(Citibank) Chip&Pin card declined transaction

sor_fes2

Hi all,
Thought I'd comment on this. I took my parents out for lunch yesterday. I handed over my citibank credit card to pay but it was declined. Tried it again but it was still declined. I knew I hadn't spent anywhere near the limit so couldn't understand why it was declined. Luckily I still had my MoreThan card with me, which worked. It is chip&pin also. (I've been fazing out the use of my MoreThan and am alittle annoyed that I will have to remember that I've used this month)

Anyway, got home, checked my citibank account online. All seemed fine though the last transactions I could see where 2 or 3 days before and I had used the card on Saturday.

Rang Citibank. They had a look at my account to see why the card was declined. Seemingly it is ONLY a chip and pin card. The card can only be authorised via the pin so if the seller's card-reader thingy can't do this then the card is declined. The woman on the phone mentioned something about the magnetic strip but I was listening well enough to that bit - I'm assuming its something like 'not all the relevant information is on the magnetic strip or it's just there to make the card look pretty!'. So you probably can't sign for your transaction... thinking about it I can only remember using my pin for my citibank card. *shrug*

I don't know if all new chip&pin cards are like this. As I said, my MoreThan chip&pin card worked and I signed the receipt rather than use its number.. which was a good thing since I couldn't remember what it was not having used it in ages!

Oh, this has happened to me once before with my citibank card. Luckily I had some cash on me that time!

(other than that, I've had no problems with citibank. No problems when I ring them, no problems with their website.)

Galstonian

I didn't think that card issuers were supposed to do that, there are many retailers who do not have C&P facilities or if you take your card abroad (not that this would be the best way to spend overseas) many countries have not rolled out C&P at all. Retailers can still accept card payments using card imprints (paper based) or mag-strip, I think they have to accept responsibility for verifying your signature though.

I would ask for written confirmation of this policy, if it is implemented as they say then ask Visa/Mastercard if under their rules Citibank are allowed to do this (reject transactions based on the equipment the retailer is using)

brackem

This also happened to me in a Petrol Station as i wasnt sure of my PIN and asked to sign , i was then informed the card had been declined , Despite having over 2k of available credit , It was extremely embarassing and i am now wary of using the card again incase the same happens

CopperPlate_2

Hmmm. I just keep on thinking - "Was I wise taking out a Citi card"????!!!!!

I've had no problems with it at all BUT it's the only card I have except my Smile debit card now. I closed my Smile visa card, but even though it only offers 0.5% cashback (monthly credited though!) I'm seriously thinking of dumping Citi. I mean, the cashback difference will only amount to about £60 in the year - a fiver a month?

CP

balsingh

So I am I right in thinking that my Citibank Card wont work if the retailer doesn't have Chip/PIN?

I did notice that the card has a silver strip where the magnetic strip normally is.

Is this speicic only to the Citibank card or do other cards do the same too? Can I get Citi to give me a card which does have a magnetic strip?

sor_fes2

Hmm, maybe I'll ring them again and actually listen better to the explanation of why it didn't work.

I have used my citicard for a good range of transactions; both large and small shops, on-line, my dentist, local small health&beauty parlour, local small garden centre, other restaurants, sainsburys, car park. Only had two bills so far but have now had it declined in two places over that time. It is abit embarressing and it does make me flustered when it happens... but maybe now if it happens, i am aware of what the problem is!

I would say that generally I am happy with citicard though, and am getting the 1% cashback which I can see growing online. But maybe checking out for usage abroad.. although I have to remember to use my Nationwide card then! I guess I won't be cancelling my MoreThan card just yet, and I believe I still have cashback at 0.8% on it anyhow (though that has cahnged for new customers) so....

sor_fes2

Even bigger hmmmm...
Have just rung citicards. The person I was talking to said the people in the restaurant swiped the card to quick?!! I don't think that is correct cause the card was sitting in the machine while it thought about what to do. Anyway the person at citicard said that there is the option to override the pin so that you can sign the receipt as in 'the old times'. *shrug*

So I really don't know. But the moral of the story, for me anyway, is to hold onto my MoreThan card just in case, and now that I am aware of the possible problem with the citicard I shouldn't get embarressed by it!

jjames_3

I've had the same issue with a Citicard and the filling station at our local Tesco, so it seems to be a common issue. Citicards also removed my cashback facility without warning and said it was given in the first place "in error".

I'm sick of this lame company and will be cancelling the card very soon -- although I'm not holding my breath as I asked for a limit reduction THREE times and nothing was done on my account... this is quite the worst and most disorganised banking operation I've ever encountered.

Walletwatch

Have had similar instances with Citibank, in fact, five times, but surprisingly, three of those have been in the same restaurant that I frequent, and the owner actually apologised saying that he'd had a lot of problems with the authorisation machine, so we should probably discount that.

I agree though, the solution seems to be to hold more than one card.