Are other banks as weird about card payments as Santander?

rhialwencomp

born_again said:

rhialwencomp said:

I'm so sick of having declined transactions (what on earth is the OTP system for if they're just going to decline without asking for one anyway?!).
I'm not doing anything weird or expensive, just buying a few bits from ebay like I do every bleeping day. And it declines, and then won't send the text to unblock, so I have to spend half an hour on the phone. Again. This is happening more and more frequently, and less and less logically. I'd say it goes off now at least twice a month in various permutations. It's really getting on my nerves. And you can't get angry with the people on the phone, cos it's not their fault, it's some code that's been programmed by a paranoid moron.
Anyway, is HSBC better? Or any recommendations for better banks, or possibly for how to stop triggering this blasted thing.

Do you not have the Santander app? As when I make a purchase & it's gone for a check you get a message to go to the app and confirm the payments.
So no OTP code.

No, they send me texts, but sometimes the text doesn't come or sometimes when I reply to it in the way they specify they say the contact details can't be verified (which makes no sense, but whatever).
I didn't see the point of getting the app as I already bank on a laptop, but I'll give it a go, thanks.

Mickey666

TOP_CAT said:

You dont need to pay for ebay purchases via paypal anymore......
Using a credit card as suggested is likely the best way forward using paypal or not,
You could get a cashback card and benefit from half a percent cashback of all purchases.

Seconded.
I've never had a paypal account, yet I buy things online and via ebay all the time.  I've been with Santander for years and have used cashback credit cards for pretty much all my spending for decades and never had any problems worth mentioning.

If the system doesn't work for you then change to a system that will, though having said that it does remind me of one of my favourite quotes:

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.  Douglas Adams.

[Deleted User]

Mickey666 said:

TOP_CAT said:

You dont need to pay for ebay purchases via paypal anymore......
Using a credit card as suggested is likely the best way forward using paypal or not,
You could get a cashback card and benefit from half a percent cashback of all purchases.

Seconded.
I've never had a paypal account, yet I buy things online and via ebay all the time.  I've been with Santander for years and have used cashback credit cards for pretty much all my spending for decades and never had any problems worth mentioning.

If the system doesn't work for you then change to a system that will, though having said that it does remind me of one of my favourite quotes:

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.  Douglas Adams.

Paypal is useful for eBay as you get decent buyer protection for low value items plus free returns (reimbursement)
I'd use my credit card for almost anything else, I only use my debit card for lottery tickets or ah-hoc bills.

moneysavinghero

I've had problems with Santander too. Got to the point where i've given up using their debit card. I just use my TSB card and have never had any problems yet including making some large £10k+ payments with it.