So called 'AI' and overseas travel (Note: For 'AI' substitute 'Algorithms')

Salamat

With only a couple of exceptions, banks now say you don't have to advise them of your overseas travel, as 'AI' will take care of you. This really is absolute nonsense! Within a week, I have had to contact Lloyds (Ultra card) three times when it's refused to make payments! 🤷‍♂️ Nothing more than £10, at a time. Maybe it's a Lloyds issue as when I used my Chase card, there was no problem at all!

How about others?

eskbanker

Which bank says that "'AI' will take care of you"?

It's undoubtedly true that for many years most banks have been moving away from seeking proactive notification of travel, as their anti-fraud algorithms have become more sophisticated, but I haven't seen that lazily labelled as being 'AI' as such.  Obviously such algorithms are still far from perfect but I can't remember the last time I had a transaction challenged by virtue of being abroad at the time, so my experience doesn't match yours, or rather it matched your Chase one not your Lloyds one.

Marchitiello

I have been using my Santander, Chase, MBNA and  RBS cards abroad without a single issue for years... I do remeber when I had to call the bank before the first trip to a new country back in the days, but even then, when I returned to a country I had been and used the card before, it would let me use it withour issues.

elsien

No bank has ever said to me that AI will take care of me. Then again, I’ve not informed the bank I’m going abroad for donkeys years now, but I’ve never had a problem using my cards while away. 

Salamat

Maybe I used the term 'AI' loosly, but to me, 'AI' and 'Algorithms' are pretty much one and the same.

OK, sounds like it's just something with the Lloyds system, as on three occasions, after they declined, Chase went through with no problem!

I just wish they'd go back to the old way of giving them your trip plans!

elsien

it might possibly depend where you’re travelling to as well? Some areas potentially be more prone to fraud  than others?

mta999

Just out of curiosity, when Lloyds declined your card abroad, did you have to call them or could you authorize it via the app

eskbanker

Salamat said:

Maybe I used the term 'AI' loosly, but to me, 'AI' and 'Algorithms' are pretty much one and the same.

OK, sounds like it's just something with the Lloyds system, as on three occasions, after they declined, Chase went through with no problem!

I just wish they'd go back to the old way of giving them your trip plans!

You're equating correlation and causation, i.e. the fact that Lloyds declined some transactions when you were abroad doesn't necessarily mean that they did so because you were abroad!  It could be related to the specific merchants you were trying to spend at (even if Chase took a different view), or suspicious patterns on your account, or any number of other factors that they'd be unwilling to disclose for obvious reasons.

The fact remains that transactions will be blocked if they trigger whatever checks the banks choose to use, and so it's hardly surprising that there isn't some sort of opt-out whereby you can guarantee that such checks can be circumvented if travelling!

born_again

It could also be the way the retailer has tried to process the transaction.
Processing as just swiped, rather than PIN is more likely to see a card declined, as could be stolen.

Salamat

mta999 said:

Just out of curiosity, when Lloyds declined your card abroad, did you have to call them or could you authorize it via the app

The first issue was in transit, in China. I used the card/pin, but it just wasn't accepted! Chase was, straight away. No notification from Lloyds at all!

The next was putting in card details on taxi apps, where they just take a nominal payment. Again, just declined, with no notification! Nothing came through to my phone to authorise it!

Today, tried to make an online purchase (about £10) declined, again, no notification/request on my phone!

I've had 3 sessions on their 'Chat'. The 2nd session sorted out the taxis and 3rd, over an hour this evening, trying to find out why today was declined and why I didn't get an authorisation request come through! No answer yet!

Salamat

Just had the latest reply from them, which was supposedly from 'one of my colleagues will help with this', but I now think was probably a 'bot' all along...

"It's been a pleasure chatting with you and helping resolve your issue. I'm genuinely happy to hear your query has been sorted."

My last comment before that was....

"There just seems to be a breakdown between the retailer, their authorising bank and the link to you, bringing it up on my app, for my authorisation!

That hardly sounds like I think it's resolved, surely? 🤷‍♂️