I don't know if anyone has heard, but U.S. credit card companies are now closing accounts after only months of inactivity. I don't like using my credit cards often because they seem to get blocked, and there is a 3% charge for using it here. I have used them 2 ways in the past. 1) Buying something online from a U.S. website and having it sent to a friend or relatives. 2) Buying something from Britain in person and using the card.
Both of these methods are considered suspect by the credit card companies because there is a lot of online fraud with credit cards, and because any international, or overseas credit card transaction can result in a block on your account. The advantage of using the card in Britain is that the card is physically swiped, which to credit card companies look like a good thing because the card is in your hand. The disadvantage of this is that it is a foreign transaction, and they seem to assume that foreign transaction = fraud. It is also quite annoying to use U.S. credit cards in Britain as they do not have chip and pin. So not only do I have to explain myself when using the card in Britain, I also have to explain myself to the credit card company, which gets to be very annoying. I am trying to figure out the best way to use my card. Which way would be less likely to get my account blocked? I really hate calling up each time I use my card to explain myself and going through all the security questions.
