<p>Many years ago, when I was working for a major CC fraud unit, the rules to decide which transaction is a fraud suspect were very subjective. I believe there is no set rules for any CC company, so you might be surprised on variety of outcomes.</p>
<p>Thanks lookingforward. That was a hellish couple of weeks where everything that could go wrong did. I understood why such a large charge was flagged but still - aaaaahhhhhh!!! We made sure we forwarned them the following month when the charge for the same drug was over $3700 (january so back to square one - back out of the dreaded donut hole by Feb though)</p>
<p>other times we have had a card denied were usually when we were traveling in different states, we try to remember to give them a heads up when we are traveling. I do remember one Christmas Eve it being denied when I was paying for a pie at a local store - I had used it several times that day, not high charges but several of them. They told me it was the number of charges that triggered it. I understood but, hello - Christmas!!!.</p>
<p>Whinging aside - I would rather have them check than have someone fraudulently use my cad. But it can still be a tad irritating and always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times.</p>
<p>Last spring I got a text about suspicious activity on my credit card account. I called the number and the rep read my recent charges to verify them with me. I don’t use cash so there was a long list of the typical innocuous stuff. Gas station, fast food, grocery, etc. Then, in the same tone of voice, in a charge under my college daughter’s name, he attempted to verify a charge at a barely pronounceable massage parlor in China for thousands of dollars. I started laughing. No, my 19 yo daughter was not at a Chinese massage parlor last night!</p>
<p>The puzzling thing is that they let the charges actually go through and I had to dispute them. There was a second charge at the same place the next day and they let that go through too. I wasn’t too happy about having to do paperwork and follow up.</p>
<p>Our D had a funny but nice experience just the other day. We live in Canada but she goes to college in the US and she found a used txt book she needs via a Canadian bookstore so she ordered it on her Canadian credit card but delivery to her college address. Within 5 minutes of completing the order she got a phone call from the bookstore confirming that she had placed this order. She was still trying to print the receipt when call came. Her credit card company called about an hour later to confirm the same thing and just because of a a different delivery address than her billing address</p>
<p>Once I got a call from our credit card company about a charge. I had to laugh, imagining whether it is typical for a thief to steal a credit card and use it to join the local Jewish Community Center and sign up for eight weeks of summer day camp!</p>
<p>H&I were flying back from Europe. In the early morning we checked out of a hotel in Paris using the card and flew back to the US with a stopover in NYC. Used card to buy food in NYC. At our home destination, H headed off to a conference in Canada and checked into a hotel with the card. At about the same time, I stopped on the way home from the airport to buy a b-day gift for S1 at a Best Buy. That’s the charge that got flagged and I had to get on the phone with the cc co. rep standing in line at Best Buy.</p>
<p>I always call now (or do it on line where possible) before we leave, as well as my ATM card which I use to get cash.</p>
<p>Ours also sometimes gets flagged when S2 buys something unusual on-line, like the $1500 charge for mouthpieces from an on-line music sales co. He ordered 7-8 of them to try out and could return the ones he didn’t want.</p>
<p>I haven’t ever had my credit card use questioned abroad - it only seems to happen locally at stores that I go to all the time. Last year I tried to purchase about $200 of clothing from a local store where I am a frequent shopper. If you look at my annual statements, it’s clear that I buy a lot of clothing at this store. The $200 charge was questioned, and the credit card company asked to speak to me on the store phone. To verify my identity they asked a couple of questions, and then they asked what my monthly mortgage bill was. Um, you know, I don’t carry my mortgage bill around with me. When the same credit card company questioned a charge of $10 for some chocolate bars, I cancelled the card.</p>
<p>American Express has told me twice now that I do not need to call when we are traveling overseas. I still call for other cards. We do have problems with Chase, last time I was traveling and my H was using the card at home, and I flew to 2 different cities on the same day.</p>
<p>I got a text from Chase after both H and I used the same credit card to fill up at the same gas station in a state other than our own. We were moving D from TN to IL. I was glad they asked.</p>
<p>Last year, Chase called about a small charge on our card that was made early in the morning. After checking with H and S, I told them we didn’t make it. They cancelled our cards and sent new ones … said that often, thieves will make small purchases to see if they go unnoticed, then move in for the big charges.</p>
<p>D has had issues with BOA since she started using her debit card in CA. Her permanent address is MI, and the extremely rude agent who called told her that she is “required” to call BOA every time she is going to use the card outside MI. She asked why they hadn’t ever questioned her during the previous two years she had the card, as she lived in TN and used it all the time. The agent told her “From now on, you have to call us every time you use it anywhere but MI.” D got a new card from another bank!</p>
<p>Happykid is traveling in Europe with Discover/Diners, American Express, a Visa card from one credit union, and her Visa debit card from another. Her traveling companions both left home with only Master Card debit cards (from the same bank!!) and a couple hundred dollars in cash. Because Happykid was the only one with a credit card, she ended up making almost all of the advance reservations for hotels, train tickets (American Express), and has been doing her best to shift as many of the bills as possible during the trip to the Discover/Diners (no exchange fees) or to the Visa card (exchange fee about 2% vs. about 3% for American Express).</p>
<p>Trying to check the current balances today, I found a fraud alert on the Discover, and called customer service who informed me that a big charge at the only hotel that had been pre-paid by a different parent had appeared shortly after my own charge for fertilizer at Home Depot. In a brief e-communication with Happykid, I learned that she had pulled out her/my plastic to cover the damage/mini-bar/restaurant tab deposit at that hotel because the pre-payer’s child not only just has a debit card on her, but that debit card doesn’t have a big enough balance to cover the deposit because the mom is transferring money to it “as needed”. When Discover rejected the charge, Happykid put it on her/my American Express instead. I had wondered if I was doing the right thing by sending a 19 year-old out of the country with so much plastic on her, but now I’m glad I didn’t just rely on debit cards and “reloading” them like the other parents.</p>
<p>In a bit I will call Discover and un-lock the card. But first I’m going for a walk to clear my head.</p>
<p>American Express called me years ago to ask me if I was in Mexico (I never travel) I had dropped my Am Express card 2 days before and someone was making small,under 200.00 charges there. They canceled it and I didn’t have to pay anything.
A year later, just as a courtesy call, they told me someone was still trying to use that old card, it didn’t matter, but they could tell. I think if it was being sold to someone, they were pretty angry!
I’m glad they are careful and when my daughter goes abroad this Fall, we will make sure to tell Chase and BOA, she is going and for how long…and I hope any large purchases are noticed. ; )</p>
<p>I have a Mastercard and American Express through USAA and their website has a very convenient way to add a notification that you will be traveling. You select the countries, the dates and the cardholder - no further notification is necessary.</p>
<p>I have another American Express card directly through Amex. When I looked for a similar online way to notify about travel, I found nothing. I called them to ask about it and they said they don’t take pre-notifications. Apparently they just wait to see odd charges and then call to verify them. I like USAA’s method better.</p>