Hello, Bank, I am traveling out of state

[HockeyMom]

We have our account in Florida, but we travel frequently back to NY to see our kids. I came back on Saturday for the birth of my first grandchild. Last Sunday, I went to the caterer to pay for the food for my daughter's baby shower. My card was refused. What? So we got back in the car and went to an ATM machine to get the cash. Card refused again and said "irregular activity". Oh, no. Called the number and the rep said it was because the account was in Florida and I was trying to use it in NY! What???? We have been doing this for the last 10 years, and as recently as last Christmas! Not only very frustrating, but extremely embarrassing at the caterer.

So now whenever we plan to leave the state, we have to notify the bank where we are going? A couple of times a year we drive up to NY. Hey, bank, let me see. How many different states will we using that card in and have to call them???? There are times when my husband travels out of state for business and I stay home. Yikes. Card being using in two different states at the same time?????? The bank now has to monitor our lives?

When did they start doing this? Has this happened to anyone else?

[LiberalFighter]

1. What happens when you make a purchase from home

to a place out of state? Seems your bank is stupid.

[yeoman6987]

5. The bank is great!

Ensuring you don't get screwed out of your hard earned money.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. I'm a trucker living in FL....

And I travel all over the southeast as well as out to California and have had zero problems with my bank.

Perhaps your bank has been hit with a lot of fraud lately.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

22. Or it could be...

that your bank is accustomed to your travel frequency and patterns, and it doesn't raise any red flags.

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. When I opened the account with this bank I may very well have indicated I was a trucker..

whether that info was coded in, so to speak, is anyone's guess.

[sharp_stick]

25. Probably not coded

they just notice over time the number of different places that you purchase stuff and it's not red flagged when it happens.

My bank is used to my travels but when I'm heading overseas I let them, and AMEX, know that I'll be using the cards overseas. AMEX will call me right away if they notice a strange purchase just to make sure.

[dlwickham]

78. don't you have to list your occupation when you opened the account

[pnwmom]

75. And that could be because you're always traveling a lot, so they expect it.

What they're looking for is people who are suddenly doing something that's not part of their usual pattern.

[OKNancy]

3. I thought this was common knowledge. It's for your protection

Whenever I travel, I call my bank card a few days or even a week ahead. My bank is very courteous.
That way, they know some crook hasn't taken your card.

[LWolf]

11. I'm 54 and have never notified my bank about out of state travels.

Of course, I haven't left the state in almost a decade, but before that, I traveled out of state frequently and never had a problem.

Common knowledge? This is the first time I've heard of it.

[OKNancy]

17. I think this procedure has been accepted in the last 5 years or so

many links: https://www.google.com/#q=notify+bank+before+travel&safe=off

[LWolf]

20. I'll be traveling out of state next fall.

5 years is a blink when you've got half a century + under your belt. I'll look into it, but I don't like it. It feels to me like a further invasion of whatever privacy I once thought I had...having to announce my location and traveling plans to be able to access my own money.

[pnwmom]

74. You would almost certainly get a fraud alert put on your account

if you left your state for the first time in almost a decade, because they freeze your account temporarily if they see you doing something out of your usual pattern. So if you're going to do that, just call the number on the back of your card and tell them where you're going to be traveling.

It is a pain to have it denied while you're away!

[seveneyes]

4. Possibly the bank had a block of acct numbers hit by scammers

That was the reason my bank used several years ago. Better safe than sorry in some cases.

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. BoA used to do that to me as long as 10 years ago.

I was always able to make it work with a phone call and answering my Mother's maiden name.

[RebelOne]

31. I never had a problem with BoA when I traveled out of state.

My debit card worked everywhere.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. I live in the south of England; my bank once sent me email about a purchase in the north of England

asking me to confirm the card hadn't been stolen, though that was after I made it - I've never had anything refused. They send me occasional reminders to tell them if I'm going abroad; whether they'd refuse a transaction if I didn't, I'm not sure.

[Blue_Tires]

58. Yeah, a few years ago I made a big purchase

and got a phone call later requesting confirmation that I had in fact made it...

[DrDan]

8. I have no problem with this

When we travel out-of-state (Florida also), we always call the credit card companies to inform them. We have not had a problem using our cards when doing this - to include international travel.

Credit card fraud is a major problem - and a major personal problem when your number is compromised. My daughter's number was taken illegally via a gas pump and many out-of-state purchases made. It was a major issue to get this straightened out.

My card company caught an innocent double-charge for a watch I bought my wife for her birthday. This error was caught by the credit card company and hold put on my card until I called to straighten it out. This happened before I got home and was quickly fixed.

It is a minor effort to inform the credit card companies prior to travel - and much less an effort than trying to straighten credit card fraud.

[KatyMan]

67. ^^^This

It takes 5 minutes for you to call them and tell them you'll be using your card in a different area. Not everything is a conspiracy!

[monmouth3]

9. I always let the bank know I'm traveling and the approximate area. No problems..n/t

[CTyankee]

10. I do this all the time when I travel...

Both in and out of the country.

Why don't you call your credit card company and find out what they will and will not approve without clearance from you. For instance, I travel to neighboring NY or MA to see family and don't call the cc companies. CA is a different story...I call and give them the dates I am traveling. Ditto my bank for my ATM card. I do the same when I go to WI to our house there in August. I guess it's because I'm not going there all the time the way I am to NY and MA.

Sometimes I wish we could bring back travelers' checks. They were mighty handy...

[HockeyMom]

12. This is going to get extremely confusing

Since a few times a year we drive up to NY and could possibly be using that card numerous states. Name all those states? Plus, even more so when only my husband, or me, are away. Tell them that he is out of state, but I am still in the same state? The card will be used in two different states at the same time?

I understand the fraud aspect, but this could potentially be a nightmare with our travel patterns.

[tammywammy]

15. You just have to say you're traveling.

You don't have to name the states. It's a quick phone call. If you're worried about the account gettig frozen while your husband is on business travel you could always get him a separate credit card for business travel.

[newfie11]

13. We have called the credit union before traveling

And after doing that never had a problem. Before we also ran into our card being denied. It's ok in the neighboring states to South Dakota but when we drove to Florida without notifying them our card was frozen.
Quite the surprise at a gas station.
I would rather tell them than have my card scammed. We had no problem in Ireland but they company was notified.

[Capt. Obvious]

14. That's actually quite normal

I travel frequently and haven't had an issue yet but I always make sure to notify my bank when I'm leaving the country. When I got to other states I don't bother notifying but I do know people who have their cards frozen when they go to the other coast.

[Ron Obvious]

16. It's not for YOUR protection. It's for THEIRS.

Since you're liable for (at most) only the first $50 of a fraudulent transaction.

Yes, it's happened to me as well when travelling abroad, and I've had to call to approve the transaction. I'd still rather do that then let them know when and where I'll be going, which I refuse to do out of principle.

The whole idea behind a credit card is to provide me with convenience and flexibility, especially when travelling, and if they don't think the system is secure, they can invest some money and make it more secure.

European credit cards are chipped (which means you don't swipe them anymore), and this makes them far less vulnerable to skimming attacks. Our banks refuse to spend money to do the same (I've asked, since my US credit cards rarely work in Europe any longer). They can join the rest of the modern world, or go hang in my opinion. I'm damned if I'm going to provide them with an itinerary.

[Ms. Toad]

57. Correct.

Both as to who it is protecting - and the solution.

I need a card both for convenience - as well as business and safety reasons (for my daughter when she was younger so she always had the ability to buy her way to safety). I don't want or need a nanny to protect my $50 maximum loss.

[crazylikafox]

59. Bingo. Thank you. That's exactly why they do it.

It happened to me for the first time last year when I traveled to California for my daughter's wedding last summer. Wells Fargo turned down my credit card at the hotel I was staying at. Was very embarrassing. I didn't have the cash on me to pay for a hotel for four days. It took a while to straighten out. I've always understood that u need to tell them when you're traveling overseas, but just going to another state? Pleeeze!

[KatyMan]

69. So?

I'll never defend big banks for their awful practices, but this one just makes sense. Why be on the hook for thousands of dollars when a simple phone call from the consumer can clarify the situation ahead of time? I feel a responsible adult would be happy to let the bank know when to expect unusual activity.
We live near Houston. A few years ago I received a call from the bank asking me if I just used my debit card at a Home Depot in San Antonio. I told them no (as I hadn't), and they promptly cancelled my card and issued me a new one. I for one am glad that my interests are at least somewhat looked after. If the bank hadn't flagged that transaction (which was on a weekend), my bank account would have been minus around $700, and all sorts of trouble would have ensued for me, considering things like scheduled/automatic payments and the like .
Again, not everything is a conspiracy. Sometimes it's just (the barest minumum of) customer service.

[Ms. Toad]

18. My guess is that it was not just a bank card,

but a bank card which doubles as a credit card - and that the number on the back of the card was to a Chase bank.

Chase is notorious for doing this.

And - to all those easy-peasy call the bank folks - it doesn't do a darn bit of good.

I had access shut off to my card a couple of times, once on a time sensitive purchase. Each time I read then the riot act and told them to either figure out what was normal for me (which, at that time involved multiple trips to multiple states and countries in a year), or stop monitoring my account for fraud. Couldn't get them to stop - and it kept happening.

So when we had to purchase two computers in a very short period, and anticipated potentially charging part of college tuition, I called to warn them - as they suggested I should to solve the problem. Electronics are huge flags for them - and buying two would have been unusual activity.

I charged the first computer. When I went to charge the second one it was denied. I called to complain - read them the same riot act I'd done before. And asked them what I needed to do to get them to stop shutting off access to my card. Their response . . . wait for it . . . give us a call in advance.

Not to mention that when they call in advance of shutting down the card (which they do occasionally) they launch into a bunch of personally identifying questions that sound just like a phishing scam . . . I hung up on them which, of course, triggered an instant cancellation.

My former bosses charged lunch every day - approximately the same amount - at the same restaurant, and about once a month would have the card shut down for suspicious activity. They are supposed to call every day and notify the bank they are taking the employees to lunch, at the same restaurant they do every day? They finally got fed up and switched to another card.

But - I don't have any strong feelings about this...

[DrDan]

30. guess I am one of theose "easy-peasy call" folks

but talking to the credit card company has worked for me. . . and I appreciate the attempt to catch fraud as early as possible.

[Ms. Toad]

34. You're lucky then.

No one have spoken with in real life has ever had any luck - once they start shutting down your card, they tend to keep shutting it down. Perhaps you've never actually had your card shut off, and only believe that the calls are making a difference - when in reality your use is nothing that triggers their flags (or they are not a company which is inclined to shut off cards - only one of the cards I use has ever shut it down, and it has shut it down repeatedly).

As far as catching credit card fraud - you are aware that this is solely an attempt to limit their liability, right? You are only responsible for the first $50, as long as you report the loss promptly (if it was even lost at all).

It is worth the potential of losing $50 to have my credit card available when I need it. Now that I think back - there were actually two very time sensitive purchases I needed to make which I could not because they had shut off my credit card for what was, for me, extremely routine use. One of those times could have resulted in upwards of a million dollars in damages had I missed the deadline. That one had nothing to do with travel - just buying electronics. And, one of the two times I mentioned was when I DID call - and they ignored it. Not to mention the multiple times when my purchases were not time-sensitive.

[DrDan]

44. I have had a card shut own. I purchased a watch for my wife, and the clerk inadvertantly ran

my card twice resulting in two charges,

I made another stop on the way home and the card was refused.

While still in the store, I contacted the card company, and they explained that the two identical charges looked suspicious and, therefore, put a stop to more charges. They immediately fixed it after I called the watch company and one of the charges was removed.

Of course I understand they are trying to limit their liability. Without the ability to do so, that $50 max will only increase.

So I FULLY support their anti-fraud activities.

It could be that my approach with my card companies is NOT to read them the "riot act", but to work with them to avoid problems. Seems to have worked well for several decades.

[Ms. Toad]

45. I didn't start reading them the riot act

until they shut my cards down for absolutely NO out of the ordinary activity. Repeatedly. Not to mention that I would have been insane to respond to their single attempt to contact me prior to one of the early shut downs.

They called, out of the blue, claiming to be my credit card company, asking questions that are often used to secure accounts. No responsible vendor - seriously attempting to prevent fraud would encourage their customers to answer questions like that for an out-of-the-blue caller. They are precisely the kind of questions they should expect intelligent customers to refuse to answer.

Not to mention that the few times i have tried to work with them to avoid things I expected to look like unusual activity, they completely ignored the calls and shut down the account anyway.

Sorry - but when I need to pay for things which are time sensitive (and which have financials implications far in excess of the amount charged - not only for me - but for my clients if I miss a deadline) - I cannot afford to have a credit card company that shuts down customer cards because it thinks going out for the same meal at the same restaurant every work day for more than a decade is suspicious activity (my bosses' card, but the same company I have had so much trouble with).

As for your watch - that was clearly either a merchant screw-up, or you wanted two watches. They can call you, leave a phone number for you to call which matches the one on the back of your card, and verify what is going on without shutting down the card. There is absolutely no reason to shut down the card for a single brick and mortar store double charge, in the area in where your card is used most.

[DrDan]

50. as I said - the did shut down my card - I had a charge refused after the double charge.

I have no problem with that. It was easy to rectify and I appreciate some oversight.

[Ms. Toad]

53. It may be easy to rectify in your circumstances, but it has not been in mine.

I often deal with businesses which are not M-F, 9-5, and I have both US deadlines which are at midnight, and overseas clients which run on entirely different clocks. Missing a deadline (or even being delayed when racing to the regulatory entity I use) can mean differences in the range of a million dollars - even when the fees are a few hundred dollars. For business reasons, I have to have a card that functions 24x7 - not one that I can't access overnight or on weekends because that is when they felt like shutting it off.

Aside from monetary issues, when my daughter was out and about on her own in her late teens, I provided her with two things she had not had when she was always with us A cell phone, and a credit card. I wanted her to always be able to call 911 (or us) - and to buy her way to safety (a hotel room, a tank of gas, transportation home, etc.). So randomly shutting off that ticket to a safe place or a way home is not something I consider trivial. It is completely unacceptable to put my (or my clients') financial matters - or my daughter's safety - at risk for no reason at all (like the suddenly "suspicious" activity of charging meal #3651 in 3651 days at the same restaurant (same company - my bosses' card), charging two computers after calling and informing the credit card in advance I would be doing just that, taking the 13th trip in a year to a location I had been to already 4 times that year, and so on).

My card has been shut off at least a dozen times, and NEVER for any real suspicious activity, or for any activity that is out of the ordinary based on the preceding year's charges - and I don't need a nanny tending my purchases.

[SoCalDem]

19. Discover did it with us last summer

Thankfully, they sent me an email so I could call them, and that's all it took to un-freeze things.. I was glad they monitored unusual spending, but it does feel like asking Mom if you can use the car

Now, I just call them in advance if I have a big charge coming up or for travel.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

21. Happens to me a lot

I tend to travel to a lot of one-off locations (i.e., places I don't go to all the time). It seems that if I make my plane reservations with the same credit card, I have fewer problems.

[peace13]

24. Two years ago my father in law died.

We flew to FL and one of us, needing to get back to Ohio, began the trip home in a car. After the first gas stop one card stopped working. After the second gas stop the other card stopped working. No phone call, nothing. If we had not had one rational credit card company card in the pocket we would have been stuck on the road with no gas, no motel, no food.

The banks response was that they had had seen charges for a breakfast purchase in Ohio and gas purchases in FL later in the day. They said that didn't make sense! My question....did you see the charges for the plane ticket? These folks are no Einsteins and they don't care if you are left by the side do the road!

[NV Whino]

26. They look for unusual activity

My bank caught a scammer who had stolen my information. They booked a flight from LA to Houston. I live in Northern California. Location tipped them off.

The bank called me once—many years ago—to verify that it was I who had bought the very expensive pair of shoes in Berkeley. This time is was not the location so much as the higher than normal charge that tipped them off.

As for gas, the first several times I used a credit card to by gas, the machine asked for my zip code to verify. Having charged gas on my cards for several years now, the machines in my local area no longer ask for my zip.

[HockeyMom]

29. Higher amount

That may just be the reason. I tried to debit $200 at once for the caterer. Normally, when I am out of town I usually get out smaller amounts over a period of days.

It would have been easier for me all around if I could have placed the order over the phone and paid with a credit card. The caterer wanted the order placed in person (couldn't do living in Florida) and paid for with debit or cash only.

[Ms. Toad]

38. Odd definition of unusual.

The times they have repeatedly shut mine down my use has been absolutely routine, for me. At that time, I was traveling frequently to numerous states and countries - and/or buying electronics. They didn' t start shutting it down when the travel started - I paid at least a year full of trips once a month or so before they decided that was suspicious activity.

Clue: If I've been using the card the same way for a year, and paying every bill off promptly without questioning it, it is probably normal for me.

And - as I noted, for more than a decade, my bosses take the employees to lunch daily at the same restaurant. All of a sudden the virtual identical daily bills became suspicious, and they repeatedly had that credit card shut down until it got bad enough for them to cancel it.

As for the gas machines asking for your zip code - it is just the way they are programmed. Some do, and some don't. Nothing to do with your pattern of use. These algorithms are not trainable.

[NV Whino]

64. Same gas stations that asked for my zip no longer ask for my zip

If I go out of the area, or use a station I don't ordinarily use, I get asked for my zip.

[Ms. Toad]

71. Likely coincidence.

With a change that is not visible to you, as a customer. In the not too distant past, I had some behind the scenes connection to a variety of automated transaction machines (including automated gas pumps). Based on that experience, what you are asked for has to do with processing network and/or machine vendor.

[Tikki]

27. We have never had our card declined but they do call immediately for larger purchases out of area.

They actually caught a ring on site using ours and several other different card numbers
at a gas station at the State border.

We weren't charged a penny and had a new card in 2 days.


The Tikkis

[eridani]

49. Yes--and I don't mind this

I got called after buying a KitchenAid stand mixer at Fred Meyers because the total was way more than my usual grocery bill. I've also had no problems getting a card replaced when there has been a security compromise. That happened last year when one card started showing purchases from Great Britain.

[mfcorey1]

28. Happened to me too.

[COLGATE4]

32. It has gotten so ridiculous that I had my

card declined in Ft. Lauderdale. I live in Tampa. Same state. Routine lunch bill. Nothing unusual. They are setting their algorithms to such extreme parameters that more and more what used to be routine transactions are now being 'flagged'. One hell of an annoyance.

[ieoeja]

33. Mine was locked three times in one day last summer.

I was at a festival. Vendors were from all over the country. They were using the Square on their cell phones to ring up my purchases. Made it look like my card was being used where these people came from rather than where they were located.

It was a real pain in the ass. I now never travel with just one card.

[NCTraveler]

35. Good policy.

It protects both you and them. They are only concerned about the them part, but it does protect both.

[brooklynite]

36. I've never had a problem getting cash out, here or abroad...

I've had credit card transactions flagged, but never ATM banking. That said, YOUR bank and YOUR spending patterns (normally more, normally less, time of day etc.) may generate a flag based on the banks policies. What you should do is not vent on a political blog; you should call your bank, ask for an explanation of what happened and ask what they can do so it doesn't happen again.

[lillypaddle]

37. Yes

I recently moved to KY from GA - I had changed my address to the new one before I left GA. My car broke down and I had to be towed to KY - the bill was $450, and Discover refused the charge because it was unusual. That same night, I tried to get additional minutes added to my phone from AT&T and THAT was refused because of the "suspicious" tow charge. Pisses me off, too, HockeyMom. I was informed the same thing, if I intended to travel I should call them in advance.

[oldhippie]

39. My bank is very good about this .....

My credit card bank is USAA, which is very tightly affiliated with the military. They are used to folks (and me) running all over the country and to other countries. I've been with them for 43 years and never had a problem anywhere, and I travel a bit and buy some fairly weird things.

But, they do keep an eye on things. Last year they called me one evening and asked if I had just charged a motel and an escort service fee on my card in Hackensack, NJ? "Noooo", I said. The lady laughed and said, "I didn't think so." But someone had used my card number (which I think was copied by a waitress in Austin two days before) for those services. USAA said it was "unusual" and cancelled the account number and overnighted a new card and account number. Sometimes long term relationships are advantageous.

[Stargazer09]

88. We bank with them, too

One payday, I went to buy a skein of yarn for a project I wanted to knit. My debit card was refused, so I paid cash and called the bank from my car.

It turns out that my number was stolen a few days earlier, possibly at a local gas station, and USAA caught the unusual charge attempts early enough to prevent us having our bank account cleaned out.

I have two accounts with them, so if one debit card number is stolen or stops working, I still have access to the other account with the other debit card.

However, I almost always use my PayPal debit card for gas now, because I get an email every single time that card is used. It makes it much easier to stay on top of fraudulent charges that way.

[oldhippie]

89. That's why I only use a credit card, not debit card

I've never had or used a debit card. I only use the credit card. With my credit card I am not liable for any fraudulent charges on my account, the bank is. I use my credit card to pay all my recurring bills automatically, and use it for most purchases. I run up a hefty balance every month but pay it off monthly to avoid any interest charges. It has worked for me.

[Hekate]

40. I notify my financial institutions when I travel

This is a form of self-protection that I first used when I took my first overseas trip in 1999. I let my credit card holder know to expect some charges from Greece and Crete, and guesstimated my upper limit for souvenirs at any one purchase. As a consequence, they phoned my husband at home when one vendor misplaced a decimal point (yikes) and it was quickly resolved.

Pretty much the same with out of state travel. It's a deviation from my usual pattern and I want theft of my card to be noticed quickly, if theft it is. My husband was notified of a $300 charge at a McDonald's in Los Angeles by our card holder -- Home Depot didn't bother to let us know their system had been hacked and their customers' information stolen.

YMMV, but it's a feature I've been appreciative of.

[Liberal_in_LA]

41. yup. Card gets turned off or purchase denied for anything these days. ANYTHING

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

42. YES! This happened to me once a few years ago...

It's total BS but let them know you're traveling before you leave so they don't freeze your account.

[Ms. Toad]

47. Doesn't make a whit of difference.

Chase routinely freezes them anyway. Even when you let them know.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

48. Umm... yes it does

If the OP was about CHASE cards, I wouldn't have responded because I don't have a CHASE card.

Anyone who doesn't have a CHASE card like me, take my advice. Don't let Ms. Toad discourage you. Not sure why she's adamant about doing that but that's another topic.

[Ms. Toad]

55. Because it is the experience of every real life person I have discussed the matter with.

I happen to know two of those are Chase cards - I don't know about the other half dozen or so I have spoken with.

And, whether you think you are dealing with Chase or not, you may well be since who you are dealing with for credit cards is not always inherently obvious.

As for why I am adamant - like I said - the real life people I have discussed the question with have experiences very similar to mine. Repeated shutoffs for no valid reason (I've had around a dozen - none of which were in response to anything which should have looked even vaguely suspicious), and shutoffs for extraordinary purchases even after calling and notifying them in advance.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

66. I will continue to defy the odds...

It happened to me once. It hasn't happened since. Does that mean it will never happen again? Who knows? But I'll keep calling because they told to.

[mnhtnbb]

43. I have yet to have this happen in the States...but it will for purchases abroad

We have a son in Berlin--since last September--and have had to
respond/notify them when he leaves Berlin. Plus, we have
been to Europe once last fall...and going again next month...
booking things like air/hotels/trains/concert tickets in advance. I've gotten
phone calls from the card companies numerous times.

It's a real PITA. It's all about protecting them...because they're at risk for
unauthorized charges.

[Ms. Toad]

46. You are absolutely correct about who they are protecting

Which is why their hair trigger offends me so much.

Either get an algorithm which learns what is customary for a particular card, or give me a way of opting out.

[YarnAddict]

51. The bank I worked at did this

Supposedly any PIN-based transaction was okay, so if you ran your card as debit (instead of credit) there would be no problem. Don't know if it would be the same with your bank . . .

[mercuryblues]

52. A lot of

good their monitoring does. I go to Florida 3 to 5 times a year. NYC maybe once every 5 - 8 years. I bought tickets to a Rays vs Socks game, booked the hotel over a month in advance and paid for it with my card. I was in Florida trying to make a 30$ purchase and was refused.

When I called, I had them tell me recent purchases. A 20$ purchase was not mine that I couldn't deal with at the time, so I put a hold on my card. I figured when I got home I would deal with it.

Long story short. Apparently holds are automatically lifted after 10 days. Not that it would have made a difference. While I was being refused in Florida for being out of my comfort zone, someone in NYC went a shopping spree. And I mean one hell of a spree. They charged more in less than a month than I would charge in 5 years all approved, knowing I was in Florida.

You should have seen our faces when we got the bill in the mail. To their credit they reversed all the charges. I let them know how angry I was for refusing me a purchase for 30 while they were allowing someone to charge up a storm.

[PeaceNikki]

54. a coworker told me that they were declined when they went to a gas station they don't usually freque

It was only about a mile from the one they do. When he called they said it was an auto fraud alert because that's not usually where he goes. That was odd.

I'm sure the Target debacle has caused all banks to step it up in that regard. Frustrating.

[Ms. Toad]

56. My experiences started around 2008-9.

Thankfully, they are behaving themselves recently. So in my case it has nothing to do with Target.

[PeaceNikki]

60. I certainly didn't say the auto fraud alerts started after Target.

Only that they ramped up after. Millions of cards were compromised.

Millions. I certainly wasn't referring to your specific situation but the industry in general.

I work IT for a nationwide retailer, we had 20% of customer's cards declined in the the days after the Target mess. There is a correlation.

[Ms. Toad]

72. They did a shut down, based on specific information about exposed card info.

Very different thing than the discussion here. I had several relatives who got caught in that and had cards canceled on them - because they had been among the individuals who used cards in that very specific time frame.

I would not be at all upset about them putting a hold on my card in those circumstances. That is based on knowledge that I used my card at a time of a compromise, in a compromised location. My complaint is with the trigger happy shut-down that has no connection to how I - as a long term customer have used my card, even when I have called them in advance to warn them about things that might legitimately be considered unusual.

[Earth_First]

61. Our CU is fantastic when dealing with this...

When we remember, we will call ahead.

However we've been both emailed and called when suspicious activity has occurred.

We've been with our CU for twelve years.

One of the many great benefits to membership...

[ManiacJoe]

62. My banks have been doing this for decades.

It cuts down on fraud. I got caught by it once. Now I just the card companies before going on trips.

[Skittles]

63. very strange programming

my credit card was declined at a hotel in England, despite the fact I had bought a plane ticket to England with the same card a couple of months earlier

[tammywammy]

65. I called my CU before I spent $3200 on plane tickets to Australia.

But I didn't call before I bought Sydney to Cairns ticket - fraud dept called. I didn't call before I made hotel reservations in Cairns - fraud dept called.

I know to call before I actually go.

[Skittles]

68. I did let them know I'd be in England

I called ahead!

[tammywammy]

70. That's nutty.

I hope I don't get blocked while in Australia. :/

[Ms. Toad]

73. That is precisely my experience.

When I call - it doesn't make a whit of difference. The card is shut off anyway.

But, of course I am apparently a nut case who deserves to be described as , since it never happens to anyone else and I'm just stirring up trouble.

[darkangel218]

76. Wells Fargo did the same thing to me.

Right after Wachovia got bought by WF. They froze my account and I had to call them and verify the transactions so they would unlock it.

If it's Wells Fargo , that's how they role.

[dlwickham]

77. my bank and one of my credit cards require that I notify them before I go on vacation

on one hand, I understand why they do it but it does suck

[Bombero1956]

79. I had to do that 2 weeks ago when I went on a cruise

A few years ago I traveled to Toronto for my daughter's wedding and didn't call first, my debit card was refused at a gas station when I was driving back. So its been at least a few years for me with my credit union.

[diabeticman]

80. What people claim is that they are trying to "Protect you" but the way my wife looks at it "it is

protecting you from your money." She hates any bank that has this little "feature". Why should she have to ask permission to use her own money AND WHY should I have to ask permission to to use MY bank card just because I leave the state or county." She feels If people want that feature than they can sign up for it otherwise don't put it on automatically.

[dsc]

81. it has happened to me repeatedly

the most aggravating time was one year when it happened the first day I arrived in Ohio and then the very next day, in the very same mall that I had it happen the first time and called to tell them it was me using the card, yep it happened again.

[MicaelS]

82. My Credit Union has done this for years.

It is automatic. It is a fraud prevention tool. You are supposed to notify them when you will using your debit card out of state.

[ecstatic]

83. I call them before leaving the country or before humongous

purchases. Yikes! How embarrassing! I'm wondering if I should check in now before my plumbing purchase tomorrow.

[dionysus]

84. yes, i live in NY and was using the card in maine, right when the Target thing was going down.

I called the company, explained it was me, and it was cool.
they're trying to prevent stolen card numbers from being used.

add consumer protection on the list next to smoking prevention, vaccines, and health care in general...

[AndreaCG]

85. I live in NY

Went to Hawaii in November. Had no problems. Also no problem when in Atlanta earlier in the year. But I may take people's advice and tell the companiesvwhen I go to California soon.

[woodsprite]

86. Yup. It's a pain in the ass, but not as bad as if someone

Was fraudulently using your card or identity. We (hubby, myself) are on a 3yr credit monitoring watch because we're part of 90k people who had their personal info stolen/hacked from a computer breach at work. Fun, fun, fun.

[MurrayDelph]

87. Last year, I started using a credit card that I had saved for business expenses

for personal expenses (It was a card that paid higher rebates, and the business no longer existed).

What had been used in one small corner of Oregon was suddenly being used at gas stations around Los Angeles. After the third time I went to pay for gas, it was refused, and my cell phone rang, asking me to verify that I still have my card. Once I told them it was me, I have never had another problem with it.

Similarly, when I took out some cash from the ATM, it wasn't refused, but I got a call asking me to verify it was me.

The strangest one was ten years ago. I got a call questioning a large purchase that came up as a "Novelty" company. It was actually the cost of my father's funeral.