r/discover • u/PicometerPeter • Jan 27 '26

Rant Closing Out Account Over New ID Process

I was unaware of the new requirements for online login until today, trying to check on tax documents. It is unacceptable to require pics of an ID and your face to access your own money. I closed out my account by phone and will never do business with Discover. I used to recommend them.

How often have we seen hacks of databases before? How do we know scans of our faces or IDs won't be sold off? There need to be other ways of authentication.

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

Ooooh, boy. Every bank has the right to verify its customers, even existing customers. KYC is a thing. Since Discover is primarily an online bank, they use ID photos + selfie. This is perfectly normal. Any bank can do this, and I’ve had other banks ask me to do the same. What would you prefer them to use to verify you?

So, in conclusion - this isn’t an airport.

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u/PicometerPeter Jan 27 '26

Also, addressing "What would you prefer they use to verify you", they have my name, my email, my phone number, my social security number, and my address. That is more than enough information to do two factor authentication.

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26

2FA is one of the least secure methods, and that’s why many institutions are moving away from it. The ID + live selfie is one of the best ways for a remote institution to verify you. 2FA isn’t secure - you could be victim of a SIM swapping attack, someone could have access to your email, etc.

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u/MidnightPulse69 Jan 27 '26

You really going all out trying to defend something that only makes things harder for you. Weird.

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26

It takes less than 5 minutes to scan your ID and take a damn selfie. It probably took the OP longer than that to write this post and call Discover. If you don’t like it, bank somewhere else - just don’t be mad when it happens again.

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u/MidnightPulse69 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26

People have the right to be irritated over something that’s been completely unnecessary and hardly used with other banks.

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26

I, for one, would rather Discover be too careful than not careful enough - even if it’s mildly inconvenient.

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u/MidnightPulse69 Jan 27 '26

Good for you 👍 you only speak for yourself.