Update: Still Available Via Chat for me, 12:36PM Pacific, 4/9/14.
Reader @saianel shared the bad news with me this morning, Gone from the Suntrust webpage is any mention of the Delta Skymiles Debit card. Some of you might remember my Delta Debit card was closed unceremoniously about two months ago. I had debated opening a new account for my wife, but hadn’t done so yet. It now seems that ship has sailed, and Suntrust is no longer offering the card to new clients.
Anyone with an existing card should be able to continue using it for an unknown amount of time. As more information trickles out I’ll update this post. If you are a current cardholder and receive any communication from Suntrust please share it in the comments.
Suntrust Delta Debit Card, You Will Be Missed
With the Alaska Airline Debit card on its last legs, and now this closure the options for earning miles on debit are slowly slipping away. Only UFB Direct is still advertising their Debit card, which earns AA miles.
Debit cards unlock special earning potential not open to credit cards. Each time we lose another mile earning (or cash back) debit card it gets just that much harder to earn very cheap miles. Due to restrictions on fees debit cards just aren’t as lucrative to banks as they used to be.
Will we see a reversal of this trend away from rewards debit cards? I’d say that’s doubtful.
Chat ASAP With a Representative to Get the Card
I’ve confirmed with a chat representative that you can still order the card (as of today at 9AM Pacific) via opening an account over Online Chat. The chat representative I spoke with did offer me the card if I opened a new account. When I pressed as to why it was not on the homepage anymore I was told it was “not available online right now.” (Direct quote).
If you’ve been on the fence about opening an account with Suntrust for this card, I wouldn’t delay. Rumors of the card going away have been around for a while, and today’s removal of the card from all Suntrust pages looks to be the beginning of the end.