I had a Bank of Montreal Mastercard a number of years ago and I had thought I fully paid off the card; however, I guess there was some interest added after I made my last payment and I had $3.43 left over that I was unaware of. I proceeded to move and since I did not bank anymore with BMO I did not think of it again.

Recently, I realized they had sent me to collections and closed my account as a write-off and it showed up on my credit report. So I requested my statement and it looks like a few months after my last payment (and with my balance $3.43) they opted me in for a plan that cost $45.00 and lowered my interest rate. They also at the same time appear to have issued me a new card, which I never received.

So can banks just opt customers in for programs that include fees, in hopes that the customer does not notice? It just seems predatory to me. It would kind of be like a cable company giving their customers premium channels (without the customer's request) and then charging them if they don't cancel them.

This is in Canada btw. But would be interested in US as well.

i am highly sympathetic but you needed to cancel your card and/or give them your new address... i don't know all the timing of course but would you have been certain that some deferred charge wouldn't come onto the card.

i know it is so minor but do you dispute you owed the $3.50? seems almost criminal that you can go R9 (???) over that.

does BMO and/or credit agency,OSFI etc have ombudsmen you can appeal this to?

EDIT: did your credit card not have an annual fee? seems really bad that they put you on a different plan..

What did they say when you called them?

Ya, I don't know why I would not have cancelled the card. I closed my BMO account in 2011, but guess for whatever reason I just forgot about the Mastercard. That is definitely on me. I hadn't even thought about the card for years.

No annual fee or anything.


I've appealed to the bank and they have sent a memo to their collection department saying I believe the $45 interest rate fee is bank error. But I don't have much faith anything will be resolved from this. Which is kind of why I was wondering if they could just put me on a plan without my permission.

I worked at TD. Not sure how it is at the other banks but that is definitely not ok without your consent. I'm surprised at the hurdles thrown at you for this mistake. If a customer calls and complains it is not worth the poor customer experience and 9/10 they will reverse and cancel on the spot. This happened to my wife's credit card at RBC and the issue was taken care of in 6 minutes.

Take this up the chain, bottom line is they cannot charge you for what you have not consented. There is no contract.

depends where this is.... comparing td to wells fargo on this matter is like comparing apples to oranges. Obviously threatening to take this to better business bureau is the best way to get them to take you seriously but all depends on who you talk to. Obviously they signed you up for a program without your consent and this is illegal... the problem is no one will ever admit to their mistakes.

Not as much as you might think: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/td-b...-law-1.4016569

If OP pushes enough (polite but firm) the fees should be waived. Make sure to take down the names of anyone you talk to.