Halifax Clarity declined transaction for iPhone

Gaaraz

Hi,

I'm in America right now (which I told them using the online form) and have been using my Clarity card without any problems until now.

In the Apple store I tried to buy a new iPhone for around $1,000 but it was declined. I also tried a different model ($685) which was also declined

Any ideas what could be causing this please? My total limit on the card is £4,500 so it should be fine. I should probably ring Halifax but I'm usually onto them for a good 20 minutes or so and Giffgaff's pricing here is atrocious. Thank you.

redux

Talk to their anti-fraud department.

You may find that they've blocked all transactions from now on, until you talk to them.

I'm not sure if they are there all the time, but its worth a try. I don't have the number to hand, so call the ordinary number and they'd put you through

Gaaraz

You're up early! Thanks, I'll just bite the bullet and pay the charges now and call them.

Gaaraz

Managed to burn through £18 of credit before they could fix it. Sigh.

tomxlisa

Least you can get that nice new iPhone now.

Gaaraz

Sorry, that was really unclear of me... I had £18 credit but it ran out before they could unblock the card.

Second time lucky though so it's all sorted now Relieved because it means we can use the card for other things too, but really disappointed this has happened when I told them we were visiting the US and I planned on getting something from the Apple store (so many hours wasted trying to get this damn phone now, and money! Should have just got it from the UK)

Vortigern

I was once told, by a CC company, that if a transaction is declined you should ask the shop to ring for a manual authorisation.

DUTR

Vortigern wrote: »

I was once told, by a CC company, that if a transaction is declined you should ask the shop to ring for a manual authorisation.

I don't like the sound of that.
Whenever I buy a phone , my CC company contacts me and that is here in the UK, when I got my car and paid with the DC the bank called the dealership.

Kim_13

I would complain to Halifax and try to claim back the cost of the calls. You told them of your plans so I think they have been overzealous on this occasion and should cover at least some of the cost.

Had they not been told then absolutely, fraud prevention measure and the customer should pay.

BlueEyedGirl

I agree with Kim_13, contact Halifax on your return and ask them to return the fees for the phone calls back to you, especially since you informed them you were going abroad! It's seems Halifax fraud team are working hard, they blocked me twice for trying to buy a Just Eat order... for £11 - very annoying!

chattychappy

I disagree.

Why should Halifax refund? They are always entitled to decline a transaction at any time and the T+Cs make this clear. (And reasonably so.) It could be fraud prevention or even systems failure. A CC transaction depends on a series of connections between different systems in different time zones and jurisdictions. Decisions have to be made in seconds with limited information. I also get my cards blocked overseas for no apparent reason.

Even when you're in the UK, transactions can be declined. Perhaps the shop in the US had a history of fraudulent transactions. Who knows. In my experience telling a CC where you are travelling is no guarantee a transaction won't be declined - though it can sometimes cause a card to become unblocked later despite my not phoning them. If calling in advance was guaranteed to avoid declines, then the CCs would be opening themselves to fraud.

Nobody has a right to a transaction on credit. Even if you are well within your limit.

When travelling overseas, you should:

1) Take multiple cards. A 3% loading on an alternative card can still work out cheaper than dealing with the hassle of a blocked card.
2) Have a way of calling home cheaply (eg Skype credit etc.). Some CCs allow you contact them my secure messaging from their website. I've used this on Santander to get my card unblocked.
3) Have an emergency bundle of cash - eg enough to get you through the a day or so - eg a taxi to your hotel, a meal whatever.

If you're not prepared for a decline on CC, then don't use them!

That said, they might give you a credit as a goodwill gesture. It's hard to get customers, so CCs often pay out when they don't have to in order to benefit from future business. But you're entitled to nothing IMHO.