Aqua Card - payment refused for "security reasons" ?

Wywth

Has anyone else had a payment with their Aqua (cashback) card refused for "security reasons"?

Today I placed an online order with a well known high street retailer. (well within my available credit balance)
The transaction was accepted by the retailer, but later I had an automated call from Aqua ( 0845 331 2300 ) asking me to confirm the transaction, which I did.

Then the retailer contacted me to tell me the transaction has been refused by the card issuer :mad:

So I call Aqua to ask what is going on and they admit the transaction was randomly checked for security reasons, and despite me confirming the transaction, they declined it anyway.

They said I needed to resubmit the transaction.

When I asked how can I avoid this again, they said I can't really but using the card more often may help (it's been used every month since I obtained it 6-9 months ago, but they won't increase the credit limit again so soon after the recent increase to £650).

Then they claimed it was the specific retailer (as I said, it's a well known & respected high street retailer, not some unknown internet seller ... and delivery was to the billing address). They said as I had now agreed the transaction, other transactions with that specific retailer should go through ok.

So I had to call the retailer very apologetically to see if they would kindly attempt to resubmit the transaction. Fortunately they did and hopefully it doesn't get declined again.

Is this just another ploy by Aqua to put off customers using their generous cashback card (which they have already withdrawn for new applicants)?

nick74

I've never had one of these security checks with Aqua, but have with other cards and thats just how they work. You attempt to make a transaction, its declined, the card issuer contacts you to check if the transaction was made by you, you tell them it was and they remove the block from your card. You can then attempt the transaction a second time and it will go through. All standard practice with many card issuers now.

If they authorised a suspicious transaction and then contacted you afterwards to check if it was genuine it would be a bit late to do anything about it!

Herbalus

Yeah that has happened to me before with a well known retailer of mobile phones. According to the person I spoke with from Aqua this particular website was popular with fraudsters and they declined it for that reason. After confirming with them that I wasn't a fraudster and trying again after 10 minutes like they said, card payment was still declined and I had to resort to calling the retailer to get the payment processed - though this to me seems to have less security than an online transaction! No Mastercard SecurePass...

Wywth

nick74 wrote: »

I've never had one of these security checks with Aqua, but have with other cards and thats just how they work. You attempt to make a transaction, its declined, the card issuer contacts you to check if the transaction was made by you, you tell them it was and they remove the block from your card. You can then attempt the transation a second time and it will go through. All standard practice with many card issuers now.

If they authorised a suspicious transaction and then contacted you afterwards to check if it was genuine it would be a bit late to do anything about it!

Thanks, I didn't know this was the process nowadays.

I've had a security check years ago with a different card provider (and I was buying something from what probably appeared a dodgy overseas supplier). That time the card company called me directly, but as I was out, left a message for me to call them back.

When I did, they explained the questionable transaction was being held in suspense by them (so neither accepted nor declined) and after I answered their security questions, then approved the transaction.
If I hadn't contacted them promptly, or denied the transaction, only then would they have refused it.

Now it seems computers run the show ... and the computer said NO!

Wywth

Herbalus wrote: »

... No Mastercard SecurePass...

Yeah, you're right.

It started to fire up, (and I thought I was going to have to spend time settinmg it up for this particular card), but then it bypassed it and said the order was accepted.

Perhaps they should have a SecurePass system like many other card providers use if they are so worried about fraudulent transactions online.

I've bought before online via ebay(paypal) and amazon without any issues using the Aqua card.

Herbalus

I don't understand the SecurePass with Aqua. It seems to work completely differently to every other card provider. I had never used it ever before this transaction, and can't set it up on the online account (apparently I don't have permissions - bizarre as it's my own account). I too had never had problems with it online before.

However on this particular transaction it went to SecurePass, and the questions were very straightforward i.e. DOB, postcode, so I entered them correctly, and SecurePass told me so, and then it declined. Very odd.

chanz4

Remember its aqua that loose if fruad

nick74

Wywth wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't know this was the process nowadays.

I've had a security check years ago with a different card provider (and I was buying something from what probably appeared a dodgy overseas supplier). That time the card company called me directly, but as I was out, left a message for me to call them back.

When I did, they explained the questionable transaction was being held in suspense by them (so neither accepted nor declined) and after I answered their security questions, then approved the transaction.
If I hadn't contacted them promptly, or denied the transaction, only then would they have refused it.

Now it seems computers run the show ... and the computer said NO!

I had a similar thing about ten years ago with an HSBC card, but on that occasion the shop actually put me through direct to HSBC on the phone who asked me security questions then authorised the transaction there and then. I've never had that happen quite like that since. What triggered this was apparently not that transaction itself but the fact that I'd sent some money abroad via Western Union using the card that morning and it flagged up as a risky activity.

I've also found that topping up a PAYG mobile a few times in a short space of time can trigger a security check, as can some websites where they authorise a small amount, say 1p, from your card every single time you amend something on an order. Snapfish are a real pain for this and I've had my Capital One card temporarily blocked before now due to Snapfish authorising lots of silly amounts on my card before I'd even ordered anything!

pqrdef

nick74 wrote: »

If they authorised a suspicious transaction and then contacted you afterwards to check if it was genuine it would be a bit late to do anything about it!

But that's what Santander often do.

pqrdef

Herbalus wrote: »

I don't understand the SecurePass with Aqua. It seems to work completely differently to every other card provider.

Halifax does admin for Aqua, so it works the same way as with LTSB / HBOS. They use fraud-prevention software to analyse the transaction, supposedly. But there isn't much rhyme or reason to its workings.

nick74

pqrdef wrote: »

But that's what Santander often do.

QED The most bafflingly illogical financial institution I've ever had the misfortune to deal with.