Traveling and bank debit card freeze

[mikEXpat]

I recently saw a video by Nomadic Fanatic in which his debit card was locked or frozen because he was accessing it at too many places around the states. He was told by Bank of America that he would have to call the bank every time he was going to be in a different place and tell them how long he was going to be there and some such crap.

Have you ever had any trouble with using your debit card to make a purchase while on the road?

 

[djkeev]

YES!!

TD Bank froze mine a few years back while in Oregon for awhile.

I've since informed them to expect wild travels during a given time period.
Better than waking up penniless.........
i could be upset but really, they're just doing their job.
Had I been home I probably would have gotten a phone call first.

Dave

 

[wagoneer]

Don't use my debit card much anymore I do tell BofA and Ally when I travel and use cash or credit cards. Always paying inside for gasoline. Will we be having the pleasure of your company this coming January? I like cash it's like the "real world" But always pay off the CC.


Oops sorry still in my favorite sushi country, perhaps in a few years

 

[Vagabound]

I haven't done this in a while, but as I recall, most banks will document and appreciate some kind of advance notice or standing policy about travel. Once you give it, you shouldn't have to always call them. Of course, as with everything, your mileage may vary.

Vagabound

 

[firebob]

My bank will freeze my card if i go out of state or use it online anywhere but amazon or my online banking. Sometimes i still get frozen after calling.

I carry 2 credit cards. The one i use will send me a text with in 90 seconds of swiping the card with the location and the amount. Getting gas i will get a money hold when i swipe, a charge about 2 minutes after i print the receipt, and a money unhold about 5 minutes latter.

 

[Almost There]

I had my Cdn credit card frozen on me once. I'd not used it during the trip to Florida and then used it once in a department store. 15 minutes later I tried to use in for gas and it was frozen.

A quick call to my CC company, answered a few questions and all was good.

It turns out that all I would have had to do was go online at home and click on the holiday/travel notification hidden somewhere (don't remember where mine was) and let them know country and time period of travel. After that I always let both my banks know in advance when I was travelling.

Fortunately, now I have a CC and a debit card from a US branch of my Cdn bank that expects me to be travelling...that's why they gave it to me...

 

[speedhighway46]

I use a Capital One cash rewards credit card for almost everything I purchase short of "pocket money" items.

When I am traveling and out of my "normal" area, they actually CALL ME just to make sure everything is okay and correct. Normally, at that time I tell them I'm on the road and to expect additional purchases as I move along.

One time I asked them if they would like me to call before I left, and they said no, they would prefer to contact me when they first notice I'm traveling.

I'm sure there is some dark, alternate motive in this somewhere; but as a consumer this certainly is convenient.

 

[StarEcho]

How timely, as I just went to Wells Fargo yesterday to see why my debit card kept getting declined. I was in Arizona from Oct to Nov 20 and it started being declined just before I came back to Colorado.

So the thing that bothers me is that they can't fix it at the branch. Here I am, IN PERSON, with my identification so they can see that I am who I say I am, and no, they say I have to call an 800 number and tell some strangers who can't see me and couldn't prove I am who I say I am, that it's ok to unfreeze my card. How stupid is that?

And the whole thing is supposed to protect me from someone stealing my card or identity, but if someone has my card or has stolen my identity, can't they just call the 800 number too? Or what, do I now have to remember some obscure passcode or phrase I may or may not have given the bank when I do call this 800 number? I'm beyond frustrated.

 

[rvpopeye]

Ahhhhhh passwords , phrases , finger prints , eyeball imaging , nose hair counting ,,,,,,whatever some nerd comes up with next !
Nothing against nerds , I was one before they even came up with the name ......

I think sometimes they make up things to ask just to see if it ticks you off or not.

I use a credit union and something called branch sharing enables me to go into another credit union and it's just like I was in the one in my "home town" (like that has ever applied to me).

 

[#1BonBonQueen]

When I recently acquired my Debit card, I asked about traveling around the county and if I should call. They told me it would be a good thing to call before we leave town so they will know it is me using my card.
I do know that the CC of mine should be notified if I am going out of town to allow them knowledge of my whereabouts so they won't freeze my credit. I like this idea, very much. Yes, they are being nosey, but in all due respect for them, they really don't know where I am of if my card has been stolen and I don't know it yet, so they are just protecting me and my money, when you get right down to it. imho.

 

[djkeev]

I once "went to" a brothel in Australia !

The CC company called to see why I suddenly traveled half way around the globe!
I thought by traveling that far from home that I wouldn't get caught! Silly me!

Dave

 

[closeanuf]

My bank offers an app where I can turn my debit card on and off as needed.  I'm sure this isn't unique to bank in West Texas.

 

[Dandelion_Puff]

I've never had a debit card frozen, but that's most likely because I exclusively use credit cards. I have had my credit cards frozen while road tripping multiple times (hence why I carry so many), and then also for stupid stuff here at home. I remember once some years ago my Capital One card was frozen because I went to the mall and made 12 transactions in a day... all of which came to barely a hundred dollars, since I was buying stuff off the 70% off racks of stores and buying snacks and what not. Like, seriously, if someone had stolen the card, I don't think they'd be buying off the final sales racks. I've certainly never experienced what some people are saying about being told the card would be re-frozen every time you used it in a different place, though. Once the credit card companies were informed we were traveling, it didn't happen anymore.

I always have and always will very strongly recommend against using debit cards for daily transactions (whether you're traveling or not), though. I've had my credit cards stolen twice (not physically, but unauthorized use) and it's very simple to get straightened out. Most importantly, while I'm getting it straightened out, I only lose the ability to use that card, not the ability to use my bank account and pay my bills. I exclusively use my debit card to get cash (from my trustworthy grocery store or from an ATM). I get a ton of cash back too, and get to have five-figures of available credit for an emergency. I often even carry a balance and avoid interest completely and legally. But I'm 100% comfortable with how I manage credit cards, since my background is actually in finance (you'll never guess meeting me now, but watching the financial rape of Americans last decade is a massive part of WHY I'm so unconventional now).

 

[DannyB1954]

Sears credit card, (CitiGroup), declines a lot of my transactions and I don't even have to leave town. This last time they changed my 3 digit code on the back and didn't bother to tell me they were sending out a new card. I pay online, so letters from them go into the garbage. When I said paperless, I meant paperless. They could have sent an email saying watch your mail for a new card we are sending, no would make too much sense.

So I have something like $16K in credit and they declined a $20 transaction. I called them and they said the code was wrong. I asked them what is the new code then. They refused to tell me. At the end of this month, my balance will be zero with them. Then the credit card I have will join the new one that they sent me, (landfill). Seems like about once a month I have to call them to get a transaction through. I have never lost a card, or disputed a transaction, never been late, and what I get in return is Hassle.

 

[akrvbob]

How strange, I have Bank of America and a few years back I called them at the beginning of summer travel to tell them and they said I only needed to do it if I traveled out of country.

This summer I bought gas in

1) WA
2) OR
3) NV
4) CA
5) AZ
6) UT
7) CO
8) NM
9) ID

I guess 9 states isn't enough to kick off the alarms.

 

[MrNoodly]

When I set up my account with Wells Fargo, I think I MIGHT have told them I would be a full time traveler. Anyway, I've never had my debit card frozen, and I wander a lot and often. In fact, I'm in Mexico right now and half expected a problem when I used an ATM here. But there was none. Perhaps it's that using my card all over the West, and using it for pretty much the same types of things, isn't out of character with MY spending/withdrawal habits.

 

[cap1961]

I just get cash before I need money any where I go. Problem solved.

Sent from my RCT6773W22 using Tapatalk

 

[mikEXpat]

My bank will freeze my card if i go out of state or use it online anywhere but amazon or my online banking.  Sometimes i still get frozen after calling.

I carry 2 credit cards.  The one i use will send me a text with in 90 seconds of swiping the card with the location and the amount.  Getting gas i will get a money hold when i swipe, a charge about 2 minutes after i print the receipt, and a money unhold about 5 minutes latter.

That's an interesting process. Mind telling us which bank or credit card does that?

 

[mikEXpat]

Fortunately, now I have a CC and a debit card from a US branch of my Cdn bank that expects me to be travelling...that's why they gave it to me...

Interesting. So having a bank account out of the country gives you the freedom to travel around the world actually without having to deal with these inconveniences. I have friends who have accounts in Ireland and various other tax havens which actually accrue interest also. They have Visa debit cards, but I don't know if they use them. I'll have to ask.

 

[mikEXpat]

How timely, as I just went to Wells Fargo yesterday to see why my debit card kept getting declined.  I was in Arizona from Oct to Nov 20 and it started being declined just before I came back to Colorado.  

I am a Wells Fargo member. Yikes. You just told me what I was hoping I wouldn't hear but wrote this thread to hear it anyway. Damn. Please let me know if you keep having trouble by replying to this thread. I'd be happy to switch banks if this is what's going to happen everytime I use my debit card. I won't have a credit when I return from Japan, so this dependence on a debit card has me in a bit of pickle.