Point of order: Your bank told Google (and likely anyone else who is auto-billing your card) that your CC# or Expiration Date changed. Google did not solicit this information from the bank on your behalf.
Further Point of order: This is likely Visa (cc issuer) taking this action (in accordance with the terms of your agreement with them, no doubt) and not your bank.
Lots of companies update your data already from this data, not just Google. I guess it may just be a new feature where we email you about it when it's updated.
My bank, in the terms of service included a small notice that they'd update account information through a Visa/MC network feature, and gave me an opportunity to opt out of the feature if I wanted to.
As with any ToS, it's buried under a sea of text, and it took a few readings of the notice to understand what it was actually claiming to do.
But this should be definitely a reminder that all data in your google associated accounts are automatically read and scanned. If you talk to "Johnny", you're also talking to "Google" as well.
I will frequently close credit cards when I terminate a subscription service, like a gym membership, just to ensure vendors don't 'accidentally' continue to charge me. I guess Google has determined that my behavior is a bug and figured out a way to route around it.
1) Do you really? You know that frequently opening and closing credit cards negatively impacts your credit score? Which means you could wind up paying far more money in the end for a mortgage, say?
2) If a vendor is "accidentally" charging you and you're actually in the right, chargebacks fix that instantly.
3) If you have an actual (multi-)year contract with a gym, cancelling your card doesn't get you out of that contract. Charges can often still be made to a closed card, you'll get bills from either the gym or your credit card provider, and it will go to a collections agency if you don't pay (and again, knock down your credit score).
I really hope you don't actually do this because you'd be harming yourself for zero actual benefit.
If vendors charge you after you unsubscribed, accidentally or not, they're in trouble. File a dispute (it's possible with debit cards, credit cards, SEPA, etc). You'll get a refund and the vendor will get a surcharge.
Furthermore, vendors with high dispute rates get shut down pretty quickly by payment processors. Your behaviour is harming you far more than it's helping.
This is a feature: You update your details and don't have to individually talk to every single service out there that use the old details.
Of course ideally banks would have a way to let the users control these types of features but, you know, banks suck.
It isn't just google and even then you're blaming the wrong entity. This is your credit card company. I'm sure this solves a particular problem for credit card companies by significantly reducing their middle-man involvement between a customer and business in regards to their contracts. However, this should absolutely be an opt-in feature.
Your behavior isn't a bug but it is atypical. Your workaround to an infrequent problem just requires a new step: closing and opening new credit card accounts.
Yeah - this doesn't work. It surprised me too. The fact that Google is actually notifying you is a point in their favor. I've never heard of anybody else sending a notification. Good for them.
[+] [-] fr0sty|7 years ago|reply
Further Point of order: This is likely Visa (cc issuer) taking this action (in accordance with the terms of your agreement with them, no doubt) and not your bank.
[+] [-] forgottenpass|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Mysterix|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kyrra|7 years ago|reply
https://developer.visa.com/capabilities/vau
https://developers.mastercard.com/product/automatic-billing-...
https://network.americanexpress.com/globalnetwork/products-a...
Lots of companies update your data already from this data, not just Google. I guess it may just be a new feature where we email you about it when it's updated.
Edit: fun fact, the UK banking system has this for when you move to a new bank: https://www.bacs.co.uk/accountswitchingservice
(I'm a Googler working on payments, who has helped maintain the Account Updater feature, opinions are my own).
[+] [-] drb91|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dguo|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jasonjayr|7 years ago|reply
As with any ToS, it's buried under a sea of text, and it took a few readings of the notice to understand what it was actually claiming to do.
[+] [-] denimnerd|7 years ago|reply
https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/recurring-charg...
[+] [-] PunchTornado|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DocFeind|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crankylinuxuser|7 years ago|reply
But this should be definitely a reminder that all data in your google associated accounts are automatically read and scanned. If you talk to "Johnny", you're also talking to "Google" as well.
What can you do? This is a good start https://restoreprivacy.com/google-alternatives/
EDIT: Seriously, -4 in 9 minutes over completely valid concerns? Google is no golden child - remember, they are doubleclick and more.
[+] [-] chosenbreed|7 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Simon_says|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] crazygringo|7 years ago|reply
2) If a vendor is "accidentally" charging you and you're actually in the right, chargebacks fix that instantly.
3) If you have an actual (multi-)year contract with a gym, cancelling your card doesn't get you out of that contract. Charges can often still be made to a closed card, you'll get bills from either the gym or your credit card provider, and it will go to a collections agency if you don't pay (and again, knock down your credit score).
I really hope you don't actually do this because you'd be harming yourself for zero actual benefit.
[+] [-] scrollaway|7 years ago|reply
Furthermore, vendors with high dispute rates get shut down pretty quickly by payment processors. Your behaviour is harming you far more than it's helping.
This is a feature: You update your details and don't have to individually talk to every single service out there that use the old details.
Of course ideally banks would have a way to let the users control these types of features but, you know, banks suck.
[+] [-] thieving_magpie|7 years ago|reply
Your behavior isn't a bug but it is atypical. Your workaround to an infrequent problem just requires a new step: closing and opening new credit card accounts.
[+] [-] jacobsenscott|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sp332|7 years ago|reply