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For a lot of people, the beginning of fall is synonymous with new phone season. This is when companies like Apple debut new products, and people (like me) jump at the chance to upgrade to the latest and greatest technology that fits in their pockets. It's almost like a holiday.
But if upgrading your device is something you’re planning to do, and you also have an intended use for your Capital One miles, you might want to make a transfer before you activate your new device. Otherwise, you might end up in the same boat as me.
Now you’re probably wondering what getting a new phone has to do with transferring Capital One miles. Let me explain.
Upgrading Your Phone? Transfer Capital One Miles First
As the saying goes, you learn something new every day. Yesterday, I learned that if you’re getting a new phone and want to use Capital One’s transfer partners, it’s best to make your transfer first and then upgrade your device.
Apparently, the order matters. I didn’t follow it, and now I’m locked out of accessing Capital One’s transfer partners for anywhere from a few days to a few months.
Here’s why. When you get a new device — even if your phone number stays the same — Capital One’s systems might not recognize that it’s actually you trying to log in. So, when you try to verify your account online or in the app, you might get stuck on this screen after entering the text verification code correctly:
That’s exactly what happened to me. After enough failed attempts, I was prompted to call Capital One. The agent asked if I’d recently gotten a new device, and when I said yes, she told me she’d seen this issue before. I’d simply have to wait until the system recognizes the new phone as mine. Only then will I regain access to Capital One’s transfer partners.
It could take days, weeks, or even months. At minimum, I have to wait at least a week before calling back to escalate the issue.
AwardWallet reached out to Capital One to confirm whether this is truly a known issue and to ask if any steps are being taken to prevent it from happening to other cardholders — especially since so many people upgrade their phones around this time of year. And a spokesperson for Capital One responded with the following:
“Capital One takes account security very seriously, and what you experienced reflects the safeguards the bank has in place to protect customer accounts as part of its fraud prevention policy.”
Make of that what you will.
Bottom Line
Does this make any sense? Not really. I've never had this happen before. And as someone who redeems miles as quickly as I earn them, the thought of waiting up to a few months to get back into my account isn’t exactly something I’m thrilled about. It’s frustrating that the only solution is to wait patiently. I’m not very good at that.
So, if I can offer a word of caution, don’t make the same mistake I did. Transfer your Capital One miles before getting a new phone. Doing so means you’ll likely avoid the tech issues I ran into.
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