Contact Us page.
Who do I contact about traveling
out of the country?
Before you travel, contact Customer Service at the number shown
on the Contact Us page. Please have the
following information handy:
• Credit card number
• Travel destination
• Travel start and end dates
Online
Account Access
Can I manage
my credit card account online?
Yes. You will be able to enroll in our Online Banking service to
do all of the following and more:
• Pay your credit card bill
• Enroll to receive online statements
• View recent transactions
• View payment history
• View your balance
How much does it cost to view my transaction
activity online?
The Online Banking website is a free service provided to you as
a feature of your credit card.
Who do I contact if I have
an issue with an item within my online transaction activity?
If you have questions about charges to your account, transactions
on your account or any other account information displayed on the
Online Banking site, please call at the number shown on the Contact
Us page. This number is also available after you sign in.
If I use the Online Banking
service, will I still get a paper statement in the mail?
Yes, you will continue to receive a paper statement unless you change
your statement delivery method to receive online statements only.
It may take up to 72 hours to process a statement delivery method
change. Discover® cardholders who receive online statements
only are not billed the $4.95 Monthly Paper Statement Fee.
How do I view my Statement
information?
Log-in to the Online Banking site and select the Statements option.
Discover® cardholders must choose to receive online statements
as one of your statement delivery methods in order to view your
statements online.
Credit Protection
What is
Credit Protection?
Credit Protection is an optional debt cancellation program offered
with Continental Finance credit card accounts.
What benefits does Credit
Protection offer?
In the event of job loss, disability, and/or hospitalization, the
Credit Protection Program covers up to six (6) months of payments
for the primary cardholder and cancels the full balance in the event
of death (the lesser of the outstanding account balance on the date
of death or $5,000).
How do I request Program
benefits?
To activate your benefits, call the Benefit Administrator toll-free
at 1-866-665-7967, 8:00am to 9:00pm ET, Monday through Friday and
8:00am until 12:00pm ET, on Saturday, except on holidays. Correspondence
may be sent to: Benefit Administrator, P.O. Box 43297, Jacksonville,
FL 32203.
What are the requirements
when requesting activation of Program benefits?
You must: a) qualify for the benefit based on the criteria in the
Credit Protection Program Agreement; and, b) complete and supply
the Benefit Administrator with any verification information/forms
they may request from you.
How will the monthly Program
charge be billed?
The monthly Program charge is billed to your account and will be
shown on your monthly statement. The charge is based on your outstanding
balance multiplied by $1.49 per $100 of outstanding balance.
How soon after I enroll can
I request benefits under this Program?
For job loss, disability, hospitalization and/or loss of life, you
must be enrolled in the Continental Credit Protection program for
30 days before this Protected Event may be activated.
After I enroll in the Program,
can I terminate my participation?
Yes. You may terminate your enrollment at any time. Additionally,
if you are not completely satisfied with all the benefits, limitations
and exclusions, and you cancel within thirty (30) calendar days
of your enrollment date, we will credit your account for any Credit
Protection charges you have paid.
Security and Privacy
What does Continental
Finance do to protect the personal information sent in my application
over the Internet?
We are committed to providing secure Internet service through security
and encryption technology. We use advanced encryption techniques,
including Secure Socket Layer technology, to protect the information
you provide to us over the Internet. You can tell that the session
is secure when you see a locked padlock displayed at the bottom
of most browser windows. Since all of the information being passed
through this secured site is encrypted, only we can decipher the
application information.
Can anyone other than the cardholder
view statements or make bill payments?
Using the unique, secure log-in and password established at application,
cardholders can enter the site, view their own account information
and make payments on their own, individual account. For quality
assurance, customer service or account maintenance purposes, Continental
Finance Company, LLC and its employees and agents may also access
your account information through this website.
What if my credit card gets
lost or stolen?
If you have a missing credit card, report it immediately to our
24-hour Customer Service number located on the Contact Us page. This number is also printed on your monthly statements.
We will cancel your card and send you a new one.
If my card is lost or stolen,
how can I make sure that I don't get stuck with unauthorized charges
on my bill?
We guarantee $0 Fraud Liability if your card is lost or stolen and
used without your authorization. If you suspect your card has been
stolen you should call us right away at the number shown on the
Contact Us page.
What if I want to dispute a
charge on my statement?
If you have a problem with the quality of property or services that
you have purchased with your credit card; and you have tried in
good faith to correct the problem with the merchant, call us at
the number shown on the Contact Us page.
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