How to tell your bank you are going abroad

wobblybox_2

Hi folks, on taking plenty of advice I today went to my bank to advise them I was taking a holiday in Tunisia shortly. They were quite honest and said they really have no way of entering this information into their system!!!
However, they do recommend the following which I thought was quite useful:
Before you leave British lovely warm weather use your card at the airport, either to check your balance or to withdraw a small amount of cash. When you arrive in sunnyier climes repeat the process. This way if they suspect fraud in a foreign country they are alerted to the fact that you are indeed travelling abroad and the chances are that your card will not be stopped.
And don't forget to write down the helpline number from the reverse of your card somewhere safe just in case you do lose it.........
Happy holidays :T

DKLS

I always tell the bank when I am away, as I have had the misfortune of having cards declined abroad, usually whilst entertaining clients which makes it a 1000 times worse, Luckily the bank I am now with are fantastic and understand that If I have transactions in Finland, America, Holland and Spain in a week it isn't suspicious.

Takecareofthepennies

wobblybox wrote: »

They were quite honest and said they really have no way of entering this information into their system!!!

Let me guess: Nationwide? I got the same useless answer from them some time ago.
On a previous occasion they managed to block my card not once, but twice in one week while I was abroad. So I thought I'd give them a call before going again, and that answer was all I got.

Well, given that Nationwide have withdrawn the main benefit of their Flex Account debit card, I guess I'll now be on my way to Halifax soon anyway.

LeeSouthEast

Barclays and Barclaycard both had dropdowns to select countries permitted and a date range! Was most impressed.

david39

Last year, I rang Lloyds Bank to tell them I was going to be abroad on holiday and they told me it wasn't necessary as they had "other means" of checking if a card was being used abroad fraudulently.

I assumed this to mean that they phoned you on your mobile phone if they had such doubts but, as I do not take my mobile phone abroad, this would not be of any use in my case.

However, this year, I went abroad without telling them and effected several chip and pin transactions with my debit card amounting to several hundred pounds, all without any trouble.

However, the first occasion I used it in the UK, was online for a small £10 transaction that I make regularly and I was passed through to the on-line security check web page before it was approved - something that has not happened before when I used this website.

I assume that verified that I still had the card in my possession, thereby absolving them of blame should I claim the foreign transactions were fruadulent!

Moonchild

Lloyds made a note on their system as requested that I was going abroad.

Subsequently card blocked on arrival into Bali.

After finding a 'Wartel' kept on hold for 28 minutes to get through to someone human to unblock card.

Lloyds are a bit horsedung though.