How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

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stlrick
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How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

Post by stlrick »

I recently ran into a problem with a Chase Visa card and want to look for Visa offered by a different bank.

My wife made a large purchase out of town. She tried to use her Chase Visa card and the transaction was declined. No options, no explanation. The store simply said the transaction had been declined. In the few previous experiences we have had with something like this, there has never been a no-recourse disapproval. It has always been something like needing to show photo ID, or to talk on the phone to the credit card company to verify our ID. On the other hand, I think that most of those purchases involved an American Express card.

When I spoke with a Chase "supervisor" in the fraud department, and asked why they did not simply have a procedure of requesting the merchant to ask for a photo ID, they said they did not do that. The bottom line is that their fraud procedures protect them, but provide no service to me (i.e., their customer). When they simply decline a transaction, they have no idea of what complications it may be causing at the other end, and apparently, they do not care. This had nothing to do with our credit limit, credit history, or payments. I've had this card for 20 years, never carry a balance, and have never been past-due with a payment.

Does anyone have experience or know anything about differences between issuers of Visa cards with regard to how they handle these situations?

Thanks,
Rick
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dm200
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Re: How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

Post by dm200 »

stlrick wrote:I recently ran into a problem with a Chase Visa card and want to look for Visa offered by a different bank.

My wife made a large purchase out of town. She tried to use her Chase Visa card and the transaction was declined. No options, no explanation. The store simply said the transaction had been declined. In the few previous experiences we have had with something like this, there has never been a no-recourse disapproval. It has always been something like needing to show photo ID, or to talk on the phone to the credit card company to verify our ID. On the other hand, I think that most of those purchases involved an American Express card.

When I spoke with a Chase "supervisor" in the fraud department, and asked why they did not simply have a procedure of requesting the merchant to ask for a photo ID, they said they did not do that. The bottom line is that their fraud procedures protect them, but provide no service to me (i.e., their customer). When they simply decline a transaction, they have no idea of what complications it may be causing at the other end, and apparently, they do not care. This had nothing to do with our credit limit, credit history, or payments. I've had this card for 20 years, never carry a balance, and have never been past-due with a payment.

Does anyone have experience or know anything about differences between issuers of Visa cards with regard to how they handle these situations?

Thanks,
Rick
It has not happened a lot over the years, but when a credit card is declined by a merchant, I have never received any explanation from the merchant. Neither have I ever been able (at the merchant) to do anythig to remedy the situation. The only answer has been, "Contact the credit card issuer."
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Post by tfb »

Some transactions will be declined by the automated system. No system is perfect. If you as the cardholder calls the issuer, they will be able to override the system after verifying you as the legit customer. Either call or use a different card.
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etarini
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Post by etarini »

tfb is right - if you call the credit card 800 number, they can override a rejection. This happened to me while I was traveling (apparently a typical red flag), visiting my dad in Fort Myers (I live in the Boston area). We bought a couple of clothing items at a major department store, then went to another department to buy my wife a dress and it was declined. I showed them my ID to no avail.

I had the same history with my credit card, i.e., pay immediately, never carry a balance, had the card for many years, was not even within $15,000 of my limit, etc., and I was embarrassed and furious. I called the number on the back of the card, explained the situation, handed to phone to the clerk, and then the transaction was accepted.

Of the dozens of times I've visited other cities, this was the only time a purchase was rejected.

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Re: How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

Post by ickeal »

stlrick wrote:
My wife made a large purchase out of town. She tried to use her Chase Visa card and the transaction was declined. No options, no explanation.
I would like to have a card like this to protect me. Making a large purchase out of time is a red flag. You didn't provide dollar amount.

What you should have done:

Call Chase and inform them that you are travelling out of town and are likely to make a large purchase. This will ensure that Chase is already aware of the purchase and location. Ensures that the purchase will be approved.
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Post by livesoft »

I've had the store clerk in the UK call the cc company in the US to get something approved.

Another time, I've just used a different cc.

I was never embarrassed and never furious. This happens all the time to folks who use their cc away from their home base.

The idea to call ahead of trips is prudent. It is sometimes stated in a bill insert that this is what you should do. I've called ahead and still had the problem.

It interesting to be travelling when using your card. Say you fly from Houston to Chicago, then on to Boston in the same day. You buy coffee and a Danish in the airport in Houston, eat lunch in Chicago, then go out to a nice dinner in Boston. And your spouse uses your card info to buy something online while you are flying. Does that look suspicious?
Last edited by livesoft on Sun May 09, 2010 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mediahound »

Same thing happened to me with Chase Freedom Visa, more than once and even after I told them I sometimes make large purchases. Sorta sucks.

AMEX has never declined any charge of mine whatsoever, even very large purchases.
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Post by amarone »

livesoft wrote:This happens all the time to folks who use their cc away from their home base.
I travel a lot and have never had my cc declined while away. Maybe their systems have the ability to distinguish between someone who travels a lot, and someone who always uses their card locally, then all of a sudden does multiple purchases a long way from home.

Also, I use American Express, which others in this thread have indicated has never declined them either.
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Post by teacher_in_tx »

Among my cash back credit cards, Chase is the worst for declining transactions while traveling across state lines.

I have had my Chase Freedom card fraud-locked by Chase on multiple instances, all involving legitimate transactions. My last telephone call with Chase went something like this:

Me: "The state border is less than 50 miles from where I live. I cross the state line frequently for purchases. Can you add a note to not block these purchases in the future?"
Chase Fraud Rep: "I'll add a note, sir, but it may still be locked. If a transaction comes up in another state, it's going to raise a flag in the automated system. Just give us a call if you're locked again." (paraphrasing)

The representative told me that most of it is automated, and thus the notes may not make much of a difference.

Oh well. It's annoying, but ultimately it's not an end-of-world situation.

-mike
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Re: How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

Post by bearwolf »

stlrick wrote: Does anyone have experience or know anything about differences between issuers of Visa cards with regard to how they handle these situations?

Thanks,
Rick
I usually travel with 2 and sometimes 3 credit cards. I'm surprised more charges don't get declined with all of the credit card fraud going on. The last couple of times I've been declined I just call the company and tell them that I am indeed using the card and they ask some security questions and approve the transaction. Since they are out the money and not me if a fraudulent transaction occurs I don't mind them being vigilant.

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Post by rr2 »

I do travel outside the US at least 1-2 times per year. The first time it happened my visa card from a major bank did decline a transaction. This was at a hotel while checking in. I had to use an alternative card. The fraud department immediately sent me an email asking me to login and verify those transactions. Since then, I have always called prior to travel and let them know that I will be using their card. No problems have recurred.

I recently started using an American Express card. So far this has never been declined.
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Post by teacher_in_tx »

rr2 wrote:I recently started using an American Express card. So far this has never been declined.
I'm starting to think that AMEX either has better algorithms, or they simply eat more fraud losses.

I've never experienced a decline on AMEX, either. (Side point: I don't use my AMEX much these days, as PenFed, Schwab Invest First, and others provide me with what I consider to be better rewards.)

-mike
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Post by nisiprius »

I say, live with it and try not to let it get you upset. Credit cards are not reliable, that's all there is to it. They get declined when they shouldn't be and you'll never get an explanation or an apology.

I have two credit cards for this very reason. On a trip I keep one in my wallet and the other elsewhere, not only giving me a backup if one is declined, but also a backup if my wallet is lost or stolen.

I've yet to have a card declined while traveling, but my wife has. She was able to call the credit card company and get it fixed.

Maybe once a year I'll get a robocall from the card company saying I should call their security department to confirm certain purchases. If I hadn't followed through before making a purchase, the next transaction would have been declined. Certain kinds of purchases seem to trigger it. For example, I once made a credit card donation over the Internet to the International Committee Red Cross--not the American National Red Cross, but the ICRC in Geneva--and my phone rang literally within minutes with a call from the credit card company's fraud department. A little creepy, actually.
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Post by ickeal »

amarone wrote:
livesoft wrote:This happens all the time to folks who use their cc away from their home base.
I travel a lot and have never had my cc declined while away. Maybe their systems have the ability to distinguish between someone who travels a lot, and someone who always uses their card locally, then all of a sudden does multiple purchases a long way from home.

Also, I use American Express, which others in this thread have indicated has never declined them either.
It depends on the purchase. Most likely you will get approved if you are making $100 dollar purchases. Most likely declined if you make a large purchase of $10000 out of state.
Last edited by ickeal on Sun May 09, 2010 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by nisiprius »

rr2 wrote:I recently started using an American Express card. So far this has never been declined.
Mine was declined under very annoying circumstances. I was enjoying a Walt Disney World vacation with my family, we were staying on the property--at Fort Wilderness Campground. Many things at Disney are best charged "to your room" (in our case, a tent), and when we checked in I gave them my Amex card. We were staying about three weeks. About one week in was met with a sour-faced maitre d' telling us to call their billing office. Their billing office said our Amex card had been declined. I called Amex and was told they had cut off credit because my charges had reached $500 (!). I said, stuttering with anger, that this was the first time I'd ever been told of such a limit. I asked why it was so low. I was told that it was because my "spending pattern" hadn't included any large purchases.

Thus I learned that the difference between an Amex card and a regular credit card is, that with a credit card you know how what your credit limit is, and with an Amex card, there is still a limit, you just have no way of knowing what it is.
Last edited by nisiprius on Sun May 09, 2010 9:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by amarone »

nisiprius wrote:Thus I learned that the difference between an Amex card and a regular credit card is, that with a credit card you know how what your credit limit is, and with an Amex card, there is still a limit, you just have no way of knowing what it is.
What you have said applies to American Express charge cards - the traditional AmEx is a charge card. American Express also has credit cards (I have a Blue Cash, which gives cash back), which have a traditional credit limit.
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Re: How does your credit card handle an unusual transaction?

Post by marco100 »

stlrick wrote:I recently ran into a problem with a Chase Visa card and want to look for Visa offered by a different bank.

My wife made a large purchase out of town. She tried to use her Chase Visa card and the transaction was declined. No options, no explanation. The store simply said the transaction had been declined. In the few previous experiences we have had with something like this, there has never been a no-recourse disapproval. It has always been something like needing to show photo ID, or to talk on the phone to the credit card company to verify our ID. On the other hand, I think that most of those purchases involved an American Express card.

When I spoke with a Chase "supervisor" in the fraud department, and asked why they did not simply have a procedure of requesting the merchant to ask for a photo ID, they said they did not do that. The bottom line is that their fraud procedures protect them, but provide no service to me (i.e., their customer). When they simply decline a transaction, they have no idea of what complications it may be causing at the other end, and apparently, they do not care. This had nothing to do with our credit limit, credit history, or payments. I've had this card for 20 years, never carry a balance, and have never been past-due with a payment.

Does anyone have experience or know anything about differences between issuers of Visa cards with regard to how they handle these situations?

Thanks,
Rick
Rick, you don't provide a lot of detail.

However--the declination may have been due to a combination of factors. It could have included the type of merchandise purchased. Perhaps this particular area had been getting a lot of fraudulent transactions, or maybe this particular merchant had been getting a lot of fraudulent transactions.
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Post by southerndoc »

amarone wrote:
livesoft wrote: Maybe their systems have the ability to distinguish between someone who travels a lot, and someone who always uses their card locally, then all of a sudden does multiple purchases a long way from home.
I think the card issuer's computer systems can factor in how many prior purchases you made away from home, online purchases, etc. The card issuers know how often you travel, how far from home you usually travel, etc. They also know who spends a lot online. When I first got my Schwab card, I was declined quite a few times while making purchases online. Was also declined during a trip to London. Since then, I've made tons of online purchases and visit London four times/year without having a single charge declined. Made one trip to Buenos Aires, and the first charge was declined. (FIA/Schwab was probably thinking "he doesn't speak Spanish!")
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Post by etarini »

I must say that I wouldn't be embarrassed or furious if it happened again, and not just because I think that a phone call would likely reverse the rejection. I realized that it wasn't an insult to my lifelong habits of being a creditworthy citizen, but simply the credit card company's desire to minimize their fraud losses.

I, too, always carry a second card for situations where the first might not be accepted, but I like nisiprius's idea of keeping them in separate places. If I'm traveling with my wife, we have additional redundancy.

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Post by stlrick »

I had no objection to the fact that the transaction was flagged - as I said, it was large and she was out of town. My question concerned the different reactions that are possible by the credit card company when the transaction is (appropriately) flagged.

She was visiting family, so it is somewhere we go (and use the Chase Visa) a minimum of 4 times per year. She handed over her American Express, which she uses much less, and completed the transaction without any further issue.
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Post by Fbone »

nisiprius wrote:I say, live with it and try not to let it get you upset.
Australian Outback. Card declined. No international-operating phone. Stranded 10,618 miles from home.

I trust you'll forgive me if I became moderately upset.

Subsequently, I carried foreign currency. Lots of it.
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Post by MWCA »

Call the CC company before you travel. Let them know. Works for me. Rather than get furious or carry tons of cash...
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Post by Sidney »

MWCA wrote:Call the CC company before you travel. Let them know. Works for me. Rather than get furious or carry tons of cash...
I also try to call before I travel and let them know there will be charges from different locations. Especially if I am moving around from place to place quickly.
I always wanted to be a procrastinator.
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Post by dratkinson »

Back when the grocery stores were selling money at 10% off, I tried to buy several large gifts cards to maximize the rewards. Chase eventually rejected a purchase and I called the 800-number on the card back using the store phone at the customer service desk.

An automated system answered and walked me through the process to confirm "I is me". Took less than 5 minutes, the flagged purchase was reversed, and the purchase was accepted. A little frustrating initially, but an interesting learning experience otherwise.

The nice thing about Chase's (any) automated phone system is it has no personality and didn't get defensive with me; so I stayed calmer than I otherwise might have and didn't blow up at the store staff.

It is always a good day when I can avoid making a (greater?) fool of myself. :)
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Post by KyleAAA »

I also had that happen. I had ordered a guitar from an internet retailer out of state and the transaction was declined. I got an automated voice mail from chase saying to call them to ask about it, but the transaction was declined. Since the transaction was for an extremely time-sensitive sale, I lost out on the sale price (it was several hundred dollars). I eventually got the vendor to give me the sale price even though the deal had expired, but Chase did not apologize.

The vendor was Carvin, and I highly recommend them. Great customer service, as they were under no obligation to give me the deal anyway.
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Post by Scottner »

southerndoc wrote:When I first got my Schwab card, I was declined quite a few times while making purchases online.
Schwab is among the best rewards cards out there and has generous benefits, but I too have experienced numerous declines, including declines at B&M stores. Things have gotten better, but during the first 6 months with the card, they really tried my patience. I understand them wanting to protect themselves, but they do so at the expense and inconvenience of their customers. They probably don't care about that part though.
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Post by DiscoBunny1979 »

nisiprius wrote:
rr2 wrote:I recently started using an American Express card. So far this has never been declined.
Mine was declined under very annoying circumstances. I was enjoying a Walt Disney World vacation with my family, we were staying on the property--at Fort Wilderness Campground. Many things at Disney are best charged "to your room" (in our case, a tent), and when we checked in I gave them my Amex card. We were staying about three weeks. About one week in was met with a source-faced maitre d' telling us to call their billing office. Their billing office said our Amex card had been declined. I called Amex and was told they had cut off credit because my charges had reached $500 (!). I said, stuttering with anger, that this was the first time I'd ever been told of such a limit. I asked why it was so low. I was told that it was because my "spending pattern" hadn't included any large purchases.

Thus I learned that the difference between an Amex card and a regular credit card is, that with a credit card you know how what your credit limit is, and with an Amex card, there is still a limit, you just have no way of knowing what it is.
-------------

I know how you feel. I once had an AMEX Gold Card, which I was informed had no limit. It turns out that when you first get the card, there is no limit. But over the first year you own it, AMEX takes notice of your spending habbits and creates a limit based upon your average purchase history. In order to go over that ceiling, you have to phone AMEX to get the approval. Once you start making different spending habbits, AMEX raises that limit to cover your new purchase patterns. But it's best to maintain your spending pattern from the beginning or else, don't use AMEX.
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Post by Fbone »

MWCA wrote:Call the CC company before you travel. Let them know. Works for me. Rather than get furious or carry tons of cash...
I did call beforehand. Probably declined by their automatic fraud alert system.

I no longer depend on credit cards while traveling and always have a back-up payment method available.
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Post by nisiprius »

Fbone wrote:
nisiprius wrote:I say, live with it and try not to let it get you upset.
Australian Outback. Card declined. No international-operating phone. Stranded 10,618 miles from home.

I trust you'll forgive me if I became moderately upset.

Subsequently, I carried foreign currency. Lots of it.
I said "try." :)

And, by the way, how did you resolve the situation? Or did you post your message from the Australian outback, where you are still a virtual prisoner until you have sheared enough sheep to earn your passage back?
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Post by markpa »

livesoft wrote:\It interesting to be travelling when using your card. Say you fly from Houston to Chicago, then on to Boston in the same day. You buy coffee and a Danish in the airport in Houston, eat lunch in Chicago, then go out to a nice dinner in Boston. And your spouse uses your card info to buy something online while you are flying. Does that look suspicious?
Very funny you wrote this.

I flew from HOU, to BWI, to BUF today. Bought items with my card at each location. Bought an item from ebay before the 1st flight and from staples at the 2nd. Credit card company didn't even flinch.

They did go crazy last week when a merchant mistyped the expiration date, and block all transactions untill I called in.

Having a CC declined is an annoyance but I have it happen very frequently. A couple years back I had a CC turned off six times on one day (black friday) all on card-present swiped transactions from merchants in my hometown that I've used before. Some issuers have much better systems than others.
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Post by S&L1940 »

I have had credit card companies contact me when my spend pattern was out of the norm.

years ago when I used Bell South - now ATT - they processed my CC payment out of Atlanta for my Florida phone bill and the CC company questioned that!

more than once I have had companies send me new cards out of the blue saying my card had been compromised without any further explanation. the security oversight is welcome but sometimes inconvenient. the electronic world and the automatic business rules that run it cause crazy stuff - like the 1,000 point market drop last week.
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Post by Live Free or Diehard »

Chase put a block on one of my credit cards when I was travelling. I found out when I tried to use my card at lunch on the third day of my trip and it was declined. I just used another credit card and called them afterwards. Their fraud unit put a hold on my card when the hotel put their request through. I told them it was me and they removed the hold. When I got home I had several phone messages from their fraud unit .

Another time I was making several large purchases when I was visiting my brother and Discover Card put a hold on my credit card. The checkout clerk called Discover Card customer services, gave me the phone, I identified myself and they removed the hold. Appartently they thought charges of several thousand dollars at two different musical intrument stores 500 miles from my home was unusual.
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Post by exigent »

I've had banks put a fraud hold on a card if we deviated drastically from our "normal" spending pattern. Just had to call and answer a few questions. Inconvenient, but I understand why they do it.
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Post by livesoft »

Live Free or Diehard wrote:...Another time I was making several large purchases when I was visiting my brother and Discover Card put a hold on my credit card. The checkout clerk called Discover Card customer services, gave me the phone, I identified myself and they removed the hold. Appartently they thought charges of several thousand dollars at two different musical intrument stores 500 miles from my home was unusual.
I imagine that can be scary for the clerk: Do I have a credit card thief in front of me trying to abscond with several thousand dollars worth of instruments?
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Post by OAG »

tfb wrote:Some transactions will be declined by the automated system. No system is perfect. If you as the cardholder calls the issuer, they will be able to override the system after verifying you as the legit customer. Either call or use a different card.
This was exactly our experience last month. We were traveling when the card got declined. Called VISA got it reinstated - took about 15 minutes. I was told by VISA to call my issuer and have them put a "traveling memo" on the account, which I did along with an estimated "return to home area date". IF we had done that before leaving home there would have been no problem. Seems like it was actually a good course of action (but a bit of a PITA at the time) - although I think the card companies and issuers could do a better job of educating the users in this area.
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Post by gouldnm »

I had my card declined when I bought my first computer at Best Buy. It got flagged because I don't have a habit of making large electronics purchases.

The second time my husband and I were visiting my family in Chicago. We both have credit cards from Chase that we got completely separately (years before we were married). My mother was ill and housebound, so we decided to purchase a flat screen TV for her. First I tried to charge it, and my card was declined. Then my husband tried. Same thing. It ended up that we had to call Chase to get them to approve the transaction. Seems they didn't like us purchasing expensive electronic equipment while out-of-state.

It wasn't a big deal except that the merchant had never seen this kind of thing before. You'd think that would be standard operating procedure that when a card is declined to tell the customer to call up their credit card company.
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Post by Live Free or Diehard »

livesoft wrote:
Live Free or Diehard wrote:...Another time I was making several large purchases when I was visiting my brother and Discover Card put a hold on my credit card. The checkout clerk called Discover Card customer services, gave me the phone, I identified myself and they removed the hold. Appartently they thought charges of several thousand dollars at two different musical intrument stores 500 miles from my home was unusual.
I imagine that can be scary for the clerk: Do I have a credit card thief in front of me trying to abscond with several thousand dollars worth of instruments?
In this case I don't think he was too worried. I had been in there several times before making smaller purchases (individual cymbals and snare drums, etc.). Everytime I visited my brother I'd stop in and make purchases (because the prices where better there than where I live). On this occassion I bought a brand new 7-piece drum set. I imagine places like that which make large sales are used to cards getting put on hold. I also wouldn't have been able to get out of there with all that equipment without the card going through.
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Post by Fbone »

nisiprius wrote:
Fbone wrote:
nisiprius wrote:I say, live with it and try not to let it get you upset.
Australian Outback. Card declined. No international-operating phone. Stranded 10,618 miles from home.

I trust you'll forgive me if I became moderately upset.

Subsequently, I carried foreign currency. Lots of it.
I said "try." :)

And, by the way, how did you resolve the situation?[/i] Or did you post your message from the Australian outback, where you are still a virtual prisoner until you have sheared enough sheep to earn your passage back?


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