Halifax blocking my card, time to get a back up

Legacy_user

Halifax seem to be blocking my credit card more and more, I guess I should be grateful but its getting very inconvenient, it's all quite random big & small purchases, even my weekly food shop was suspicious.

Want to get a back up card any recommendations? My cards are always paid off in full so apr doesn't matter, are all card providers like this regarding blocking cards? Ii would say it happens a couple of times a month.

reclusive46

moaninmich wrote: »

Halifax seem to be blocking my credit card more and more, I guess I should be grateful but its getting very inconvenient, it's all quite random big & small purchases, even my weekly food shop was suspicious.

Want to get a back up card any recommendations? My cards are always paid off in full so apr doesn't matter, are all card providers like this regarding blocking cards? Ii would say it happens a couple of times a month.

Well American Express are the complete opposite from experience. They don't even block your card abroad (Even if you don't tell them).

katejo

moaninmich wrote: »

Halifax seem to be blocking my credit card more and more, I guess I should be grateful but its getting very inconvenient, it's all quite random big & small purchases, even my weekly food shop was suspicious.

Want to get a back up card any recommendations? My cards are always paid off in full so apr doesn't matter, are all card providers like this regarding blocking cards? Ii would say it happens a couple of times a month.

Have you asked them about it? If it is only small items in the UK and you have a good payment record then surely you deserve some explanation? It has never happened to me. My main card is M & S.

grumbler

I think a frequent blocking is not a norm for the majority of cards.
I don't recall anything like that for my old Nationwide, Egg/BarclaycardWord and the recent Aqua that pays 3% cashback.

System

I spent over 30 mins on the phone, on hold and getting transferred to 4 different people, I hung up in the end, then got an automated card asking if I made the transaction, it said to place the order again I did, thought it went through ok, then John Lewis phoned to say it was declined, they tried again, then I paid on my Halifax debit card. Can't take this anymore, getting a new card, I often shop online with johnlewis.

Horseunderwater

moaninmich wrote: »

I spent over 30 mins on the phone, on hold and getting transferred to 4 different people, I hung up in the end, then got an automated card asking if I made the transaction, it said to place the order again I did, thought it went through ok, then John Lewis phoned to say it was declined, they tried again, then I paid on my Halifax debit card. Can't take this anymore, getting a new card, I often shop online with johnlewis.

Not saying this is why, but sometimes if you pay for something somewhere that perhaps you have not used before with say a small amount, it may look like the card has been cloned/stolen to the Halifax security checking system and then you go and try to use it at say a regular haunt John lewis and it gets declined. This happens to most cards these days, although not everyone suffers it. Happened to me earlier this year with a vet bill. Card was blocked and it was only when it got declined for an on line transaction that I found out. Then 4 weeks later someone did clone my card and they got £30 of O2 phone vouchers with no pin needed - brilliant contactless card thing. Proved that I did not buy them and after 6 weeks got credit back and all charges dropped - meanwhile I had to have a new card and get paper copies of statements etc. If your usual spending patten changes then that will be why.

reclusive46

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Not saying this is why, but sometimes if you pay for something somewhere that perhaps you have not used before with say a small amount, it may look like the card has been cloned/stolen to the Halifax security checking system and then you go and try to use it at say a regular haunt John lewis and it gets declined. This happens to most cards these days, although not everyone suffers it. Happened to me earlier this year with a vet bill. Card was blocked and it was only when it got declined for an on line transaction that I found out. Then 4 weeks later someone did clone my card and they got £30 of O2 phone vouchers with no pin needed - brilliant contactless card thing. Proved that I did not buy them and after 6 weeks got credit back and all charges dropped - meanwhile I had to have a new card and get paper copies of statements etc. If your usual spending patten changes then that will be why.

You can't blame the £30 charge on contactless. The cap is £20 but most terminals are capped off at £15.

Maestro.

reclusive46 wrote: »

You can't blame the £30 charge on contactless. The cap is £20 but most terminals are capped off at £15.

could've been multiple transactions.

reclusive46

Maestro. wrote: »

could've been multiple transactions.

Maybe but most card issuers have the max amount contactless transactions can be set up to without a chip and pin transaction to £20 as well.

dalesrider

Horseunderwater wrote: »

they got £30 of O2 phone vouchers with no pin needed - brilliant contactless card thing. Proved that I did not buy them and after 6 weeks got credit back and all charges dropped - meanwhile I had to have a new card

If your usual spending patten changes then that will be why.

02 transactions will be online or keyed into a phone. Nothing to do with contactless.

Of course you have to have a new card.... Some else has the card number.... :eek:

6 weeks to get the money refunded? That sounds wrong.

Security checks are not based on YOUR spending. They are based on known fraud patterns.
If your spending hits that pattern, then you will get checks.