POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints
each of Elizabeth H. Mai and Liane Browne, signing singly, the undersigned's
true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1)     execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer and/or director of Advanta Corp. (the "Company"), a Form
ID, and any other documents necessary or appropriate to obtain codes and
passwords enabling the undersigned to make electronic filings with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the   "SEC"), complete and
execute any amendment or amendments thereto, and timely file such forms and/or
documents with the SEC or similar authority and the Company.

(2)     execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer and/or director of the Company, Forms 3, 4, and 5 in
accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the
rules thereunder;

(3)     do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4,
or 5, complete and execute any amendment or amendments thereto, and timely file
such form with the SEC, any stock exchange, quotation service or similar
authority, and the Company; and

(4)     take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to,
in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the
undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall
contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such
attorney-in-fact's discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or
could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming,
nor is the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply
with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,
unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact.





        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to
        be executed as of this 10th day of November, 2004.


                                    Dennis Alter