MSE News: Going on holiday? Avoid the blocked card nightmare

luci

Don't believe the huge statement on the Nationwide that state NOT to call them when you go abroad. I have been using their cards for years abroad with no problems until this year.

My card was blocked when we were abroad in May. When I called them I was told it was because I HADN'T told them. I repeated what their site is still stating and was told I should have called them.

I called to let them know the OH would be using the card overseas in June and they noted it.

It was blocked again in June after making an online transaction to a US company. When I raised the "you don't have to tell us" issue, this time I was told I didn't need to call them, but it wouldn't do any harm to do so.

I also took issue with the fact they didn't call the mobile to query the suspect transactions. Two other credit cards I have have called me within 30 mins of making a large transaction to confirm it was genuine. The Nationwide are incapable of this.

A couple of weeks later there was a message on the answering machine at home asking me to call and confirm some transactions. This was done with an automated process. However two of the transactions they were querying were from 4 weeks previous.

I wasn't happy about that so called them yet again to ask why it took so long. During the conversation I was told that I should call them if I am going to be using the credit card abroad, but no need to for the debit card as, and I quote, "That's your money and not Nationwide's".

As far as the Nationwide goes, regardless of what it says in big writing on their site, I would advise anyone to make sure they call them and have it noted.

brewerdave

I phoned the customer service number for my GM Visa card (supplied by HFC , which is part of HSBC?) before I went on holiday recently- they told me they had no means of noting my trip on their system ! so it was pot luck if it was stopped or not.

jockosjungle

Would like to add that you SHOULD call Nationwide if you go abroad. Tried to use my Nationwide CC in Florida and it was declined, had to phone them from a callbox and get it sorted. I was sorting out phoning CC companies saying we would be in the USA and I even took a printout of their webpage saying not to call them.

Maybe its not call them as they won't do anything, but make sure you have their number and don't mind being embaressed in Wal*Mart

R

Mcbain_2

I tried to use my Nationwide Debit card in China and they immediately blocked it... so I think it should be use the "yes, inform them" list.

southcarolina

I had read that RBS didn't need to be informed when going abroad but my debit card was blocked by the bank and I was unable to withdraw cash. Fortunately I had enough to buy me a coffee at the airport when leaving but I had to use my credit card - not blocked - to buy a couple of presents. On returning I was told I should have contacted them before going.

usethe444

I have a Natwest account, and before going to Australia for 6 months I phoned them to tell them the dates I would be away. Shortly after arriving they blocked my card, but when phoning them they told me there was a note on the system saying I was going abroad - but they still blocked it.

Not only that, but I had my card blocked 4 times during the 6 months.

The worst thing to do is top up a PAYG phone as that appears as a UK transaction therefore blocking your card again when you use it abroad.

I am now looking to move away from Natwest.

bobcoates

Re: Telling Nationwide anyway for piece of mind, from my experience it won't give you any! They still block it.
I visited Australia last year and my Flex Debit card worked fine for the first couple of weeks, then got blocked.
Had to phone N/W up to get it unblocked. They asked for the date when I left Australia to "put on the system".
I also told them I was stopping over in Singapore going home and she took those dates as well.
She did add though that it probably wouldn't work and the cards were still liable to be blocked.
She was right! Never did work in Singapore.

I've had credit (mainly) and debit cards blocked so many times for "unusual spending pattern" and normally when in the UK, I always carry two of each from different banks.

expat_mike

Back in the 90's I used to make at least 2 'booze cruises' a year to Calais to top up on wine and cigarrettes to last me 4-6 months. On one memorable trip I tried to buy a large qty of cigarrettes from the shuttle terminal only to have my Barclaycard Visa refused. I called Barclaycard from the terminal demanding to know what the problem was and I got a !!!! and bull story about unusual spending pattern even though their records showed I had done this for several years plus I should have told them I was going abroad. No where in the T&C's do they state that I need to inform them I was going abroad but its still one of their hidden caveats. They said they'd fix it on the spot but after 3 hours and 3 shuttles had left for Ashford I had to give up and return home. Afterwards, I pointed out to Barclaycard that as they made several hundred pounds a year from vendors using my Visa card perhaps they'd re-imburse the costs of my wasted crossing or receive my Visa card back in little pieces.

(Note: If you do cut it up, get a different Visa card first)

Needless to say they gave me 100 pound credit on my Visa card.

peterbaker

Following careful study, since last year, Nationwide have indeed altered their stance on this with regards to credit cards. They now request that credit cardholders only do pre-notify them.

Fraudsters using overseas merchant accounts to process fraudulent transactions may have tended to favour targeting credit cards as opposed to debit cards, and this is one reason perhaps why at the moment the current account side of Nationwide's business have chosen not to request a call from their Debit Card customers.

alexjohnson

snoopstah wrote: »

Any info on American Express?

You can phone them to ensure that potentially unusual activity will be OK'd but they have more sophisticated fraud management systems (which is one justification they use to charge merchants the premium over Visa and Mastercard as this is supposed to reduce chargebacks) and even when triggered, which has happened only once to me, they phone you to ask, from a call centre in the UK staffed by apparently normal people speaking something resembling plain English. Little things like this - and the contrast with the Ryanair of credit cards, Barclaycard, that I use for places that don't take Amex - are why I keep paying them: it may not be moneysaving, but it does slow the relentless march of the hairs turning grey.

So in short, unless the spending represents a radical change in your lifestyle, I wouldn't bother.