“Express Yourself. Personalize your card with an image of your choice.”
That is the claim made by Capital One for anyone who wants to have a personal photo put on their credit card. You can even design it yourself online with a photo you upload.
But you can’t use a hunting photo. Capital One considers them unacceptable.
That’s what Lou Hinger of Hamburg, N.J., found out when she tried to design a credit card using a photo of her husband Frank, dressed in hunting gear, posing with a deer he had taken last hunting season.
Hinger received an e-mail from Capital One that said, in part:
“Sorry, we were unable to approve the image you submitted. We will not approve any images that contain the following: “Violence, hatred, or cruelty to humans or animals, profanity obscenities or any type of death imagery.”
“We are livid,” says Hinger, “as we are God-serving Americans who hunt to feed our family. In these economic times our family is fed by hunting, and it’s horrible to be associated with words like ‘hatred or violence.’
“I tried to call for an explanation twice; no one will get on the phone. Also, their terms are vague. However, someone took the time to specifically write that response pertaining to our image.
“Every American hunter should know about this,” Hinger continued. “Capital One says, ‘Express yourself’ in the image card. Hunting is the most important way my husband expresses himself.”
Hinger has asked NRA for an attorney referral so that she can determine her legal options. Whether Capital One has done anything illegal is questionable, but whether the company has just insulted 14.9 million law-abiding American hunters is not.
For those NRA members who are interested, Mike Marcellin, Managing Director in NRA’s Office of the Treasurer, said, “NRA credit cards also offer the feature of allowing cardholders to personalize their cards with pictures—including hunting trophies.” The card companies do ask that no blood be visible on the photo, however, so take a minute in any good photo editing program and clean it up first. With these cards, you also support the NRA with each purchase. To learn more, visit http://www.nraaccounts.com/nra/.
