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Credit Card Websites Who Support Mozilla?

citoc asks: "I'm currently planning on dumping my Capital One Card because I'm sick of them not supporting my browser of choice (if you don't support my browser, I'm not going to support you). So I'm wondering what credit card companies do support the use of Mozilla/Moz-based browsers for their websites, so I know to whom my money should go." Update: 12/03 21:41 GMT by C :It appears that Capital One is listening. Click below for good news for Mozilla users that happen to also be Capital One customers.

I got this in an email right before the Thanksgiving break:

You do matter. We opened up our site to Mozilla and Gecko based browsers on Nov 14. It was a lot more work than it looked like. We went through a great deal of testing to ensure the browsers would behave properly. A financial web site has a ton of underpinning backend functionality, so we struggle a little more with these changes than a site like USA Today. But we did it, and everyone should be good to go now. Let me know if you have any trouble with it. Ken Woelk Web Service Quality Capital One
Wow! They actually had this all done before the article went up. Thanks a bunch Ken for the hard work you and your team put in to make the Capital One website compatible with Mozilla users. I'm sure your work will be greatly appreciated in the future.

40 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. don't be so arrogant by Naikrovek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    if you don't support my browser, I'm not going to support you

    If you think you're going to make a difference with this attitude think again. choose banks based on their interest, their customer service, and their desire to give you a loan :) Then convince them that IE isn't the only browser.

    It is the browser that matters least in a bank.

    1. Re:don't be so arrogant by heliocentric · · Score: 2, Interesting

      choose banks based on their ... customer service...

      But to this dood, browser support IS customer service. He's a customer, he wants service, and he probably wants it in a comfortable manner. Just as you would probably not pick a brick and morter bank that had the heat set to 110 (degrees or celsius, your pick) and was blaring [insert your most dispised band/group/genre] music and had that "Service With A Drunk" kind of attitude, this guy seems to hold browser type in high regard. Although it might not be a popular restriction (to you or many others right now for that matter) don't knock someone's own reasoning, maybe he'd rather give up better interest rates just to have a "better" user experience - maybe that premium is worthwhile for some people - maybe money is not a concern* and interface is!

      * - if money is no object... let me hold it and I sware I'll support your browser!

      --
      Wheeeee
    2. Re:don't be so arrogant by GreyWolf3000 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      The level of cynicism that Ask Slashdotters receive is absolutely outrageous. Give the guy a break.

      I support consumers setting their own standards, and not accepting corporate bottom lines. That being said, we can safely say that browser-based boycotting is ineffective at best.

      Read the article again, and you'll see that he merely asks the Slashdot crowd for alternative companies that won't lock him in to Internet Explorer. He does not attempt to thrust any form of digital politics into the limelight, or attempt to gain sympathy from the tech-savvy crowd here. Notice he does not splurge out a long tirade about the evils of IE or the importance of standards; he merely asks for an alternative. Choice in the free market (or semi-free, as the case may be) is like a vote--ever wonder why people vote for third party candidates?

      I'm sorry for ranting, but I'm sick of how Ask Slashdot is being done. Most people don't have an "answer," so they criticize the question. Or in other cases, they attempt to give the obvious answer, regardless of being covered in one of the links! People don't Ask Slashdot to get majorly dissed.

      Well, this rant has turned into less about you and more about Ask Slashdot in general. Perhaps this should've gone in my journal.

      --
      Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
    3. Re:don't be so arrogant by GreyWolf3000 · · Score: 2

      Exactly--a consumer's power is his choice. His free-market vote, if you will. If it is acceptable that people vote third-party to voice their opinion despite impossible odds, it should be cool to change banks/software vendor/service provider/anything-you-damn-well-want.

      --
      Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
    4. Re:don't be so arrogant by Naikrovek · · Score: 2

      The level of cynicism that Ask Slashdotters receive is absolutely outrageous. Give the guy a break.

      That's because the level of arrogance has equally risen. One man makes a difference only when he is joined by others doing the same. My point is that anyone who chooses banks based on their browser support is on a crusade that is not, and will not, be taken up by the wise.

      I read his post several times, and your points are valid. I had only one point, and I made it. And now I've made it again.

      Most people don't have an "answer," so they criticize the question.

      When the logic behind a question is flawed, then any answer to that question will also be flawed. It is only when you raise a question that can stand on its own that you will attract answers of equal merit. Often people treat symptoms, instead of treating problems, which leads to not solutions, but a covering of the problem. When you write a program that doesn't give the output you need, you do not write an additional program to fix it (treating the symptom), you fix your original program (treating the problem).

      I'm way off topic now, but i hope you see what I mean. Leaving a bank based on its browser support is not treating the problem. It is treating a symptom.

    5. Re:don't be so arrogant by GreyWolf3000 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      > I'm way off topic now, but i hope you see what I mean. Leaving a bank based on its browser support is not treating the problem. It is treating a symptom.

      Ok, I see your point, and I raise it ;)

      Suppose I have a demand, X, from service provider Y, who provides Z. The demand may be legit to you, and it may be ridiculous to you. We can both agree that it is a legitimate concern to me, however (in this scenario; I personally don't give a crap). Hence, I ask my fellow friends, many of whom I can expect to have had the same demand, X, in the past, some of whom went through company Y to get Z. I am hoping that someone will show me a similar company, but will meet demand X, and therefore I can give my business to the company that supports my interests.

      You say the question is bogus, but I'm of the mind that no matter how bogus the individual's standards are, he has a right to demand whatever he pleases, however ludicrous it may be. And you know what? I can think of a lot more bogus things than this. Imagine you didn't have any Windows machines period? I don't, and being that I just installed a fresh system from scratch, suppose I don't really want to bother installing WINE or wrestle with IE in Linux.

      Plenty of people at Slashdot have experienced this issue first hand. Maybe not you or I, but lets let those folks that have help the guy out a bit.

      --
      Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
    6. Re:don't be so arrogant by Piquan · · Score: 2

      What makes you think he's on a crusade? Maybe he just wants to conveniently maintain his credit card account!

    7. Re:don't be so arrogant by wind · · Score: 2, Insightful

      One man makes a difference only when he is joined by others doing the same. My point is that anyone who chooses banks based on their browser support is on a crusade that is not, and will not, be taken up by the wise.

      I'm sorry, I still fail to see the arrogance in his question. Maybe *you* only do things because you want everyone else to behave like you, but sometimes people make choices because it's what they are comfortable with and they don't care if others do the same. I don't see this guy's question as "Geeks Unite!", I think it's an honest question. As someone has already said, maybe he just wants the convienence of not having to switch browsers. My bank doesn't support my normal browser and it drives me nuts to have to load up a program just to use their site - but, for me, I put up with it. - he doesn't want to, and that's fine. *shrug*

      Just take as a for example: I don't buy things from Walmart. I don't care if *you* do, this isn't a Boycott, it's just that I don't like the idea of giving them my money, and I happen to be lucky enough to be sufficiently well off that I can afford to spend a little more elsewhere. That's it. No big crusade... I'm not asking anyone to do the same.

      And I don't think this guy is, either. I really think you are reading a LOT more into this than there is.

      Besides... this *is* Ask Slashdot, be thankful he's not asking what kind of tiolet paper to use.

  2. MBNA works fine by Gopher · · Score: 4, Informative
    I use it all the time with Mozilla.

    As an added bonus, I've got a LinuxFund card, which has the cute penguin on it, and seems to impress lots of sales clerks. :)

    1. Re:MBNA works fine by reaper20 · · Score: 2

      Yeah, MBNAs online system works, good, and the Linuxfund Card rules ... of course, the debt still sucks. :(

    2. Re:MBNA works fine by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 2



      Another benefit of MBNA is the availability of a disposable credit card. It works like this: you get a regular credit card from MBNA. You associate it with this "secure online" service. Now, when you want to purchase something online, you go back to MBNA ShopSafe, launch the Flash thingie, and a credit card number is generated for you--except that you determine at that time how much you would like the credit limit to be for that newly-generated card number, and when that credit card number will expire.

      I thought this was all pretty paranoid stuff until I received an email from an online vendor that said that their database had been hacked, credit card numbers were violated in particular, and they were being held ransom. (The vendor confirmed that their backend was Microsoft based--need I say more?) Perhaps the "unauthorized use" security features of a regular credit card would have protected me, but I looked around anyways--and found MBNA Shopsafe, which supports Chimera ( Mozilla) on OS X. Now I don't have to worry.

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
  3. Just fake them by photon317 · · Score: 2


    Often times the web interface is actually standards-compliant enough that Mozilla works fine, and it's just a matter of their detecting your browser id string and rejecting you out of hand. You can fake this string to make them believe you're running IE, and the problem is solved.

    Now if, on the other hand, they're using IE-isms like ActiveX, you're back to square one.

    --
    11*43+456^2
    1. Re:Just fake them by JimR · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No - don't do this. If you fake your user agent it may help you in the short term, but in the long run it will make the people who run the web service think that the only clients they need to support are IE, and then one day when they use some component that is only available on IE you'll be stuffed.

      --
      #exclude <ms/windows.h>
    2. Re:Just fake them by photon317 · · Score: 2


      In the case that Mozilla is being rejected, they already believe that the only clients they need to support are IE. Quite frankly, when you consider the mass internet population as a whole, IE is pretty much the only browser around anyways. Mozilla, Opera and other superior browsers account for a very small corner of the browserspace. It's sad, but it's true, and if I were a bank suit in charge of online banking, coming from a traditional background, I'd probably support only IE as well, it makes sense to them. Of course if I were the real me of today I would support open standards and interoperability, but that's not the point here :)

      --
      11*43+456^2
  4. AT&T Universal Card by spaceling · · Score: 2, Informative

    My account with AT&T Universal Card has been working for me with Mozilla since 0.9.8

  5. discover by pretzel_logic · · Score: 2, Informative

    Discover card works fine for me with Mozilla 1.1

    --

    pretzel_logic
  6. MBNA by tswinzig · · Score: 2

    MBNA works fine with Mozilla.

    So does American Express. Never leave your home[page] without it.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."
  7. Canadian banks are browser agnostic by c.r.o.c.o · · Score: 2

    I am not familiar with the US banks and CC companies, but my bank has no browser bias at all. I'm a client with TD Canada Trust, and I can use whichever browser I choose. Their site works in Mozilla on any platform (tried it on many versions of Linux, Win, and MacOS), Phoenix, IE. I don't know if other browsers work, although they should. Well, except Links and lynx, I have a very hard time imagining how the pages would render text only, and at 40cents per log in, I don't feel like trying.

    This is also true of of Royal Bank (where other members of my family have accounts), and also of Scotia Bank.

    One tip I can give you (although it's very obvious), before you become a client of any other bank or CC company, ask the sales person about the browsers they support. Or if that person does not know, have someone else call you back with the information. They'll make money off you, so my bet is they'll call.

    Oh, one last thing, make it clear to CapitalOne that the reason you're canceling their service is because they don't support your browser of choice. That'll get their attention a bit.

    1. Re:Canadian banks are browser agnostic by Blkdeath · · Score: 2
      I have to agree with you. TD Canada Trust and ScotiaBank work fine for me. I have accounts with both that don't charge me for use of their online services, FWIW, but I do have a monthly transaction limit with Scotia (my primary bank).

      The DUCA Credit Union also appears to be Mozilla / Netscape friendly.

      A tip; ask the banks if they support "Netscape Communicator". That usually indicates whether they're at all biased. There are, however, some pages (I can't recall specifics at this time. I believe Sprint Canada's website is one such culprit) who support Communicator 4.x, but not 6, which leaves Mozilla in the lurch.

      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

    2. Re:Canadian banks are browser agnostic by Sherloqq · · Score: 2

      While I have no comments on either CIBC or TD, my wife could certainly tell you a few hair-raising stories about both. The amount of bad press both of these banks have received in the past year makes me question their business practices. Even if their website were immaculate, I will not trust my money to banks that mismanage funds in accounts, close accounts with no warning, do not monitor accounts for unusual activity or do not punish drives of armored cars who leave bags of money at ATM locations.

      If you'd like to learn more, read the archives of Global News (canada.com), The Hamilton Spectator or The Toronto Star.

      --
      Have EVDO, will travel.
  8. This may or may not help . . . by jimmu · · Score: 2

    But I use Key Bank. I frequently use their web banking with Mozilla (Well, Chimera, but tis the same renderer) and have never ha any problems. Being a bank, I would presume they offer credit cards, but it would only help if you have a key bank in your area.

    I've talked to some of the people who have coded for citibank, and they tell me (although I haven't tested it myself) that their web software should work just fine with mozilla.

    --

    ----
    One of us needs to stick ones' head in a bucket of ice water.
    - Hobbes
  9. Err...no by 0x0d0a · · Score: 2

    If you have to constantly interact with their browser-based interface, this *is* an issue. I can quite reasonably see choosing a bank (at least the one to do your CC business) based on whether or not it supports your computing environment, if you do any significant amount of e-purchasing.

  10. Well... by EzInKy · · Score: 2

    ...being as how I only have to pay my credit card but once a month or less I just fire up Konq, click on tools, and change my browser ID to IE 5.5 on Win 98. Takes all of about a minute or so. Every now and then I email the company and tell them how silly it is that they won't take credit for supporting something that they actually do, and then go my merry way with Moz.

    I do admire you taking a stand though B-)

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  11. Some sites by mcelrath · · Score: 2
    I use UmbrellaBank (an on-line bank based out of Milwaukee -- they pay interest on checking accounts) and MBNA (a big honking credit card company).

    Both allow me to use Mozilla/Galeon.

    -- Bob

    --
    1^2=1; (-1)^2=1; 1^2=(-1)^2; 1=-1; 1=0.
  12. Just install Netscape. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 3, Informative

    And use Netscape for CapitalOne. Or change your useragent string.

    It's not rocket science.

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    1. Re:Just install Netscape. by mosch · · Score: 2
      or install the mozilla prefbar, which gives you a handy dropdown of user-agents to fake.

      or get a credit card that doesn't make those god-awful advertisements.

  13. Summary by DeadSea · · Score: 5, Informative

    Gopher uses Mozilla with his MBNA Card.

    AmDrEx points to Discover Card.

    tswinzig says that American Express works fine.

    spaceling points out that you could get an AT&T Universal Card.

    inepom01 recommends Chase Manhattan.

    An Anonymous Coward says that he uses Providian.

    Several folks have also pointed out online banks that they use:

  14. I've had no trouble with mint that are online by barzok · · Score: 2

    That's Discover, JC Penney, and Key Bank Mastercard.

  15. Me too! by Pointer80 · · Score: 2

    I have 2 CapitalOne Gold cards that my family uses. I will be cancelling them too. I used to keep an old version of Netscape on the box just so that I could access their site for online payments. I even went so far as to email their support and ask them if they had any plans to support Mozilla, but they responded in the negative. It's odd that a site built with php (it still is, right?) wouldn't support an open source browser.

    Our other cards are with Providian and Discover. Providian's website works really well under Mozilla and their telephone cusomter service is excellent. We don't use the Discover card that often, so I don't remember how well that site works with Mozilla. :\

    /pointer

    --
    [%- PROCESS life -%]
  16. HSBC by Trevelyan · · Score: 2

    My banks online banking service works fine with mozilla.
    I duno if you have HSBC where you at, but it is a big international bank. It lets you use ebanking for your credit cards, current accounts and saving accounts.

    Here in the UK, HSBC took over Midland bank, and I beleive it stands for Hong-Kong and Singapore Banking C-somthing =) (with some effort I could probably look it up)

  17. HSBC by xiox · · Score: 2
    I have a HSBC card here in the UK, and I can do my normal banking and look at my credit card transactions with Mozilla 1.2.

    If you are going to change card, make sure you tell them why you are leaving them. If enough people do that they'll realise their browser policy is stupid and is losing customers. You might want to mention that AOL might be using a Gecko based browser in their next software release.

  18. Capital One by GoRK · · Score: 2

    Why don't you get rid of your Capital One card because they are a shitty company with no ethics and your interest rate sucks? Forget their website.

  19. CitiBank / Washington Mutual by mbrubeck · · Score: 2

    Yes, the CitiBank site works with Mozilla. Washington Mutual uses it for online credit-card management.

  20. Wells Fargo by bwt · · Score: 2

    I use Wells Fargo for both my ordinary banking and my Visa card. I can do all my banking using mozilla. For example, I can transfer money from my checking account to my Visa card to pay it off. In fact, you can set it up to automatically make a payment. Additionally, they have overdraft protection, so if I bound a check, it rolls over to the credit card. They also have online bill pay, which does an e-transfer if possible or snail-mails a physical check if not.

    Combine this with their ATM/Check card and I never go to the bank and I never buy stamps. Hell, I don't even go to the ATM that much since everybody takes check cards these days. Oh, and WF will respond to service requests by email if you want.

    The only downside is their credit card interest rate isn't that good, but you shouldn't be carrying a balance month-to-month anyway.

  21. Citibank works sporadically by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 2

    And the javascript parts to it don't work at all on Mozilla. But at 6.4% (before the most recent rate cut) I'm not about to switch just 'cause of my browser.

  22. A commercial I want to see... by McCart42 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The husband purchases lots of goods on credit, shows them to his wife. The wife says, "But dear, what about those credit interest fees?" Monsters approach menacingly. The husband replies with a smile, "Don't worry, I put it on my Capital One no-hassle card!" Monsters groan. Just then...*THUD* *THUD* *THUD*...and *CHOMP* Mozilla bites his head off, roaring "But your site doesn't work with my browser!!"
    Or...maybe not.

    --
    "I may be quite wrong." - Socrates
  23. Re:Capitalone Does Support Mozilla by Wonko42 · · Score: 2

    Yep, it works fine for me too, although it didn't a few weeks ago. I'm not sure when they made the change.

  24. Better tech may equal better rates by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 2
    choose banks based on their interest, their customer service...
    Browser support is part of customer service. Re-read Jahn Rentmeister's essay from 1996, "This page optimized for ..." - arguing with customers -. Swap Netscape with MSIE and the same arguments apply.

    Regarding better rates, my 2 cents are a few years ago I switched from an MSIE-only back to one with a normal, browser independent interface. A side effect was much better rates, lower service fees, and an handful of unexpected perks.

    It's definitely worth checking around. If they have their act together on the technology, then they likely have it together elsewhere. That said, I did talk several times with the old bank to let them know about my requirements. There was no technical reason for them to block non-Microsoft browsers, it appeared only that they were letting their ideology get in the way of their business sense.

    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
  25. First Niagara Bank, Household Bank (GM Card) by Sherloqq · · Score: 2

    First Niagara Bank (formerly known as Lockport Savings) is a regional bank in Western New York, although their recent acquisitions and mergers have given them presence in Pennsylvania as well (AFAIK). Their web-based banking system is simple yet powerful, is browser-neutral and does not require Java (for those of us using Unix/Linux and being too lazy to get their JavaVM plugins working). Their online service is free for most types of accounts, but you will have to pay a monthly fee for any month in which you perform online transactions (such as bill payments, money transfers etc.). I find their web service to be a great tool to check up on your account status.

    Household / Online Bank's web site used to be browser neutral as well. Then a few months ago they started using "scripts" (as a phone rep told me) which were only IE compatible, and left me out in the cold. I've complained a few times to them, hinting at leaving them (even tho I had no desire to do do). Something changed (maybe a few more people complained) and their website can be viewed with Galeon once again, though some weird artifacts do show up on certain pages. Once again, the website gives me all the information I need about my account and is easy to navigate.

    So much for the online experience. Now, the in-person experience.

    I've been with First Niagara for a few years now, and I have nothing but praise for them. The clerks are always nice and helpful, staff is friendly and knowledgeable (and when they're not, they admit it and get you an answer at a later time, having consulted with those who know). No hidden fees, full-disclosure, no-hassle banking that's worked like a charm.

    My GM Card has been great too. Both their phone support as well as email support are great, and while the experience is less personal, they still get the job done and done well. They are professional, and email responses are rather prompt (usually responses arrive within 24 hours, though I don't recall them actually promising any specific turn-around time anywhere). They stick to what they say, and expect you to do the same -- pretty reasonable, if you ask me.

    For more info, check out First Niagara's website and GM Card's home on the web.

    --
    Have EVDO, will travel.
  26. O/T - Constructive Criticism *is* Always Welcome! by Cliff · · Score: 2
    I'm sorry for ranting, but I'm sick of how Ask Slashdot is being done. Most people don't have an "answer," so they criticize the question. Or in other cases, they attempt to give the obvious answer, regardless of being covered in one of the links! People don't Ask Slashdot to get majorly dissed.
    As the person that primarily runs this section, if you have ideas to improve how Ask Slashdot is run, I'd be glad to hear them. E-mail is preferred, but that journal entry would work just as well.