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In another thread, the subject of credit cards came up and I wanted to find out what the rules are, at least for here in Canada. The same applies to vanity cards, if, like me, you have a well known on-line presence.
Getting another card under your femme name should be easy. All you should have to do is go into your branch and request adding a non-binary name to your account. My branch requires that I go in for security / ID reasons, so I presume that you will have to do that, too. I will go through with this, soon.
There seems to be a way of getting a card not linked to your current card, too, but just adding a new name should be open now to any current card holder.
Good luck!
Wow! I didn’t know that we could have that. It’s nice. But what would happen if we pay with a card stamped with our fem names and the merchant ask for an ID? Like a hotel or car rental companies? I mean is a wonderful thing because of the recognition of who we are but getting a second ID would require a legally change of name 🤔
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not questioning in a bad way the good news. My inquiries are legitimate.
Thank you for sharing. I may go to a branch and ask a card as Claire 😀That’s why I posted this, Claire.
How far we can go with an en femme presentation needs to be explored. Recognition (a femme ID) is just part of this. Getting a passport or driver’s licence may be a bit more tricky than just a credit card.
Maybe others can add their experiences here, so that we can all learn.
I recently did a long drive (over 900 miles one way) that included overnight stays at 5 different hotels. In none of them did they need to actually see my credit card. I did have to insert it into the card reader but the clerk wouldn’t see the name on the card.
Now, admittedly, I was en drab the entire time so there wouldn’t have been an issue anyway. But more and more there is no reason to actually hand over a card. I generally use apple pay when doing regular purchases in person and nobody ever sees a credit card.
Good luck with this endeavor, Harriette. Such a shame you girls get all dressed up and have only male name ID’s or credit cards. As I mentioned in that thread, Terri’s card is registered with her legal SS# and last name. Only her first name is made up.
FWIW, it was easy for me to get an AMEX card with Emily’s name on it. It’s linked to the main account in my legal name. All I did was call customer service and tell them I was trans. The agent asked a few questions. Was very professional. Took less than 10 minutes. 3 days later I had the card. I use it a lot. I’ve never been asked to show ID. I don’t know if it would be that easy in Canada but suspect it is.
/EA
Yeah, our banking system in Corporate Canada has this policy of setting up an appointment to get just about anything done to justify the staffs existence at the branch level. I would think getting a card in your fem name would be easy enough if you jump through all the hoops of linking it to your other self.
I hate to be the one to bring this up, but feel the need to do so, to keep us all out of potential trouble. In Emily’s case, she did exactly the right thing by telling the credit card company exactly why she wanted a card in another name. However, I have heard of some cases where some of us have advocated getting a card in their “non legal” female name. That is and will be considered credit fraud, since that person doesn’t legally exist. I don’t know what the laws are in Canada, but that is what might ( not saying it will) happen in the U.S. But, I would urge everyone to be completely open and honest with any credit card company. I also know that a hotel or other entity that might require an ID to purchase the services on a credit card will reject anyone that doesn’t have the ID that matches their card. Sorry for the bad news, but the key is to just let the card company know what you are doing, so you don’t risk any problems.
It can be easy or hard??? A couple of years ago I wanted to get a second account in Cassie’s name, I called Capital One customer service and was easy to get a card under Cassie’s name. A few months latter I was able to get American Express cards under both names. As far as using Cassie’s card, I booked my motel under Cassie’s name and when asked for an ID when checking in I got a quizicle look but they took my male ID and all was fine.
. CassieI can’t speak for rules in Canada, I’m in the US. A few years ago I saw an ad from Citibank talking about getting a card in your preferred name, and was directed to people who were trans but haven’t changed their legal name. I believe they wanted you to use your correct surname, but you could change the first name on the card. It could be done via the website and didn’t require talking to a representative.
I did this with another card. It asked me if my female self wanted to be able to log on to the account to check her purchases. If so, I would have to provide a social security number. But if not, no further identification was needed. I opted for not, as I didn’t want to provide the same social security number for two different names. Besides, I (male) know exactly what purchases she makes at the exact moment she makes them. (It’s almost like I can read her mind. lol)
Most places don’t ask for ID. I learned this many years ago when my mom would occasionally give me her card to pay for something at the store. As long as you have permission from the card owner, you are not committing fraud. And in this case, since you (male) are the main card owner, you have certainly given permission to you (female) to make the purchase.
A car rental company is obviously different, because they need your driver’s license anyway. A hotel may or may not ask for your ID. But you could always tell them that you are trans (or a crossdresser) and they should (with a hard look) be able to tell that the picture is indeed you.
Here is a funny update that happened today. Alison got a letter from the credit card company where her male counterpart gave her name for a separate card, but provided no other information. The letter stated Alison was pre-qualified for a card based on a review of her credit information. Now without Alison providing a social security number, I don’t know how they reviewed her credit information.
Of course she will decline by feeding the application to the paper shredder. It does tell of some reasons she could be declined, one of which was You didn’t complete all application questions, including not providing your social security number. Now Alison doesn’t have an independent social security number, and I don’t want to give her male counterpart’s number so that his number is associated with two different names, so she could not possibly fill out that information.
But I thought it funny that the credit card company wanted Alison to have her own account instead of just being an authorized user on his account.
Read the fine print very closely.
bmo offers transgender people mastercards under their preferred name. rbc is very clear in stating supplementary cards must be for another person. You cannot sign up for a supplementary card for yourself under a different name. not sure about the other banks.
This won’t work for everyone but when I chose my fem name I intentionally used the same initials as my given name. So my credit card uses my first and middle initials and my last name. No one knows if I am male or female from the name on my card
Well do I have a story about this. I’d prefer not to mention the bank in particular but it’s one of the major Canadian banks and everyone will know the name.
I read online that it’s (supposed) to be easy, and I first asked at the branch, but they directed me to the phone number on the card. So I did, and got a total run around, and was told I needed an affidavit and submit it to them. I tried to explain I’m not changing my legal name, I just want a card in a different name. This operator checked with his superior and said this isn’t possible, and couldn’t seem to get rid of me fast enough!
Then I tried later, and when I finally got a card they had my name spelled wrong, then a whole other bunch of fuss, then the next new card was back to my old name. Finally I tried at the branch again and got a younger person who helped me get this sorted out better.
This should not be so difficult, and their website says it’s simple, but I don’t think the staff know this.
Just my experience.
Amy
Not exactly credit card related, but relevant to this topic …
I recently ordered a dress from England and I had no idea how it was going to be shipped. As things happened, I wasn’t home when my parcel arrived by mail. Figures.
The claim slip had my en femme name on it and the surname didn’t match my real surname, so I crossed my fingers when picking it up because I have to show an ID card. Fortunately, the postmaster only compared my address. I did have my order page ready, if she was going to raise a stink, but it wasn’t necessary.
Learning my lesson, I have since changed my surname on Roman’s web site and will have to check other logins, too.
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