I’m Not a Fraud! Can I Have My Money Please?

I’m Not a Fraud! Can I Have My Money Please?

September 29th, 2010 @ 4:49 pm by Mrs. Hippo
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Let’s take a little step away from wedding planning and talk about honeymoon planning, shall we? And not my honeymoon…your honeymoon. And more importantly, how to plan ahead for an international honeymoon so you don’t waste all kinds of crazy time trying to get access to your money. Oh yes, people…my advice is based on my own painful experience from just moments ago.

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So…I’m in London on a business trip right now, and after landing at London Heathrow earlier today, my colleagues and I hit the ATM to get some pounds for the trip. Easy peasy, right? Of course not.

A few hours later, I got an email saying that my bank account had been shut down due to “irregular activity.” As in, I no access to my money until I could call and talk to a real person at the bank. Apparently banks are so super duper fraud protection savvy these days that anything out of the ordinary sets off alarms. After several failed attempts at calling the bank’s toll-free (oh, not so, international traveler!) number, I was able to get someone on the phone who could verify my identify and reset the account.

Now don’t get me wrong…I completely get it. I know it’s for my own protection, and with all the identity theft these days, I am thankful that my bank is looking out for me. I just wish that I had thought to make the simple phone call to them to let them know I was going to be traveling internationally before I got here. A three minute phone call before my trip would have saved me a lot of hassle and aggravation.

So…learn from me! If you are traveling internationally for your honeymoon, let your bank and credit card companies know so they don’t block you from your own, hard-earned moolah!

Anyone else out there learn this lesson the hard way?

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32 Responses to “I’m Not a Fraud! Can I Have My Money Please?”

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Bee

Miss Meerkat (message) 3,216 posts, Sugar bee

Thanks for the reminder! We almost had this happen with our AmEx card before our last trip. Luckily I happened to call for something else and they asked if we would be traveling.

9/29/10 @ 4:56 pm (reply)

Member

NYBride2Bee (message) 97 posts, Worker bee

When I travel to places I don’t normally go to, particularly intl, I always call my bank and credit cards cos to let them know. I think they put a tag on the accounts that you are traveling and not to shut you out. So sorry you had to deal with this while away. How frustrating.

9/29/10 @ 4:57 pm (reply)

Member

jaydee1125 (message) 453 posts, Helper bee

**raises hand**

Happened to my husband and I when we went to pay for our wedding.

The mister is in the service so there were charges in Kuwait, Germany, South Carolina so when we went our card was swiped it was denied…and like you said 3 minute phone call prior would have prevented a lot of aggrevation.

9/29/10 @ 4:58 pm (reply)

Member

FFiori (message) 2 posts, Wannabee

Yes! My debit card was declined for the same reason at the dry cleaner’s when I was dropping off my wedding dress to get pressed. (I got married in my hometown, several states away from where I live, and where my bank is located)

That was some stress I did not need the week of the wedding!

9/29/10 @ 4:59 pm (reply)

Member

bRooklynRocks (message) 3,767 posts, Honey bee

That’s never happened to me but then, I usually withdraw an amount of money I will need for the trip (usually a week) and pay for hotels and stuff in advance. I’m glad everything worked out though.

9/29/10 @ 5:00 pm (reply)

Member

dance (message) 1,607 posts, Bumble bee

Glad to hear you got that mess sorted out! I have always been so particular about this because I have a fear of that happening to me! I always call my bank a few days before my trip and get them to put a note on my account stating where I will be and during what time period - so if a purchase or transaction happens in that location, they won’t cut me off from my accounts! Thankfully, I have not yet had a problem with this!

9/29/10 @ 5:03 pm (reply)

Member

tea (message) 7,288 posts, Bee Keeper

i haven’t had any issues with my cards domestically without prior notification but this is something i need to remember whenever i do get around to traveling internationally. glad you were able to fix it!

9/29/10 @ 5:13 pm (reply)

Member

BeadFloraJewels (message) 80 posts, Worker bee

My credit card didn’t stop me from using my card internationally… however, will keep in mind for future just in case. Thanks

xoxo,
Fen

9/29/10 @ 5:17 pm (reply)

Member

R.Elliott (message) 1,011 posts, Bumble bee

I didn’t learn this lesson the hard way but I ALWAYS call my bank if I’m going to be out of the country no matter what. I hope everyone does the same!

I did, however, lose my ATM card on my second-to-last day in Israel and I had just ran out of cash (obviously, since I was at an ATM) and didn’t bring any other cards with me. The way I lost the card was I stuck the card into the slot that I thought it went in to retrieve cash, but it was actually a slot for the trash. Yikes! (granted I don’t speak Hebrew and they use different characters than English, so I guess the mistake is understandable. Sort of)

So for the last 24 hours of my trip I didn’t have any money. We went out to a big fancy dinner for the last night with the group I went with, and someone covered my tab for me. Embarassing!

So my tip, is make sure you have a backup card with you that has a little money on it (or cash) in case of an emergency.

9/29/10 @ 5:33 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Miss Elephant (message) 6,182 posts, Bee Keeper

Good Advice! I need to remember to do that when we go on our honeymoon.

9/29/10 @ 5:41 pm (reply)

11.

Member

ILikePink (message) 1,408 posts, Bumble bee

This can happen in-country too! Boy and I were on a trip to Wyoming, and my card got shut off for suspicious activity!

9/29/10 @ 5:41 pm (reply)

12.

Member

keturahrussell (message) 201 posts, Helper bee

This happened to me and my FI on vacation in the Bahamas. We got lucky that only one of our cards used was frozen. We’ll never make this mistake again!!!!

9/29/10 @ 5:44 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Mrs. Spaniel (message) 6,792 posts, Bee Keeper

And yet, when someone spends $800 at a “car phone” shop in Hertfordshire, nobody at Chase thinks to close down my account. But if I buy gas in northern LA county in the morning and groceries in southern LA county in the evening, I get shut down.

I’m sorry you had to deal with that!!

9/29/10 @ 5:53 pm (reply)

14.

Member

breathe-gently (message) 22 posts, Newbee

Oh my gosh, I have this problem all the time (I’m living in London at the moment) - no matter how many times I notify the bank, I ALWAYS get my card frozen. I should be thankful but it drives me insane when they do it!

9/29/10 @ 5:53 pm (reply)

15.

Member

crayfish (message) 4,844 posts, Honey bee

Ugh, I hate this. This happened to me a lot while buying big ticket items for the wedding. And, since you are never responsible for credit card transactions you did not make, these policies actually aren’t there to protect you. Those annoying freezes and forced phone calls where you have to remember what random branch of Bank of America your mom took you to when you were 15 to open an account to verify your identity? Yeah, that’s there to protect the banks from potential losses.

So annoying.

9/29/10 @ 6:03 pm (reply)

16.

Member

lauren1128 (message) 10 posts, Newbee

I answer the phones at the call center of a major bank, so I can offer a bit of insight into this.

The fraud detection these days is AWESOME! It’s very rare that I have a customer that calls in with a “warm block” (temporary freezing) on their card where it wasn’t for a justifiable reason. Anything considered out of the ordinary for a customer will set it off, including unusually large dollar amounts being charged, being in a weird location, a known fraudulent website, etc.

Always let your bank know when you’re traveling out of the country, but it’s also a good idea to let them know even if you’re traveling within the country. We put a note on the card with the information, which almost always prevents any issues.

Another thing to be aware of: there are daily limits set on debit cards that limit how much money you can use. It’s usually $500 if you’re using it as debit (entering your PIN) and $2500 for credit. Check with your bank to find out the exact limits for your card, and also be aware that those limits can be raised temporarily if you request it.

9/29/10 @ 6:30 pm (reply)

17.

Member

marieta (message) 339 posts, Helper bee

Do this even if you’re not going international! A road trip can set it off, too. When I moved cross-country, both of my credit cards got shut down at one point or another during the trip. Argh. Fixed easier than doing it internationally, yes, but well worth taking care of BEFORE any trip.

9/29/10 @ 6:36 pm (reply)

18.

Member

lauren1128 (message) 10 posts, Newbee

@crayfish:
These policies ARE there to protect you. While a customer is almost never held responsible for the transaction(s), it does take awhile to get an investigation going and money credited back to an account in situations of fraud. While all of that is taking place, customers are without the money that was taken. Not to mention, it’s a huge inconvenience to have to fill out the necessary paperwork in order to get everything taken care of. If it can be prevented in the first place, the customer is usually pretty darn happy.

9/29/10 @ 6:37 pm (reply)

19.

Member

shericamarie (message) 106 posts, Blushing bee

I hear you! I went on a cruise this summer and had to call my bank to verify my identity. It helped me not buy so many drinks, but it was annoying

9/29/10 @ 7:22 pm (reply)

20.

Member

emma5w (message) 547 posts, Busy bee

I had my debit/credit card stolen in Spain a few years ago. I immediately called the international phone number for Visa (the police station had it) and had it shut off. Charges were still being posted to my account 5 weeks later. Soo…where was my protection then?

9/29/10 @ 7:52 pm (reply)

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