Righty….

Tried to use ATM in Schipol last week – NO!

Arrived in US – NO!

Called card company from hotel – usual being passed from one section to another. Result was $150 phone bill.

Now…whilst I appreciate the card company having a system which alerts and puts a security stop due to ‘abnormal transaction patterns’, I am now $150 out of pocket (yes, I know it could have been worse…).

Card company did not call my mobile, home or send text, etc to alert me beyond me finding out by default.

So, what probability that they will reimburse me for my costs to resolve?

Did you alert them that you’d be travelling and using your card?

When going abroad it’s a good idea to tell your card issue so they’ll allow transactions to go ahead. It’s also worth checking to see if the provide an international number for card problems as it works out cheaper. Your chances are slim.

As uplink says, did you tell them? I once found myself trying to check out of a hotel in India with a flight to catch only to find all my cards refused – like you I had to make the expensive phone call, fortunately on a company phone so it didn’t cost me anything but was still somewhat annoyed. Since then I’ve always made sure I told them and after a lot of pestering they now let you lodge your travelling in advance on their web site.

I had similar with HSBC recently but they have a reverse charges service that you can use if calling from abroad.
Off the back of that I would suggest you might have some grounds to claim something back?

I never bother informing my cc company that I will travel, as its more than likely somebody will try and rip me off abroad.

And tbh trying to take cash out against a card is something you’d want stopping anyway.

Part of life, but couldn’t you have called toll-free?

And tbh trying to take cash out against a card is something you’d want stopping anyway

que?

http://www.lloydstsb.com/debit_card.asp

So…nothing about calling them in advance…and no toll free or reverse charges number….

So…nothing about calling them in advance..

I think it’s more to do with people hearing anecdotes like yours that makes them think a quick email in advance could be worth it rather than standard bank policy

HSBC stopped by card because of suspected fraud this week. When i spoke to them it turned out it was fraud, but they had to send me a replacement card anyway because fraud has been detected. So i’m without my debit card for a week 🙁

got caught once , had all my cards stopped trying to pay for a hotel in houston.

despite nationwides policy saying you didnt have to tell them !
they did how ever phone me on the hotel lobby phone to sort it after i told them that it would cost me a fortune on my mobile !

i now phone all CC companys when traveling outside europe – esp when im going to less desirable places. – people i work with were shocked when their cards got stopped in west africa – DUH ! – a kick in the arse from nigeria what did you really expect!!

We had this with Natwest. We were in India (cash orientated country) MrPP tried to get cash out of the cash point (using joint account card), got a fraud call we answered all the questions, I use the joint account card nothing, went to an internet cafe, no account even on the screen could not transfer the money to a different account. Quite a lot of irate calls followed then both of our cards were active. A curt letter to Natwest when we returned with a list of charges incurred by 3 stops on the card and indicating that you can not take rupees into or out of the country etc a copy of all charges incurred credit appeared a week later (it was approx £70 in total). Did not have a problem with Lloyds-TSB when we were out there. It is no good ringing them as it makes no difference (we had informed them we were traveling). If you do not ask you will never know. I never claimed for the first call as I said in the letter it was to our best interest.

The challenge I had was that I was in Denmark and Poland a little over a month ago with no card issues…..and earlier in the year holiday in France – no probs.

I’m grateful for the security…but I was intending buying a new wheel for my bike….

@Benz why did you use a hotel phone? Surely a mobile would be cheaper (well under a £1 a minute in europe).

There doesn’t seem to be any way to stop this completely although ringing the bank first helps. It’s European countries that catch me out. France is no problem but Italy is a big fraud risk so usually blocked there.

I lost my rag with them the first time they gave me the “ring first” line as even now there is nothing on their website to tell you that. They did tell me I could reverse the charges for the call which, though possibly difficult with a language barrier, is easier than trying to claim back

My approach is to have a different credit card for use abroad (mainly because it had no fees). It would be suspicious only if I used it in the UK. Not sure if it is just luck that means I don’t get it blocked tho’

Interestingly the main offender for security alerts on my “UK” credit card is EVERY TIME I book flights with Ryan Air. EVERY TIME!

lloyds are useless

twice ive called them to tell them ill be traveling abroad and twice i get there to find my cards dont work

useless (&*()@)*!

The same happened to me…I was in Hong Kong on business and my cards wouldn’t work.

Fortunately I used my work mobile (afterall, it was their fault I was there), god knows how much it cost though.

Basically, the card companies told me that I need to tell them when I’m going abroad (apparently it’s in the small print).

Nicolai….simples….because it was handiest and given that you have to generally enter some numbers on a touch phone to get anywhere before speaking to a real person, used the hotel phone – given I have a touch phone and have no idea how to access the number pad whilst actually engaged on a call plus did not want to risk being cut-off at any point.

However, now resolved….spoke with their fraud dept who asked whether I had been called by them – answer was not, not on my mobile or even on my home line (which would not be so clever…). Appears error on their part.

They asked how much the call was – told them USD cost, they came back with an offer of compensation which was less than the cost of the call. I obviously rejected that and stated that I only wanted to recover my costs so spelled out USD cost, appropriate exchange rate and GBP amount expected. Bit more on-hold time and they agreed – funds will apparently be deposited to my bank account today or by midday tomorrow.

A happy ending – well it will be when I actually see the deposit in my bank account.

Touch screen mobile phone…not a real number pad as such….

similar thing happened to me, I HAD contacted them and told them where I was going. Was in a particularly bad mood, so got my wife to hold the phone in the UK up to the laptop and rant at some bod about their total incompetence! (I had told them I was going to Japan and upon arrival tried to pay for a hotel – which they blocked).
Their fraud department wanted me to phone them between 9-5 uk time.
Pretty pathetic service – capital one.