Comments on: Using credit cards abroad – with extra security measures

By: Chris Ward

Chris Ward — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:42:39 +0000

Agree with this. I live in Japan, and enjoy a bit of travel. Last week I tried to book a flight to Singapore and had my card rejected. Cue a call to the fraud department of HSBC to get my card ‘unlocked’. Got the usual ‘don’t worry, you’re transaction will go through now, sir’ rubbish. Too late, already booked it on my credit card. Never mind. Yesterday I tried to book a hostel in Singapore, using my freshly unlocked card. No luck, rejected again. Now waiting for that email from my mother telling me the HSBC fraud squad need me to call them about another ‘urgent matter.’ You’d think they’d get the connection, a flight to Singapore, a hostel in Singapore … hmm.

By: Vic Cowling

Vic Cowling — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:55:38 +0000

I get it all the time too, since I live in Laos, but Thailand is just across the Mekong, so it’s possible to use the card in 2 countries in under an hour. Despite being here and doing that for 12 years, Lloyds TSB can make no accommodation, and the blocking is automatic…

By: Cheryl Probst

Cheryl Probst — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:38:34 +0000

maybe US banks are different. I’ve never had any problems (knock on wood!) after notifying Bank of America and U.S. Bank beforehand that I would be using my cards outside the country.

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:04:45 +0000

Very annoying, and an exercise in self-protection as you say. I always call the card co. in advance, although Barclays only allow you to notify them of two countries. If you’re going to a third, you have to call en route to add it to their list. Clearly going the extra mile to help their customers.
I had my debit card blocked in Damascus last year and had to call the bank. When you’re paying £5/min or whatever it is, the last thing you want to hear is “Syria…. what country is that in?” Sad but true.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:04:26 +0000

Alliance and Leicester are worse. While we were away they were fine for eight months, then they began blocking our cards once every 30 days for ‘security’. So it didn’t matter we’d already told them we were out of the country and would be for the foreseeable future, they just blocked them arbitrarily.

Yay!

By: Jeremy Head

Jeremy Head — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:57:46 +0000

Completely agree. We had our Nationwide cards stopped in Malaysia this summer. We had even called them before to tell them too. But that made no difference. Worse still the first time they said they had taken the block off we still couldn’t use the cards. I wrote them a really stroppy letter when I got back and they gave us £100 though. Kind of suggests they felt some liability. I think you should tell them before you go places and then insist they refund the cost of calls etc if they still block your card…