Credit cards Frequently Asked Questions

Please call us immediately at 855.855.8805 or visit one of our Experience Center locations. You can also request a new card with the Replace Card feature found in Online Banking and the Mobile App. Online Banking instructions. Mobile App instructions.

Please call us immediately at 855.855.8805.

Dining merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories:  sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants and fine dining establishments. Please note that some merchants that sell food and drinks located within larger merchants such as sports stadiums, hotels, casinos, theme parks, grocery, and department stores may or may not be included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the dining category. In addition, gift card and delivery service merchants will not be included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the dining category.

Electronic merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: Stores that sell a variety of electronic goods that may include computers, appliances, television, mobile phones, tablets, cameras, game consoles, printers and radios. Please note that some merchants that provide computer programming, data processing and integrated system design services, computer maintenance, repair and services, photographic, photocopy, microfilm equipment, direct and online computer and software stores, electronic repair store and appliance repair shops may or may not qualify unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the electronics category.

Gas station merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: automotive gasoline that can be paid for either at the pump or inside the station, and may or may not sell other goods or services at their location. Please note that some merchants that do not specialize in selling automotive gasoline are not included in this category; for example, truck stops, boat marinas, oil and propane distributors, home heating companies, fuel dealers–coal, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum, wood may or may not be included in the gas station category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the gas station category.

Grocery store merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: merchants that offer a full service grocery line of merchandise including a deli and bakery as well as smaller grocery stores. Please note that some merchants that sell grocery items are not included in this category; for example, larger stores that sell a wide variety of goods and groceries, such as warehouse clubs, discount stores and some smaller merchants such as drugstores, merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items,  purchases made at gas stations from merchants who also operate grocery stores, and delivery services are not included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the grocery stores category.

Household good merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: home furniture and decor. Please note that merchants that sell office and commercial furniture, second hand, used merchandise stores, and antique shops may or may not be included in the household goods category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the household goods category.

Medical merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: Doctors and Physicians, nursing and personal care facilities, hospitals, dentistry and medical laboratories. Please note merchants that sell, service or supply medical supplies, drugstores, pharmacies, testing laboratories not classified for medical purposes, health insurance sales, underwriting and premiums may not be included in the medical category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the medical category.

Telecommunication merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: telephones, cable, satellites, telecommunication equipment, telegraph services, internet access, and radio services. Please note that television/movie and radio streaming services may or may not be included in the telecommunications category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the telecommunications category.

(First Tech’s travel category is made up of certain airline, transportation and lodging merchants)

Airlines:
Airline tickets made directly with the airlines will qualify unless the merchant has set up such purchases to not be included in the airline category. Please note that other air travel-related purchases may or may not qualify; for example, in-flight purchases, the purchasing of airline miles or points, non-ticket purchases made within the airport, and airline tickets purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or tickets booked as part of a travel package offered by non-airline merchants unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the airline category.

Transportation:
Car rentals for the purpose of driver and passenger transportation will qualify unless the merchant has set up such purchases to not be included in the transportation category. Please note that other car rentals not booked directly with the car rental agency may not qualify; for example, car rentals purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or as part of a package offered by merchants such as cruise lines and railways

Merchants in the local transit/commuting category include operators of buses, taxis, limousines, cruises, travel agencies and tour operator unless the merchant has set up purchases to not be included in the transportation category.  Please note that some merchants that provide transportation and related services are not included in this category; for example, freight railroads, passenger railways, ambulance services, moving and storage companies, local deliveries, couriers services, boat leases and rentals, marinas and marine services and supplies, bridge and road fees and tools, motorhome and recreational vehicle rentals, truck rentals, automobile parking lots and garages unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the transportation category.

Lodging:
Lodging merchants may include and are not limited to those in the following categories: hotels, motels, smaller establishments like bed & breakfasts, and inns. Please note that hotel accommodations not booked directly with the hotel may or may not qualify; for example, hotel accommodations purchased through travel agencies, discount travel sites, vacation clubs, tour operators, or as part of a package offered by merchants such as cruise lines and railways. Please note that purchases other than your room bill on the hotel premises will not be included in the hotel accommodations category unless the hotel has set up such purchases to be classified in a hotel category; for example, restaurant or entertainment purchases. Please note that the purchasing of hotel points will not qualify in this category. In addition, lodging like short term rentals of spare rooms, apartments and homes, Timeshares, campgrounds and trailer parks service merchants will not be included in this category unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in the lodging category.

Authorized users can make purchases both at point of sale merchants and online merchants.

Any person with a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and required documentation.

Primary and joint account holders are responsible for ensuring payments of the credit card balance and are responsible for any purchases made by the authorized user. Authorized users cannot make payments to the credit card.

First Tech and our card partner, CO-OP Financial Services, constantly monitor credit and debit card transactions to identify and prevent fraud. If we notice something unusual on your account, we will attempt to contact you via a variety of channels including SMS, phone or email to determine if the suspicious transaction is authorized or not. Legitimate SMS verification attempts will come from the number 59314 and from email CardMemberSecurity@COOP.org. CO-OP may ask you to verify the transaction by calling them back at a different phone number than the one they used to contact you. This is a new security measure used to validate your identity. We will never ask for account information, passwords, or other sensitive information via these unsecure channels. If you aren’t certain if the message is authentic, please contact 866.518.0213 for credit cards or 888.241.2440 for debit cards to learn more.

Credit card rates change for several reasons:

Variable Rate
Most credit cards have variable interest rates that are a reflection of the Prime Rate plus margin.  At First Tech, this means that the interest rate can increase or decrease based on the Prime Rate as published in the Western Edition of the Wall Street Journal.

Reprice
The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for an individual member’s credit card is determined by their credit score.  When their credit score changes we may change the APR to the current rate we offer for that credit score range, including decreasing the APR when a member’s credit score improves. This is called a reprice and we will always notify you if we change your APR due to a reprice. Accounts are reviewed for repricing on a semi-annual basis.

To meet federal regulation requirements, we periodically review our credit card account owners' credit score(s) to determine if we need to adjust a rate up or down. To ensure you have the best rate possible, the new rate is based on the highest credit score available among all credit card account owners.

Have questions about your rate change? View our comprehensive FAQs.

If you have any additional questions, contact us at 855.855.8805 or visit a location near you.