LloydsTSB limitting debit card transactions

Hi everyone
Not sure if this is the right place but here goes. Bit of a rant more than a question!
Payday was yesterday for us and we have a fair few payments due to go out on that day, not all by direct debit. Most of the card payments go automatically and I paid three online in the morning. Then at lunchtime I tried to make a payment on my debit card which was refused. I couldn't quite believe it as there were definitely enough funds available even with the payments that hadn't showed yet.
However I phoned Lloyds and explained the problem only to be told initially that it was because the refused transaction had been tried too may times. This didn't make much sense and just as the agent was about to explain we got cut off:eek:
I called Lloyds straight back and eventually it was explained that it was because there had been too many transactions on the card that day. I asked if there was any way round this and after them checking with my branch and 'another department' it turned out that there was no way round this and I wouldn't be able to make any payments with my card until all the transactions had cleared....which they're not sure how long it will take!!!
This is the first I've heard of a limit on number of transactions and I wondered if anybody else had had anything similar

To be honest it seems that Lloyds sometimes seem intent on making life difficult!!!!:mad:

Comments

  • preable
    preable Posts: 2,114
    Debt-free and Proud! Mortgage-free Glee!
    Forumite
    hmmm that seems strange
  • gizmomum
    gizmomum Posts: 135 Forumite
    Oh good, I'm glad it's not just me, t just seems that if the funds are there why can't the card be used? If I was on holiday or a shopping spree there's a chance that I would be attempting a very large number of transactions in a day!
  • Baz_2
    Baz_2 Posts: 729 Forumite
    So how many transactions got through and how many were you trying to make? I have used the card into double figures many a time and never had a debit card transaction fail yet.
  • balmk
    balmk Posts: 624 Forumite
    I vaguely recall from when I had a Lloyds account (before they merged with TSB) that there was a limit of 5 card transactions per day as an anti-fraud measure, but that they could over-ride this.
  • gizmomum
    gizmomum Posts: 135 Forumite
    well after much to-ing and fro-ing on the phone she said that it looked like I had done more than 15, which to be honest is possible. But it isn't unusual, these payments are made every month and have been for a while. Ironically I only had two left to go which are now having to wait...hopefully not for much longer!
    The other concern was that they didn't seem at all sure of exactly how many payments had been made, for how much or who to...I sort of expected them to have exactly what was going on with my account at their finger tips
  • jambosans
    jambosans Posts: 1,493 Forumite
    gizmomum wrote: »
    The other concern was that they didn't seem at all sure of exactly how many payments had been made, for how much or who to...I sort of expected them to have exactly what was going on with my account at their finger tips

    PhoneBank can't see a break down of your pending transactions, only the sum total. However there are internal departments they can contact who have this information. As for your card being blocked, it is possible, but it can be rectified. PhoneBank will probably have to speak with Fraud, who do some more checks, probably speak with yourself, and then lift the block. It's nonsense to suggest you can only do x amount of transactions a day, and then be blocked - even if you can phone and verify it was yourself who made the transactions.
    Anything I post is my opinion, so from time to time I may be wrong. I try to provide answers based in fact, however I don't know everything, so (like all posters on MSE), take what I say with a pinch of salt.
  • gizmomum
    gizmomum Posts: 135 Forumite
    thanks jambosans. Yes I've had the fraud thing before and as you say it was just a case of speaking to them and getting it sorted out by verifying the trnsactions but apparently this is different. I didn't realise that phonebank couldn't see the details but if they can see the amount and also that there will still be funds left after it's cleared I can't see the problem.
  • iereboy
    iereboy Posts: 415 Forumite
    Phonebank can't see the number of transactions but the clearings department can. That in itself is not a solution though.

    Yes there are limits in place to the number of times you can use your card, the amount you can use your card for a single transaction and also the amount you can withdraw in one day.

    The solution would be to do what a lot of other customers do is to have a 2nd current account with a card. They simply transfer money over into that account and use the card when needed. Double the daily transactions effectively and having a back up card just in case your main debit card is lost.
  • gizmomum
    gizmomum Posts: 135 Forumite
    I knew that there was a limit on withdrawals but not on the rest. However the second account sounds like a solution....we've just opened an account and are looking at the best ways of using it as back up

    thanks everyone :-)
    x
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