Nationwide Credit Card Problems

snowbunny2106

Hi Newbie here. Has anyone had any problems with using the Nationwide Credit Card to purchase train tickets and hotel rooms with European retailers?

Last week Nationwide blocked my purchase of train tickets with Renfe, Spain's national rail operator, claiming that criminals used the Renfe service to buy train tickets. 2 very long phone calls later they said they'd unblocked my card, and it eventually worked at the end of that day.

They also requested all of the dates I'm due to travel abroad this year, which is the opposite of the info on their website. I was quite reluctant to do this, as the information could be sold to burglars.

This week, they blocked my card again, this time for a Hotel booking service in Switzerland.
On phoning I was put through to the Fraud dept, who told me that they thought it fraud because the website address (.ch) denotes China. When I advised the fraud dept man that CH means it's a Swiss address, he put the phone down on me.

Then I get an automated "Fraud Prevention" phone call asking me to identify my last purchases.

I've made a written complaint using there internal messaging service. I used other cards to make my bookings without any hissy fits from the Banks concerned.

It seems that the level of protection that they have in place, renders the card useless. I'm now of the view that it's going to be pretty unreliable, if I have to phone them each time I want to use it. I've had a card with them for some years.

Anyone else having problems, or have a solution., please?

hippey

Nationwide Cards can be very sensitive to overseas spending as you have proved, I used to have the card before they slapped the fees on and often used to get stopped when in the USA which is a regular trip for me (indeed always to the same town & state!) and everytime had the same response.

However unfortunatly these things are in for your protection, the only way to try and reduce the amount of times the card is blocked is to update Nationwide everytime you planning overseas purchases.

I have not had this problem with the cards I use now which do charge a handling fee for the transaction but its still cheaper than having to call Nationwide to get the card unblocked!

snowbunny2106

Thanks hippey, it seems that the Nationwide would prefer that I carry cash for my foreign purchases whilst abroad. It will be safer for them after all :mad:

I am wondering if the problems arise with retailers using the Verified By Visa service? Both of my Nationwide refusals had used this service. The Renfe purchase I eventually used Mastercard Secure Code and that went through 1st time. The Swiss purchase I used no secondary layer of security, but then it was a really small amount, the average Swiss will spend more on getting a filling at the Dentist.

I'd had this card refused at an Autoroute Toll in France this year, just imagine having to phone Nationwide each time I want to use their card to pass a Toll Booth :laugh:

I've tried telling the Nationwide when I'll be abroad, but they happily carry on blocking it. I'm now concerned that the information I've given them concerning when I'll be away could be passed to house thieves.

chattychappy

Weird.

I've used Nationwide Visa Gold for some 5 years without any problem - mostly in Asia but also Europe and the US. Never had a problem - some transactions have exceeded £1000 and many of my trips have exceeded 3 months.

Only stopped recently with the introduction of the 1% loading.

alilovesshoes

I've npt had any problems with my Nationwide visa gold and have just used it to purchase French TGV rail tickets.

Chatty-chappy - I may have missed something, what is the 1% loading? I also have the abbey zero card so thinking maybe I should be using that instead when abroad ??

snowbunny2106

Perhaps their fraud dept only focus on Classic Card holders?

Here is confirmation of Nationwide's new security scheme in their mail to me today.

"
Therefore we have bought in a new security scheme whereby if you inform us where it is you are travelling, we can ensure that when the card is used when the cardholder is present (chip and pin and signature verified transactions) in a specified region, your card will not be declined, which will ensure you can use the card with added faith that it will not be declined when you are abroad. All we ask is that if you are planning to use the card abroad to either call us before you travel, or by contacting us via this online service."

So I can now look forward to sending them details of when my home is unoccupied, in return for their credit card possibly working.

choc_mouse

I don't think the problem is unique to Nationwide. I've had cards blocked with Nationwide, LTSB and the PO - in fact, usually the first card gets blocked so I try to use the backup card which also gets blocked! I think it's just something we will all have to get used to as different banks will try different things e.g. Nationwide will allow you to tell them about your travel plan whilst others say they don't.

Any

snowbunny2106 wrote: »

So I can now look forward to sending them details of when my home is unoccupied, in return for their credit card possibly working.

I think that there are bigger chances of your next door neighbour robbing your house then Nationwide:rotfl:

Any

alilovesshoes wrote: »

Chatty-chappy - I may have missed something, what is the 1% loading? I also have the abbey zero card so thinking maybe I should be using that instead when abroad ??

Nationwide now passes on the Visa fees in some countries. They don't make any money on it, but I think they were loosing some because Visa charges them these fees for every purchase abroad.

chattychappy

alilovesshoes wrote: »

Chatty-chappy - I may have missed something, what is the 1% loading? I also have the abbey zero card so thinking maybe I should be using that instead when abroad ??

Yep, Nationwide now load the forex rate by 1% for transactions outside Europe. This is still better than most (typically 2.75%). Zero as you say, and Post Office don't load the rate at all.

I've experimented using both Zero and Nationwide at the same time and Zero certainly works out cheaper by about 1%.

snowbunny2106

Any wrote: »

I think that there are bigger chances of your next door neighbour robbing your house then Nationwide:rotfl:

Nationwide have proved to me this week, that some of their workforce are of well below average intelligence. Nationwide is unlikely to rob my home, however any employee with access may easily pass the information to someone outside the company who could.

Which I really don't think is amusing at all.

Banking employees are proving the world over that they have just as many potential criminals within their ranks are any other workplace. I cite as an example the recent cases where foreign governments (including UK Gov) have purchased client information stolen from large Swiss Banks.

Nationwide have sent me a long letter of apology, but they have failed so far to answer the question I raised about the security of the data they want provided in return for the card to work.