Men are twice as likely as women to get a credit card annual fee waived, according to a WalletHub survey released Wednesday. The survey was conducted to learn about Americans’ experiences calling credit card customer service departments, and whether or not they found the process helpful.
Calling customer service can help solve problems and get cardholders better terms, but the experience isn’t the same for everyone. Below are results from WalletHub’s survey:
Key findings
- Nearly one in two Americans would rather call their in-laws than their credit card company.
- Millennials are three times as likely as baby boomers to be denied a credit limit increase.
- Three in four consumers agree that calling customer service is worth it.
- Nearly one in five people have yelled at a customer service representative.
“When interacting with a credit card company’s customer service department, it’s very important to keep your emotions in check and to always remain polite,” said WalletHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou.
Being prepared is important, too, Papadimitriou said. For example, do your homework ahead of time, so you know what you’re looking for and which customer service number to call.
One of the biggest mistakes is failing to call customer service when you have a question or an error has occurred, he said.
For getting a fee waived or addressing a suspicious charge, calling customer service can be very valuable, Papadimitriou said. “Among credit card users who have called customer service, 7 in 10 have gotten a fee waived before, while 3 in 10 have received a lower APR and 9 in 10 have been granted a higher credit limit.”
