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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 14:12:56 GMT
Isn't it wonderful when the algorithms decide to delay your purchase of theatre tickets because you've already purchased a few in the last half hour or whatever? After all, it's only your money in the account. How dare you try and spend it?
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Post by showgirl on Apr 14, 2017 14:18:07 GMT
It would be annoying, though I've never heard of that. Are you sure that's the reason, joem? I would contact my bank if that happened to me.
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1,177 posts
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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 14:26:34 GMT
It is. Not the first time it happens. If you make several online purchases quite quickly it triggers an alarm but since this is all automated there is a complete absence of common sense. A human would see the pattern - theatre tickets being purchased by a regular theatregoer - but a computer just sees volume of transactions. If on the other hand my details had been compromised and someone bought a £5,000 ring with my card Mr Computer would happily wave it through.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 14, 2017 14:27:15 GMT
You could always just ring the bank... oops! Maybe Tuesday then!
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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 14:29:53 GMT
You could always just ring the bank... oops! Maybe Tuesday then! Yes! I can talk to the bank on Tuesday about the play I wanted to see on Saturday. Since it's got David Tennant in it the time-travel bit should be a cinch.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 14, 2017 14:31:02 GMT
Their fraud department will be open 24/7.
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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 14:32:49 GMT
Their fraud department will be open 24/7. I don't want to speak to any fraud.
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Post by The Matthew on Apr 14, 2017 14:38:47 GMT
A few years ago I tried to buy a new camera lens over the Internet. Despite the fact that I'd previously used the same debit card to buy a camera and other lenses over the counter from the same store, it seems that buying something over the Internet to be delivered to the card-holder's home address is too suspicious and the transaction was blocked. (Fortunately the store accepted payment by PayPal, which went through even though the money was coming from the same bank account.) I could have understood it if it was a store I'd never used before for delivery to a new address, but that wasn't the case.
Several years earlier someone stole my card while I was in Romania and took several hundred pounds out of my account with no trouble at all, because apparently using a card to get cash at a location 2000 km from anywhere the card had been used before isn't even slightly dubious.
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on Apr 14, 2017 14:39:35 GMT
Their fraud department will be open 24/7. I don't want to speak to any fraud. It's the fraud department you need to speak to as they'll be able to lift the block on the transaction. It happened to me a few weeks ago.
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 14, 2017 14:41:13 GMT
My mistake it isn't fraud, but then against is there for a good reason to stop these bad people. How would you feel if your card did get used fraudulently and you had to meet the cost of the fraud and it was exorbitant because they didn't have the software to detect illegal activities.
You could use a different card, if you have on?
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Post by bellboard27 on Apr 14, 2017 14:47:53 GMT
I do find the triggers to be odd. I have never had problems when using it in random places across Africa, Middle East, Asia, etc, but a quite ordinary purchase in the UK seems to set off alarm bells!
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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 14:58:06 GMT
My mistake it isn't fraud, but then against is there for a good reason to stop these bad people. How would you feel if your card did get used fraudulently and you had to meet the cost of the fraud and it was exorbitant because they didn't have the software to detect illegal activities. You could use a different card, if you have on? The three occasions I've had fraudulent transactions the clever card people didn't pick them up. Even though they were all bizarre and totally out of synch with my spending patterns and, on one occasion, perpetrated thousands of miles from where I was. Yeah I could, but the annoying thing is having to write out all the details again and again. I'm a bit of a Luddite I'm afraid.
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Post by Latecomer on Apr 14, 2017 15:03:44 GMT
I recently got an America Express card (for National booking) and have been impressed by their system...if they think a purchase is strange they send you a text with a code number that you have to enter on line! Works a treat! Very impressed so far....
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Post by Mark on Apr 14, 2017 15:11:51 GMT
I travel internationally every week for work and when I first started it was an absolute nightmare. I eventually rang them and said under no circumstances are you to block me using my card abroad... they wanted me to call them each time I went away.
I use Revolut now for most of my abroad spending - works a treat... usually.
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 14, 2017 17:55:24 GMT
My bank wouldn't let me buy a laptop in PC World in January, despite the fact it was in my home city & I had made purchases there before. I was spitting furious. Incredibly embarassing to be stood in the middle of a shop unable to pay when you know you've got far more than enough money in the bank than is required. I don't have any credit cards so eventually my mother, who was with me, had to pay for me. When I went into the bank a couple of days later to complain it turned out they had completely blocked my card. Fortunately I hadn't tried to use it in the interim or it would have been even more embarassing. I told the bank I'd rather risk fraud than having them dictate to me how I can spend my own money!
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Post by bellboard27 on Apr 14, 2017 18:49:32 GMT
When there has been fraud and the bank sends a new card, before destroying the old one I think carefully first if I have ordered tickets that will require presentation of the card used to pay for them. I've already forgotten what the procedure will be with Hamilton but have already had to get a new card since buying the (but the old one is kept safe in case!).
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Post by lynette on Apr 14, 2017 19:46:44 GMT
Dawnstar, please don't risk the fraud. These days the banks don't automatically refund 'stolen' money. It is v annoying, believe me I know, when your card won't go through espesh when you are abroad but splash out on clothes ( might be talking about myself here 😁) But usually there is a number to call on the card to get it sorted. We do call when we are going on our hols so the computer can allow for my little sprees.....
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Post by CG on the loose on Apr 14, 2017 22:43:32 GMT
Several years earlier someone stole my card while I was in Romania and took several hundred pounds out of my account with no trouble at all, because apparently using a card to get cash at a location 2000 km from anywhere the card had been used before isn't even slightly dubious. Or using your card to pay £200 a day off a Barclaycard account registered at a different address and to which you'd made no previous payments... just for example.
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Post by CG on the loose on Apr 14, 2017 22:47:20 GMT
I do find the triggers to be odd. I have never had problems when using it in random places across Africa, Middle East, Asia, etc, but a quite ordinary purchase in the UK seems to set off alarm bells! Christmas shopping was always my nemesis... 3 purchases in different shops in a 45 minute period... STOP! OK, so, I accept that could be a fraudulent pattern, but the week before Christmas? The fact that it took over an hour to get through to the fraud dept to get the block lifted suggests that I was not alone in my suffering!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 23:58:12 GMT
I've had too many problems with my debit card with my traveling. My bank then tried to tell me it would be better to get a credit card, and then I had a go at them telling them that it's my money and I get to choose where and when I spend it, and it can be anywhere in the world as I do enjoy my travels.
Worse example was when booking last years New York trip, my friend and I agreed that I would book the flights and she would book the hotel as they were both similar prices so we didnt have to transfer money to each other. She booked the hotel with her credit card with no problem. I used my debit card and had the money taken out of my account, but had the rest of my money frozen. Thankfully I realised the next day as my balance didn't add up and I got that sorted a few days later. But I also booked a couple of Broadway tickets the same night I booked the flights.
Fastforward 5 months, go to the Gershwin Theatre with my print at home ticket...BARCODE INVALID...go to the box office and they tell me that the seat had been sold, but for some reason been cancelled, but they didnt know why...luckily was able to buy the same seat again on the same card.
I got back to the hotel, and decided to throw a couple of dollars in the computer in the lobby to check my ticketmaster account, and every purchase was cancelled about 3 days after the tickets were booked. So because my bank froze the remainder of my account, ticketmaster wasn't able to to take the payment.
I gave my bank hell when I got back home, and everything has been fine since.
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Post by alece10 on Apr 15, 2017 9:42:47 GMT
I was recently helping a friend book a series of hotels online for a tour of Spain. All the bookings were with the same chain but they had to be booked individually. After booking the 4th hotel, the credit card company blocked the card. When I spoke to them on the phone they explained it was because it had detected unusual activity with several transactions for the same company over a short period of time. Once it was explained they unblocked the card and it was fine for the rest of the bookings. Guess better to be safe than sorry and they resolved the issue very quickly.
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Post by Sotongal on Apr 15, 2017 10:22:01 GMT
I was recently helping a friend book a series of hotels online for a tour of Spain. All the bookings were with the same chain but they had to be booked individually. After booking the 4th hotel, the credit card company blocked the card. When I spoke to them on the phone they explained it was because it had detected unusual activity with several transactions for the same company over a short period of time. Once it was explained they unblocked the card and it was fine for the rest of the bookings. Guess better to be safe than sorry and they resolved the issue very quickly. Techie son had a similar problem when making some Travelodge bookings (in one go) for a tour he was working on. The credit card company said there had been some fraud with people making multiple bookings at Travelodges and so had stopped his card.
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Post by loureviews on Apr 20, 2017 6:50:28 GMT
I once had over £3,000 taken in fraudulent transactions (all online via Currys) and my bank didn't notice.
However they blocked me after four Amazon purchases of under £10 each on the same day.
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Post by schuttep on Apr 20, 2017 8:48:39 GMT
It's the same with booking train tickets. I usually book several at once but now know that the card gets suspended after a few transactions so have to leave it until the following day. I don't telephone the bank as the card seems re-set automatically. But it is annoying, more so for theatre tickets when you want to book particular seats before they go...
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Post by kathryn on Apr 20, 2017 9:25:49 GMT
I've had too many problems with my debit card with my traveling. My bank then tried to tell me it would be better to get a credit card, and then I had a go at them telling them that it's my money and I get to choose where and when I spend it, and it can be anywhere in the world as I do enjoy my travels.[ It really is worth getting yourself a credit card, though. It can help your credit rating in the long term and can provide payment protection on large purchases, not to mention that if there's a problem with a fraud flag you don't get your bank account frozen. And then there's the perks on cards like Amex - like 5% cashback on ATG tickets purchases, priority booking, frequent flyer points/cash back. The trick is to set up a direct debit to clear the card each month - that way you never pay any interest - and just use it like it's a debit card, i.e. Don't spend money you don't have.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 9:47:00 GMT
I've had too many problems with my debit card with my traveling. My bank then tried to tell me it would be better to get a credit card, and then I had a go at them telling them that it's my money and I get to choose where and when I spend it, and it can be anywhere in the world as I do enjoy my travels.[ It really is worth getting yourself a credit card, though. It can help your credit rating in the long term and can provide payment protection on large purchases, not to mention that if there's a problem with a fraud flag you don't get your bank account frozen. And then there's the perks on cards like Amex - like 5% cashback on ATG tickets purchases, priority booking, frequent flyer points/cash back. The trick is to set up a direct debit to clear the card each month - that way you never pay any interest - and just use it like it's a debit card, i.e. Don't spend money you don't have. I agree, I've long had a credit card but never really used it for actual 'credit' I have direct debits set up on the two cards I use so it immediately gets paid off without interest. It builds what would be a non-existent credit score otherwise, and gets perks (ie my Amex currently and 'points' on other credit card)
I also like to have a credit card handy while travelling in case of expensive emergency, I've never had the luxury of having a lot of funds spare in my bank, but knowing I could if needed charge a couple of grand to a card and deal with the consequences later is a useful 'safety net' in travelling and in life.
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Post by Jan on Apr 20, 2017 10:03:19 GMT
It is. Not the first time it happens. If you make several online purchases quite quickly it triggers an alarm but since this is all automated there is a complete absence of common sense. A human would see the pattern - theatre tickets being purchased by a regular theatregoer - but a computer just sees volume of transactions. If on the other hand my details had been compromised and someone bought a £5,000 ring with my card Mr Computer would happily wave it through. No, you are wrong, you have obviously never bought jewellery worth £1000s with a credit card - I have several times and each time after the transaction went through the bank phoned me directly to check it was valid - jewellery is one of the big red flag items for them. I can't get that outraged by the banks being over-cautious on debit card payments - remember that fraud protection for debit card purchases is weaker than for credit card purchases and if you use a debit card the money disappears from your bank account immediately - I never use them on-line (I use credit cards only).
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Post by kathryn on Apr 20, 2017 10:08:24 GMT
I feel like everyone should know how much you can actually get from a credit card if you're canny. Here's my current crop of Amex statement offers: http://instagram.com/p/BTGlfYCD9Gc This is on a free credit card that I use to collect Avios. Hilton hotels do a credit card that gives you a sign up bonus of one free hotel night anywhere with reward room availability once you've spent £750. I used that for a night in a hotel in New York last year (I went for a Hampton Inn as I was still going to have to pay for a night in cash and didn't want to faff about moving hotels, but I could have had a free night in the Waldorf Astoria). A couple could get a card each and use their free nights one after another for a weekend away.
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