Credit Card While Traveling

[charles10]

We are Texans....last summer we filled up with diesel in Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and back to Colorado to find our Bank of America card was denied. When I called in they said these large charges in various states were a "fraud alert". Got card turned back on and advised them we were traveling and would be for several months. About months later in California the same thing happened. they advised we should let them know we were traveling out of our home state. Went to Louisiana last week, used the BofA card one time and here we go again. All this time we thought a high value credit card would do the trick for long trips.

Similar thing happened when we changed to our Wells Fargo debit card, had to call in for approval last summer. They have advised for us to call them before leaving home and going to other states.

Seems these office personnel do not understand the price of a tank of diesel for a motor home. In the past we cleaned out billfolds before leaving home, next time we will carry more different credit cards.

[desertdeals69]

The banks will probably tell you that its for your own protection. The first time it happens to us call and tell them which states we will be in and the dates. We travel for 7 months at a time. If they won't do that switch banks, which we've had to do.

[Guest BillAdams]

You should have seen what happened when we went to Tahiti a couple of months ago!!! Actually, Discover would not approve anything (no, I was not going to try to call) but our Chase card worked for the entire trip without issue.

We have been full-time for a very long time and yet we still get a denial (mostly from Discover Card) from time to time. It's a pain but it happens and some other card works until I can get on the phone. Since I rarely check my CC account until the bill is due I really don't mind the "unnecessary" inconvenience. They say they are protecting you but in reality they are trying to protect themselves since you would not be liable and they would take the entire loss.

[nalcon]

A friend of mine had his CC number stolen. The CC company called him the first day the card was used out of state. Saved him a lot of headaches. I've had to call Discover when vacationing. A small inconvienence compared to the alternative. Certainly I'm not responsible for fraudulent use of my card, but I am partly responsible for recitifying it and spending my time doing it.

[Guest Wayne77590]

When we travel we get the occaional phone call from our favorite Credit Union. It is canned, calles our home phone which is forwarded to my cell, askes if you just spent a couple hundred bucks at such-an-such place, push 1 if you did, 2 to talk to a representative. I just push 1 if I made the transaction and go on with business.

Once, in Okinawa Japan, I was making a large purchase at the local military exchange. The clerk handed me the phone and said, "Your credit union wants to talk to you." I took the phone, answered the questions handed the phone back and the transaction was completed.

Now that is service. (NFCU)

[dickandlois]

All banks that issue Credit Cards build a profile on you and know where you tend to move around and what you buy.

I have made it a practice to call inform them when I will be traveling rough idea of where we plan to be and for how long we will be traveling.

Even then, at times when we are traveling they will ask the cashier to have us call,small inconvenience for the piece of mind I get from having them check.

R.M.

[f233844]

I also call and advise them of my travel plans. I usually use the pay inside option, once with the pay at the pump trick, shut off at $100, restart, and before I could get the pump restarted my bank called my cell, I told them it was me and all was well.