April 16--Discover credit-card customers who can't quite put their finger on their plastic now may use a new "Freeze It" feature that acts like an on-off switch to stop new purchases and cash advances, the Riverwoods-based company said Tuesday.
Freeze It can be used from a mobile device, online or over the phone. The account can be turned back on at the customer's discretion.
"We're giving card members a fast and simple security feature that gives them more control over their accounts and more peace of mind if a card goes missing," Julie Loeger, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement.
Freeze It sends alerts to customers if a transaction is declined while the account is frozen.
It allows some activities to continue. Those would include various Discover fees, and bills marked as recurring by merchants.
Freeze It might help Discover more than it helps consumers, as consumers aren't responsible for unauthorized purchases on their cards anyway.
Discover's website says the card can be frozen and unfrozen in seconds and can be done as often as someone likes. It also features a photo of a smart phone with "account information" and an orange "freeze" button. Discover said it will remind someone a week after he or she freezes the account if it hasn't been unfrozen by then.
If customers believe that their card is in fact permanently lost or stolen, they can contact Discover and get a new card and card number.
Discover says freezing an account offers broader protection than temporarily deactivating a card.
When a card is temporarily deactivated, it can't be used in stores at cash registers, but the account number can still be used for online and phone purchases, Discover said.
When an account is frozen, it can't be used to make purchases in the store, or online or by phone.
Chicago Tribune reporter Greg Karp contributed to this article.
byerak@tribpub.com
