You ain't gonna belive this!!!

*Mindy, there's no separate board for financial matters so it seemed like this is the best place for this - unless you prefer Grienvances*


Right, to spare you all the details, I'll just say that the DH and I are living on credit cards until my new job pays me and he gets his next PhD funding installment. That will occur right before Christmas but in the meantime, we are literally using our last bits of credit.

We knew I had a nice bit of credit on my American visa which is from State Employees Credit Union (SECU).  We attempted a cash withdrawal at Lloyds. Declined. Tried to use it at Sainsburys. Declined.

So I phoned them. And GUESS WHAT??? Because credit card fraud in the UK is 'so bad' right now, SECU is blanket declining ALL credit card transactions from the UK!!!!! 

un-flippin'-believable!!!

This policy is effective until further notice.

Now, I don't expect that all Visa companies are going to do this obviously. But I will say that I mentioned it to another expat who told me that they had also been declined recently and their card is also a credit union one. They have not phoned yet to see if it is a similar policy.

So just a word of warning to all of you!

We are now having to charge my card to my mother's checking account in order to get the money. She will then have to wire it to me.

Can I just say:

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry Balmerhon! 

In the same vein, Halifax bank - run by morons - issues new chip and PIN debit/Switch cards LIVE via post.  Yes, folks, no need to activate them, just start using.  And b/c not all shops have chip and PIN, that means they can still be used magnetically.

My new card was nicked in London before it ever made it up to me in Edinburgh.  And used fraudulently in the London area. 

I filed the claim to have the money refunded on the 19th of November. 

Phoned the bank today, and b/c they now have so many fraud claims (think it could be b/c they send out active debit cards in the post??!!!), they are backlogged processing claims. 

It will be another month before I see the £100 that was stolen from us b/c of their stupid policies.

Merry Christmas, eh?  Hope things improve for you soon.

Nice of them to tell you ahead of time of the change! What a hassle.

Sorry Balmerhon! 

In the same vein, Halifax bank - run by morons - issues new chip and PIN debit/Switch cards LIVE via post.  Yes, folks, no need to activate them, just start using.  And b/c not all shops have chip and PIN, that means they can still be used magnetically.

My new card was nicked in London before it ever made it up to me in Edinburgh.  And used fraudulently in the London area. 

I filed the claim to have the money refunded on the 19th of November. 

Phoned the bank today, and b/c they now have so many fraud claims (think it could be b/c they send out active debit cards in the post??!!!), they are backlogged processing claims. 

It will be another month before I see the £100 that was stolen from us b/c of their stupid policies.

Merry Christmas, eh?  Hope things improve for you soon.

Royal Bank of Scotland does this too. I asked if we could collect the card from the branch as there are so many problems with the post in our area - they said NO.  So my husband's new card never arrived (of course) and they had to cancel it and order a new one. Luckily the first one doesn't seem to have been misused but it meant it took a month for my husband to get his new card.

Nice of them to tell you ahead of time of the change! What a hassle.

Well, I did ask them about that. The policy was made literally about a week ago (I used the card about 2 weeks ago which was why being declined was not only weird but HUGELY embarrassing!!!!). So, since all my SECU mail goes to Mom, it's likely I wouldn't have heard anything yet anyway.  

As for all the chip and pinning and those banks... GOOD GRIEF! No wonder SECU is declining things.

Ack!

And another thing!! Accessing your bank account online is a pain. There are so many hoops to jump through. Annoying but I understand why. So, you'd think activating and using your card would be equally secure.

 

I had that happen last year when I was in London trying to buy a new winter coat.  The shop guy TRIED to look at me like I was some sort of criminal and then to TRY and put the coat back and THEN assist the next person  -- I asked him to hold on for ONE MINUTE as I called the CC Co.  They told me they were declining it since I hadn't used it for over a year.  They agreed it was OK to clear since I verified it was ME -- got my coat and told the shop guy "thanks for NOTHING." 

(I think I said "Have a Nice Day!" as I walked out too)

When I was in NYC, I'd tried to use my UK credit card a second time only to find that the company froze it on suspicion of fraud. I had to call Natwest and had to verify the last few charges (a air ticket from London to NYC, train ticket from Coventry to Heathrow: get the picture, guys, I'm in NYC). In there interim, shop clerks looked at me as if I were a low-life. Fortunately, one call ten-minute waiting overseas call cleared it up. But I now think that I'll have to inform the cc whenever I travel: how convenient!

I had that happen last year when I was in London trying to buy a new winter coat.  The shop guy TRIED to look at me like I was some sort of criminal and then to TRY and put the coat back and THEN assist the next person  -- I asked him to hold on for ONE MINUTE as I called the CC Co.  They told me they were declining it since I hadn't used it for over a year.  They agreed it was OK to clear since I verified it was ME -- got my coat and told the shop guy "thanks for NOTHING." 

(I think I said "Have a Nice Day!" as I walked out too)

I had a similar experience, only it turned out it was the credit card machine in the shop that was faulty, and the sales assistant had actually said to me "It is not MY fault your card's been declined." Yes, I did complain to the manager that time, you can bet I did!

When I was in NYC, I'd tried to use my UK credit card a second time only to find that the company froze it on suspicion of fraud. I had to call Natwest and had to verify the last few charges (a air ticket from London to NYC, train ticket from Coventry to Heathrow: get the picture, guys, I'm in NYC). In there interim, shop clerks looked at me as if I were a low-life. Fortunately, one call ten-minute waiting overseas call cleared it up. But I now think that I'll have to inform the cc whenever I travel: how convenient!

This happened to me as well.  I was only making an online purchase, but apparently, it's advised you inform the CC Co. that you will be travelling abroad and making purchases. 

I have this all the time when we go to the states--my debit cards only work in some banks in some states and shops.  For example in New York I have no problem, once I get west to illinois, I can't use certain banks and in Iowa there is only one credit union I have found that will take it.  It hasn't always been this way, but is a real pain as I have to go across town anytime I need money (but then, it is Iowa, so across town isn't that far)

I have to say that I'm glad I have to call the cc company to tell them I'm heading overseas - at least it means that if someone takes my card and uses it overseas that I don't have to worry about it.  I'd rather a touch of hassle for that safety measure!

I guess in a certain sense that I agree, onetiger. But, on the other, when I'm rushing around to get all the ducks lined up for a trip back to the States, then having to block out 15 minutes to wait on a "please press 1" phone purgatory isn't really much fun.

I guess in a certain sense that I agree, onetiger. But, on the other, when I'm rushing around to get all the ducks lined up for a trip back to the States, then having to block out 15 minutes to wait on a "please press 1" phone purgatory isn't really much fun.

Oooooh! You are SO singing my song. I was on hold for AGES trying to get through to my bank about the aforementioned mess. Argh!

Balmer,

It's not just credit card fraud they're afraid of (and the scale of that problem is huge). They're also concerned about funds getting diverted to terrorist organizations.

For what it's worth, Andrew and I have a joint Barclay's account. I periodically receive checks from the SAME POLICE organizations in the States for freelance work, checks from the same organizations I've worked for the four-and-a-half years I've been here, and each time, it takes the check up to six weeks to clear. It's maddening. Barclay's has variously claimed that it takes that long to verify that the funds are there (uh, are they using sailboats to cross the Atlantic, and then the Pony Express by land--do they not have computers here to electronically verify funds?), that the problem isn't on the UK side but on the US side, etc. Regardless, it's BS. And there's no getting around it, because all the banks are the same here. Andrew is amazed that I actually could SPEAK to my local Chevy Chase bank manager in the States, as it seems impossible to speak to a human being here unless you go to the bank, which inevitably entails a polite but useless conversation with a teller: "I'm so sorry (look of helpless comiseration), there's just nothing I can do." That's the can-do customer-service spirit one grows to love here!. And they don't provide phone numbers to individual branches, probably because a) they don't exist, or b) everyone's continuously on a tea break and won't answer the phone anyway.

S