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This is a bit of a rant, but if you've ever been incredibly annoyed by BankOne/Chase, you might appreciate it.
Chase likes to stop my credit card from working due to "suspicious" activity. Typically, the trigger charges are small dollar amounts ($<50) - which are well under 1% of my average monthly charges on the card. While I appreciate their stringent fraud system, they have a tendency to simply stop the card from working without notifying me - and wait for me to be embarassingly turned declined at Whole Foods, restaurants or...most amusingly...with United. Unlike my Citi AAdvantage card, Chase *never* calls me to tell me that something has gone wrong before simply stopping my card. After going through many cycles of this last year, and escalating to a supervisor, I thought my embarassment had finally ended.
Well, last week showed me what a disgusting and annoying company Chase can be.
I was declined at the supermarket and called to talk to an agent to have it removed. The agent was surly and annoying, but I thought everything was fine. Two days later, they did it again, this time turning down an attempted purchase at United. That day, I spent 1.5 hours+ on the phone with Chase, talking to three different reps who kept saying (nastily) that my card would be restored to working order. Each time I hung up, called United, tried to issue a ticket and was declined. Finally, the card got working, but I had some very difficult conversations with the reps at the call centre.
Well, the next morning, my card was declined again. This time I called, only to be told that my card had been "tampered" with and that the account would need to be closed and reopened to protect me.
But I don't think my card was tampered with at all. The cards have never been out of our sight, there are no unusual charges, and in the past few days, Chase's employees seem hell-bent on giving me the extreme run around. Of course, because they won't tell me anything, I don't know if someone has stolen my identity or what...I'm just left sitting here wondering why I bother doing business with these amateur idiots at all.
I can absolutely live with stringent fraud protection measures, but the lack of notification, poor quality of customer service and now their inability to protect my personal information is too much. Of course, having a hair-trigger fraud system that constantly blocks United as a merchant is just deliciously ironic beyond words.
I know from previous posts that folks here have had some similar problems. I think it would be interesting to summarize your opinions of BankOne/Chase, if you have any, especially in comparison to other mileage card issuers you may have experience with. United needs to know, imho.
Of course, if I'm off-base and Chase is fantastic, I'd love to hear that too.
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Why do you still keep a Chase card/account?
I would drop them like a hot rock after the problems you have outlined, and take my business elsewhere.
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I agree...drop them. It is beyond understanding how some morons in "security" do not understand the balance.
Drop them. ^
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I had the same problem with them a few months back.... They claimed my account was compromised by charges in Africa. When Chase sent me a letter to claim against unauthorized charges, none of them were from Africa. In fact all of the charges were authorized. I was major pissed that day to the point I felt like ....ting... :mad:
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I have to differ with the OP. Although I am a fairly new Chase cardholder (3 months) I have been very satisfied. My only issue came with opening the account. They had some trouble, but one I went to my local Chase branch (where I have a checking account) they interviened on my behalf and got everything sorted out. I do not make many purchases on the card, but so far it has never been declined due to suspected fraud. I even took the card to Europe and had no problems there. When I had to dispute a charge ($32 for a 3 minute phonecall from a payphone in AMS to Germany) they were easy to work with and handled the issue with the phone company. Beats me as to why a call from Holland to Germany needs to go over a satillite instead of a land line.
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I had the same experience, too:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=543129
Apparently, Chase is suffering from lots of "compromised" cards.
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It is not just Chase. My problems have been with Citi. I will not bother with another long rant, but I have stopped trying to resolve the probems and do not use their cards.
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When I had to dispute a charge ($32 for a 3 minute phonecall from a payphone in AMS to Germany) they were easy to work with and handled the issue with the phone company. Beats me as to why a call from Holland to Germany needs to go over a satillite instead of a land line.
hey even i had a similar problem. I made a call from FRA to PHL and the 30 sec call costed me $35. I tried to dispute it and they put me on the phone with the company. After arguing with them they refunded 15. What did you say was the reason for you dispute? I tried misleading information as the rates on the telephone said E1.10 per minute and that there was no indication it was different for credit cards and that there was no live agent to speak i,e, it was an automated call. I made two such calls luckily on different cards and so I placed the second call also on dispute and am yet to get a reply. what happened to your dispute? Later on I realised that the same phone could take euro coins and made a third call for E1.1. Couldn't believe that I didn't think of that before.
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That is unusual. Citibank is the card notorious for cutting off cardholders for the slightest suspicions. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world with my Chase card, and I never call to notify them of international travel. With Citibank, I understand that you are pretty much guaranteed to be cut off if you don't tell them of travel plans.
I've also personally had trouble with Wells Fargo. I lost all access to cash in Bangkok on one trip. I was told there was absolutely nothing they could or would do to restore my use of my ATM card until I presented myself in person at a Wells Fargo branch. :rolleyes: I was on my way to India for a two-week stay and was totally abandoned by Wells Fargo. :mad:
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There were numerous news about data tapes being stolen when being sent to back up facilities, or just plainly being hecked into. The banks wont tell you the true story, but if you pay any attention to news stories, you would at least know Bank of America, Chase, and a couple other big names have suffered such in last 6 months.
If you continuously have such problems with the issuer, you would be better off to simply close the card and ask them to issue a replacement card, as if it is lost. Of course if you have auto-pay tied to that card, you would need to re-set the auto-pays ... Personally I am against using auto-pay on any of my bills - I would much prefer to see the bills first before they get paid. There are so many billing errors these days, I want to catch the errors before payments being made against my cards.
I have never had Citi suspended our cards, despite we never notified Citi our travelling plans. Our spending habits can also be very eractic - it all depends on our travels, when we are at home, the charges can be as low as only a few hundreds, but when we are on the road, it can be 10 times more and can be all over the places around the country or around the globe.
Over the years, I only had Citi called us twice - once was a legitimate call as our car broke down, and we were forced to rent a U-Haul to tow our car back from Florida to Texas. Of course we had to fill up along the way, rather frequently and rather large gas bills accross several states. The card was not suspended, but we did get a call right when we got home asking about those charges. The other time was a rather strange one. We filled up at a gas station about 15 miles south from our zip code, for may be $20... We got a call from Citi, the guy said it was a routine check.
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when we travel, especially to Asia. Luckily we have never had suspension but I would rather be prepared.
That is unusual. Citibank is the card notorious for cutting off cardholders for the slightest suspicions. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world with my Chase card, and I never call to notify them of international travel. With Citibank, I understand that you are pretty much guaranteed to be cut off if you don't tell them of travel plans.
I've also personally had trouble with Wells Fargo. I lost all access to cash in Bangkok on one trip. I was told there was absolutely nothing they could or would do to restore my use of my ATM card until I presented myself in person at a Wells Fargo branch. :rolleyes: I was on my way to India for a two-week stay and was totally abandoned by Wells Fargo. :mad:
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This is a bit of a rant, but if you've ever been incredibly annoyed by BankOne/Chase, you might appreciate it.
Chase likes to stop my credit card from working due to "suspicious" activity. Typically, the trigger charges are small dollar amounts ($<50) - which are well under 1% of my average monthly charges on the card. While I appreciate their stringent fraud system, they have a tendency to simply stop the card from working without notifying me - and wait for me to be embarassingly turned declined at Whole Foods, restaurants or...most amusingly...with United. Unlike my Citi AAdvantage card, Chase *never* calls me to tell me that something has gone wrong before simply stopping my card. After going through many cycles of this last year, and escalating to a supervisor, I thought my embarassment had finally ended.
Well, last week showed me what a disgusting and annoying company Chase can be.
I was declined at the supermarket and called to talk to an agent to have it removed. The agent was surly and annoying, but I thought everything was fine. Two days later, they did it again, this time turning down an attempted purchase at United. That day, I spent 1.5 hours+ on the phone with Chase, talking to three different reps who kept saying (nastily) that my card would be restored to working order. Each time I hung up, called United, tried to issue a ticket and was declined. Finally, the card got working, but I had some very difficult conversations with the reps at the call centre........
But I don't think my card was tampered with at all. The cards have never been out of our sight, there are no unusual charges, and in the past few days, Chase's employees seem hell-bent on giving me the extreme run around. Of course, because they won't tell me anything, I don't know if someone has stolen my identity or what...I'm just left sitting here wondering why I bother doing business with these amateur idiots at all.
I can absolutely live with stringent fraud protection measures, but the lack of notification, poor quality of customer service and now their inability to protect my personal information is too much. Of course, having a hair-trigger fraud system that constantly blocks United as a merchant is just deliciously ironic beyond words.
Gabriel,
From my experience here are my recommendations. Any time you get a stop put on your credit card, you should call Chase and demand to speak to their security department: they are the ones with the authority to stop these declinations.
If you are going to travel outside of your home area, then you need to call and notify Chase before you leave and tell them where you will be travelling: this is a travel advisory.
If you have more than one Chase credit card on the same account such as for your wife or partener), this may also cause the credit declinations for the following reason. If you are located in SF and make charges, while your wife simultaneously travels to NY and makes charges, then the system flags your account because it sees charges in two different zip codes. Again, call Chase and demand to speak to their security department before your departure. Have them place a travel advisory on your account and explain to them which person will be travelling to which location. Also, you may request that the security department places a higher level of clearance on the account.
PM me if you have any other questions.
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Most card issuers are starting to clamp down before anymore fraudulent activity appears on their cards. They are pretty much liable for all unauthorized charges, and the user at most only has to pay $50 when they report fraudulent activity as per Federal law.
The main problem is that most card companies don’t want to wait for the card holder to report bad charges since it can take a while before they get wind of any. By the time it is reported, several thousand dollars might already have been charged, and the CC Company would have to write that off if an investigation yields nothing.
Since the government won’t change the liability law anytime soon, card companies are getting more brazen with stopping fraud in its tracks before it gets out of control.
I haven’t had problems traveling to Asia with CC’s, but when I visit Europe, especially England, I’ve had my Mileage Plus Visa locked just after one use. At least with AMEX I can call before my trip to tell them where im going and not to lock me out.
I wish Mileage Plus was with Amex and not Chase
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It happens to me all the time on international travel, especially to Europe.
Every time it happens, I speak to the security department, tell them where I am and ask them to put a note into my account that I travel to Europe frequently. They claim that this should stop the problem - but usually a few months later it starts all over again.
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Always bring at least 2 credit cards and 2 bank cards when we travel, especially to Asia. Luckily we have never had suspension but I would rather be prepared.
I do a variation of this: I bring a couple of cards for which I notify the credit card companies that I am taking abroad, and then one or two that I don't notify the credit card companies. I don't use the "extra" cards, but hide them in my suitcase - if they are stolen, of course I will notify the credit card companies, but there is little chance that any charges will be racked up, since they aren't supposed to be out of the country. However, if my two credit cards that I have notified the credit cards that they will be out of the country are stolen, then I have one or two backup cards.
If you take 4 cards on travel, on the other hand, and you notify your credit card companies about this, you risk having an enormous number of bogus charges if your wallet is stolen.
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It happens to me all the time on international travel, especially to Europe.
Every time it happens, I speak to the security department, tell them where I am and ask them to put a note into my account that I travel to Europe frequently. They claim that this should stop the problem - but usually a few months later it starts all over again.
Sometimes this works, and sometimes you have to call them back from across the ocean.
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With Chase, a call to Customer Service to notify them that you will be using the card outside of the country doesn't always work. I have found that calling the Fraud Prevention Department directly (CS will give you the number) will usually work, at least for most transactions.
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I've had Chase and Bank One cards for years, and used them in the US, Asia, and Europe, and never had them cut off without notice.
The closest thing that happened was this past March in London, when I charged about two thousand pounds of hotel charges onto a Chase card at once from two different hotels. Both charges were initally approved, but Chase called me later in the day to notify me of the charges and make sure they were okay. And when I said they were, there were no further problems.
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3.00 Foreign ATM charge
10% Foreign exchange rate surcharge
Bye Bye Chase
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I sympathize with FT'ers who were stuck not able to charge their card. I found out a few months ago that you can still earn miles though, even if you are unable to get the charge through.
I had a $4,300+ charge that I wanted to put on MP Visa, and sure enough, the vendor said they couldn't process it. I gave them my AMEX card instead.
When I called and complained to Chase about how embarrassing, and more importantly, time sensitive it was to get the item, she said that I could now charge it and it would go through.
Too little, too late I said, I already put it on AMEX. The CSR then said that she could still give me credit for the charge, as long as I sent in paperwork detailing the charge that was placed onto AMEX and it matched the charge that was refused by Chase.
A month later, my MP account was credited with the miles, plus I got AMEX points to boot! :D
Though it may not help with those small charges, if you get stuck in the situation with a large purchase, it is possible to make the best of it.
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3.00 Foreign ATM charge
10% Foreign exchange rate surcharge
Bye Bye Chase
I have never been assessed either of those surcharges, only a 4% exchange rate surcharge..
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I have not run into any problems with Chase and to date very satisfied.
Regardless what we think they are here to stay. The have tons of prepaid MP miles because of money they gave UA. I think the card is good value but when they start pulling that stuff on me I will stop using the card in a NY minute.
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I have never been assessed either of those surcharges, only a 4% exchange rate surcharge..
that's still too much
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3.00 Foreign ATM charge
10% Foreign exchange rate surcharge
Bye Bye Chase
10% Foreign exchange rate surcharge??? What/when is that applied? Is that for ATM withdrawls? I don't use my card for ATM withdrawls, and, I've never noticed it on purchases.
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I've had an MP Visa for years, since 86, I think. Never had a problem with security holds.
My wife did get a call on my first trip to Europe, she told them I was over there, and, that was it. However, I don't use it frequently outside the country becuase I use the corporate AMEX as my primary card for business trips.
PATRLR
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that's still too much
AFAIK 4% is the minimum exchange rate surcharge imposed by VISA and is not raised by Chase at all.
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AFAIK 4% is the minimum exchange rate surcharge imposed by VISA and is not raised by Chase at all.
Visa imposes a 1% charge, and Chase adds another 2% (as do most issuing banks), for a total of 3%.
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Visa imposes a 1% charge, and Chase adds another 2% (as do most issuing banks), for a total of 3%.
Unfortunately, almost all credit cards impose the 3% foreign purchase surcharge. Just opened a Capital One card in anticipation of upcoming foreign trips. Previously, used MBNA but they changed last year and starting imposing the 3% surcharge. So watch out everyone!
But back to Chase, two months ago, purchased a ticket on SQ but had to change itinerary. SQ said it would take 4-6 weeks to credit my card so i said no problem. Well, the credit came one day into the next billing cycle. As this was an expensive ticket, I called Chase to ask whether I can just deduct that amount from this month's bill since the credit has already hit, but is on next month's statement. They said I will be assessed the finance charge if I don't pay in full! I will have to call and ask that the charge be reversed and give the reasons. This just sucks. :mad:
First Card always said to deduct the credited amount from the balance.
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Visa imposes a 1% charge, and Chase adds another 2% (as do most issuing banks), for a total of 3%.
I suspect that the poster was suggesting that on top of the fees, there is an unfavorable exchange rate used. I don't recall seeing that so much with the major issuers as with retailers who, "for convenience," charge your purchase in US dollars at a ridiculous exchange rate.
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But back to Chase, two months ago, purchased a ticket on SQ but had to change itinerary. SQ said it would take 4-6 weeks to credit my card so i said no problem. Well, the credit came one day into the next billing cycle. As this was an expensive ticket, I called Chase to ask whether I can just deduct that amount from this month's bill since the credit has already hit, but is on next month's statement. They said I will be assessed the finance charge if I don't pay in full! I will have to call and ask that the charge be reversed and give the reasons. This just sucks. :mad:
I think this is a "bad agent? call back." situation. I've never heard of that happening (not receiving credit for an already-posted credit for finance charge purposes). Whenver I receive refund credits on my Bank One/Chase cards, I just deduct that amount from my then-current payment without even asking (I view the refund as being equivalent to a payment of the refunded amount), and I have never gotten charged a finance charge for doing so.
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I have had Chase/Bank One for about three years. They have good customer service at the branches and I find the phone customer service competent and friendly even when telling you they can’t do something. Never had to escalate a situation to a manager and my travel and purchasing pattern would be best described as erratic.
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Last year I used my MP Visa for a small purchase during a layover at Narita. When I landed in Hong Kong I tried to use it to pay for my dinner and it was rejected. When I call them, they said it was because it was used in two countries on the same day.
I just lost it. "This is an airline credit card. It's for people who fly around!"
p.s. I am also one of the thousands whose Wells Fargo ATM card no longer works outside the U.S. Getting a replacement card and/or changing the PIN won't help. You need a brand new card, one beginning with a totally different number series. And, yes, they will send it to you anywhere in the world if you make enough noise.
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I've only had one problem with Chase..when I tried to pay a registration fee for a conference in Spain using their internet site. Imagine my anger when my credit card was refused that evening in a fancy restaurant trying to pay for Valentine's day dinner.
OTOH--Bank of America is continually deactivating my ATM card for out of are charges.
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Gabriel,
From my experience here are my recommendations. Any time you get a stop put on your credit card, you should call Chase and demand to speak to their security department: they are the ones with the authority to stop these declinations.
If you are going to travel outside of your home area, then you need to call and notify Chase before you leave and tell them where you will be travelling: this is a travel advisory.
If you have more than one Chase credit card on the same account such as for your wife or partener), this may also cause the credit declinations for the following reason. If you are located in SF and make charges, while your wife simultaneously travels to NY and makes charges, then the system flags your account because it sees charges in two different zip codes. Again, call Chase and demand to speak to their security department before your departure. Have them place a travel advisory on your account and explain to them which person will be travelling to which location. Also, you may request that the security department places a higher level of clearance on the account.
PM me if you have any other questions.
Couldn't help but laugh when I read this. I have a hard enough time keeping Mrs. Pismocrab informed as to where I'm going, and I'm supposed to be advising a credit card company of every city I travel to? I understand that Chase is trying to dam the massive flow of fraud losses they are sustaining, but this puts the onus entirely on the customer and is hugely inconvenient. I haven't had this type of problem with either Chase or Citi YET, but you can bet the plug will be pulled quickly if it does occur.
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I have had a MP Visa for 6 years now and have never had a problem with them cutting off my card due to use in other countries. I do use a different credit card for my travel expenses when on business so my MP Visa purchases tend to be small, but I've definitely used it in multiple countries on the same day and have never had a problem.
My Schwab ATM card on the other hand gets cut off every time I use an ATM in Germany to get cash. I even called them to notify them about my trip last time and still got the call about possible fraud. They do have really cool automated system that reads off the last couple charges so you can verify them, then it restores your card priviledges automatically.
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The "tampered with" part has nothing to do with your card being lost or anything as you suggest.
Many account numbers were compromised recently and had to be changed (not just Chase). This could be any number of security risks, such as a store that had a security breach or the bank itself.
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I wish Mileage Plus was with Amex and not Chase
I agree 100%. Amex is a little more expensive (annual charges etc), but service is great, especially intl.
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The "tampered with" part has nothing to do with your card being lost or anything as you suggest.
Many account numbers were compromised recently and had to be changed (not just Chase). This could be any number of security risks, such as a store that had a security breach or the bank itself.
Funny that, today I called to get a fax of my unbilled activity and they said that my card was reported lost. :) This gets more and more interesting as time goes on, doesn't it?
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I agree 100%. Amex is a little more expensive (annual charges etc), but service is great, especially intl.
Amex is accepted at very few places, even more so outside the US. Sure, you can use it to pay your Hyatt or United bill, but don't bother trying it at the supermarket or gas station, especially if you're in, say, Nagoya.
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Amex is accepted at very few places, even more so outside the US. Sure, you can use it to pay your Hyatt or United bill, but don't bother trying it at the supermarket or gas station, especially if you're in, say, Nagoya.
I use Amex at supermarkets, gas stations, and even places like the Jack in the Box drive through all the time. In the US, at least, I only run into a few charges a month where I can't use Amex.
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Got a UA Mileage Plus Visa a month ago and then saw the ad that the fee is now waived for the first year. So, I called Chase customer service and asked that they waive the fee since I just got the card and they said no since the terms of the application I signed were different from the new terms! She then told me that the only way to get the new terms would be to close the account and take the chance of reapplying and possibly getting rejected. I said OK-I can risk it since I have plenty of credit cards to use, even if I do. So, I did what she said and was approved and just got another 15,000 miles, PLUS no fee now for the first year! Thanx for the great advice, Chase!!!! I think their customer service is stellar!
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Late in Feb my UAL card stopped working in SYD during a ten day trip from SFO. I had a charge declined for a couple shirts at David Jones on the last Saturday. I put $20K annually on this card and they decline $300! Most annoying.
When I got back to USA, ChaseVisa customer service said the issue was that I was outside of the country!
If the international air tickets are charged to the card then how can they be surprised when I turn up out of the country?
Note: I go abroad at least 5 times annually.
More proof that it's risky to travel with a single credit card.
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I've had mixed experience with my Mileage Plus Visa cards. They are scrupulous about cutting me off when I forget to call them before an international trip, although I can usually get in a charge or two before they cut me off.
The change to Chase made my business card profile disappear from my online account, which was extremely annoying. Now, if I want to go to one place to view account information for all of my cards, I have to set up separate profiles (done) and then attach my personal card to my business profile. I don't *want* to do things this way. I liked it the way it was. And I think the user interface for the new site is less intuitive than the Cardmember Services site. :td:
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Couldn't help but laugh when I read this. I have a hard enough time keeping Mrs. Pismocrab informed as to where I'm going, and I'm supposed to be advising a credit card company of every city I travel to
Plus the fact that you are telling a stranger in a low paying, high turnover job exactly when you won't be home, or your wife will be home alone. Doesn't sound like the safest thing to do...
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It is not just the Mileage Plus visa that has problems. It seems that my Chase CC freezes immediately when I try to use it oversees.
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I suspect that the poster was suggesting that on top of the fees, there is an unfavorable exchange rate used.
I've found just the opposite. Visa is typically the best rate you can get. And even with the 3% fee, it's actually still better than exchanging cash (which I just did last week in Tokyo).
Luckily, my bank only passes on the 1% Visa fee for ATM transactions, making it the best possible solution.
The only place I've ever had a "freeze" put on a card was in Hawaii on an Amex. I've never had a problem in any foreign country.
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Amex froze my card once for using it at two gas stations on the same day. Even the CSR agreed this policy was ridiculous.
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Luckily, my bank only passes on the 1% Visa fee for ATM transactions, making it the best possible solution.
Same here.
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This same issue came up on the US Forum a while back with Bank of America. Almost identical stories to the ones posted here. Visa as a whole must have something in the monitoring system that flags the cards.
I do a lot of client entertaining and that would be the most embarrassing situation of being declined. I hope that never happens to me. I spend over 10 -20 K a month and never been declined to date.
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With Chase, a call to Customer Service to notify them that you will be using the card outside of the country doesn't always work. I have found that calling the Fraud Prevention Department directly (CS will give you the number) will usually work, at least for most transactions.
My husband's card is under Fraud watch along with thousands of other stolen numbers from a database. Even with a new card, it's constantly being rejected unless he remembers to call CS everytime he's out of the country or charges something out of the ordinary. It's an exhausting and cumbersome experience, wish there is a better way.
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Two weeks in Italy with Chase Visa. We called on each of our cards to let them know that we would be using the cards in Italy and at cash stations. We verified that the pins were current and valid.
We get to Italy.........BAM :mad:
No cash withdrawals on either card. Just the attempt to withdraw cash put both cards into the fraud category. Chase left semi-intelligible outsourced voice messages on a machine in Chicago. Luckily we had an international phone to clear the accounts to use the cards. They verify that everything is ok.
Next day, BAM! :mad:
Right back into the fraud department. More calls (We're now at $51 in cell phone charges). Result=cash withdrawals will be available in 3-7 days, just in time to use the card at ORD!
Moral of the rant? THANK YOU Master Card, for going with me to Italy! ^ Don't leave home without it!
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I would never defend an exploitative credit card company, but it is the case that most US-issued credit cards have a "European Block" - usage of the credit card in Europe (and especially Euro countries with a high rate of CC fraud such as Ireland, France, Italy, and the Netherlands) will in many cases trigger a block of card usage until legitimate use is verified. Even calling the CC company won't always stop this, out of concern that your card might have been cloned or the PIN number skimmed while you're in-country.
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this used to happen all the time to my hubby, until he called chase and had them place a higher level of security clearance on the account. they kept shutting down his card, always at the most inopportune moments and always for charges that were perfectly legit, and he's got a lot of auto-pay stuff connected to the card so it was enormously inconvenient to have to start from scratch each time chase freaked out.
i'm not sure exactly what you have to do to get the higher clearance, other than ask, but he made a fuss and threatened to take his substantial business elsewhere and hasn't had a problem since.
i echo other (much earlier) posters in wishing mp was with amex...i've NEVER had a problem with amex despite extensive travel and lots of use. in fairness, i haven't had a problem with my chase visa either, but i've only had it a few months--needed some eqms :D
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My husband's card is under Fraud watch along with thousands of other stolen numbers from a database. Even with a new card, it's constantly being rejected unless he remembers to call CS everytime he's out of the country or charges something out of the ordinary. It's an exhausting and cumbersome experience, wish there is a better way.
Cancel the card and reapply for a new one.
You will get additional RDM and the new card will not be on the fraud watch.
I wonder why Chase does not just cancel the stolen numbers and issue new ones??????
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I have three UA MP Chase CC's (2 personal, 1 business) and in Jan 2005 while I was in Italy, the card was stopped dead in it's tracks at the first use. I also have a business BofA which went through and I was able to use without any difficulty for the duration of my trip.
Since then I have called Chase to notify them of my travels and ALWAYS ask for the security department in order to avoid any problems. I was in Rome this June and made some substantial charges without any problems at all....
Just a note... I also spent an incredible amount of time on the phone with the Chase security department regarding the United policy of demanding the CC at check in, especially when a ticket has been purchased for another person -- as this has happened me my already. Chase apparently has no control over this particular issue and when I spoke with United (at great length....) on this topic, it finally came down to the "c.o.m.p.u.t.e.r" as the culprit.... In other words the computer will flag a PNR -- criteria not really known -- which prompts the TA to request the CC at check in. Blech........ :mad:
So, in order to avoid past problems with desperate relatives being denied boarding on a paid (or an award or even an upgraded) ticket I just go down to the airport and take all my PNR's and manifest the CC as well as sign bluey's....
So it's not just Chase that is overly zealous against fraud, but UA too.
And that I may play the devil's advocate..... at the end of the day, considering the unfortunate climate -- regarding frause and terrorisim -- that we now live in, and that our lives, really, will never be quite the same as they once were, is it not better to be a little inconvienced with an over zealous anit fraud control, rather than have to go through several years of restoring your credit from identity theft, or taking a risk on a flight because some zealot desires martyrdom at that cost of MANY innocent lives...
Just some food for thought......
Thomas
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I'm far more concerned about mishandling and misuse of my data by bumpkin bank personnel and drunk drivers than either fraud or terrorism in my everyday life.
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So, in order to avoid past problems with desperate relatives being denied boarding on a paid (or an award or even an upgraded) ticket I just go down to the airport and take all my PNR's and manifest the CC as well as sign bluey's....
Thomas
Hello.
What exactly do you do when you go to the airport with your CC ,PNR's ect. that aid people flying overseas on say, tickets you have bought them?
I ask because my folks are flying from LHR on UA to the US on tickets I not only purchsae for them here with my CC but which I also UG'd them on as well so now your post has made me worried that there's some thing I've over looked.
Maybe I should just FedEx them my CC so they can show up with it at the airport? :D
Any answers would be appreciated ^
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I'm far more concerned about mishandling and misuse of my data by bumpkin bank personnel and drunk drivers than either fraud or terrorism in my everyday life.
I agree with both of your points today. I am more concerned as you are (above) with the mishandling of accounts by incompetant bank personel, especially when it pertains to credit bureau reporting. They can screw up your life for years. Unfortunately, the credit bureaus seem to have a knack at hiring the most incompetant employees too. (another story for another day :D )
I also agree that Chase is indirectly saying "Do not use our credit card abroad, or you may definitely encounter problems." They do not verbalize it, but their actions and games (IMO) are saying it loud and clear. It has been made clear to me over several trips to Europe, and others here report the same problems.
As to your "devils advocate", cielodome, I would agree if it were not for the fact that I (as do many others) receive hundreds of pre-printed credit checks every year for anyone to use. Anybody can recognize those envelopes filled with credit checks. How many pre-approved credit card applications do you get per year? I get many. They are inviting fraud with their own stupid mailings. The foolish letters even tell (the crooks) at the top how much is available in the account for withdrawal! :confused: How many plane tickets or cell phones can be bought with those (stolen) credit checks?
These companies have created their own monster, but balk at a €250 withdrawal for long time customers that pre-notify them? Sorry. I'm not buying it. (i.e. I respectfully disagree)
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Why do you still keep a Chase card/account?
I would drop them like a hot rock after the problems you have outlined, and take my business elsewhere.
Exactly. Cancel the account, and then send the cut up cards to their customer service VP with a lengthy letter explaining why they lost your business.
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It is not just the Mileage Plus visa that has problems. It seems that my Chase CC freezes immediately when I try to use it oversees.
Duh.. both are Chase cards, so why would that not be expected? I have NEVER had a problem with overseas charges on my US Airways MasterCard (issued by Juniper Bank). In fact, they called me AFTER approving a charge of over $1K in South Africa just to verify that I made the charge.
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I had a similar experience with Citibank this year. I was traveling RTW for four months and at various stops along the way, my card stopped working. Of course, they both e-mailed and phoned me to let me know it was happening. It happened no fewer than one time per week. Eventually they got sick of accepting my collect calls and assigned me a "security specialist" to help monitor the account.
2 months after I returned, someone in Chicago tried to withdraw over 6000USD from an ATM. Citibank immediately closed my account and I was grateful for their speed. Sometimes, it works IN your favor and that is what the banks are trying to do.
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I agree with both of your points today. I am more concerned as you are (above) with the mishandling of accounts by incompetant bank personel, especially when it pertains to credit bureau reporting. They can screw up your life for years. Unfortunately, the credit bureaus seem to have a knack at hiring the most incompetant employees too. (another story for another day :D )
I also agree that Chase is indirectly saying "Do not use our credit card abroad, or you may definitely encounter problems." They do not verbalize it, but their actions and games (IMO) are saying it loud and clear. It has been made clear to me over several trips to Europe, and others here report the same problems.
As to your "devils advocate", cielodome, I would agree if it were not for the fact that I (as do many others) receive hundreds of pre-printed credit checks every year for anyone to use. Anybody can recognize those envelopes filled with credit checks. How many pre-approved credit card applications do you get per year? I get many. They are inviting fraud with their own stupid mailings. The foolish letters even tell (the crooks) at the top how much is available in the account for withdrawal! :confused: How many plane tickets or cell phones can be bought with those (stolen) credit checks?
These companies have created their own monster, but balk at a €250 withdrawal for long time customers that pre-notify them? Sorry. I'm not buying it. (i.e. I respectfully disagree)
I do not disagree in any way with the difficulties and inconviences as a result of incompetence and mishandling of CC accounts. I have had my share of problems with Chase and I am very attentive to my account statements, etc. I am in TOTAL agreement with the "invitation" to fraud by the ever increasing amount of pre-approved CC I personally recieve as well as the courtesy checks that come with every statement as well as by themselves. I am tired of stamping VOID on them and then shredding them. So, yes, I am annoyed and concerned by all these things, as well as the problems stated above.
In regards to the devil's advocate, I wasn't trying to present an excuse for mishanding just soem food for thought in the midst of it all, as it unfortunately does add to the mix.
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...In fact, they called me AFTER approving a charge of over $1K in South Africa just to verify that I made the charge.
I charged a UAL flight (ual.com) and booked a hotel (lastminute.com) on my Amex this morning and within FIVE MINUTES my home phone rang with a call from Amex verifying the transactions.
Actually, I received call before the UAL "Travel booking confirmation" email arrived in my Yahoo email inbox!
I used MP Visa painlessly for ten year but I've basically given up on the Chase version. Totally unreliable. Sky-high interest rates.
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The "tampered with" part has nothing to do with your card being lost or anything as you suggest.
Many account numbers were compromised recently and had to be changed (not just Chase). This could be any number of security risks, such as a store that had a security breach or the bank itself.
Be careful how this new number shows up in your credit report, as new accounts are treated as "less desirable" than older, mature accounts. For example, suppose I have two credit cards, one that I've been using for 6 years, one that I've been using for 8 years. To the credit scoring system, the average number of years that I've had my credit accounts is 7 years, which is pretty decent.
Suppose, however, that something happens to make the credit card issuer want to give me a new number for the 6 year account. Now I have three items on my credit report -- a credit card for 6 years longevity (now closed), a credit card at 8 years longevity, and a credit card at 0 years longevity. So to the credit scoring system, my average longevity is now (6 + 8 + 0) / 3 < 5 years, which is less desirable.
So you might want to make a note in your credit report about the new card, something like "credit card re-issued due to compromise at issuing agency" or something like that. The unfortunate part is that these comments won't matter much if your prospective lenders just look at your credit "score."
Not a big deal for someone with good credit, but if you've suffered poor credit in the past and are working on restoring a better credit score, it could be consequential.
My $.02.
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Follow this one in the Other Credit Cards forum. Thanks.
letiole & iluv2fly
UA mods
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Amazed. I travel to China, Thailand, Japan and never had problem like getting my account into the 'suspicious' lot. Back when I first started, I would call the issuer but now I've stopped. It's never been an issue to me. I have 4 accounts with Chase/BankOne/FirstUSA. All have been fine. Sometimes the service I got was better than at AE, which gives me India sometimes. Not excellent. Not bad. Just my personal experience.
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And I know you can call the issuer to say you don't want the BT checks.
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I have a suggestion everyone who is getting their *new* card numbers. To protect your credit score, simply take your oldest cards (with no fee!) and keep them aside and never use them. Then do whatever you have to .. but never cancel those old cards. That will always preserve your credit score since the credit bureaus will always see your oldest credit cards as active ;)
HTH,
K
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I got a (non-branded) Chase card a short while ago, mostly to get my "utilization" down on my credit reports; I never expected to use it much. When it arrived, I put a small charge on it to make sure it worked OK, then put it aside (it's got a smaller limit than my other cards anyway).
I figured I'd take it out and put a small charge on it, pay it immediately and stick it back in the drawer (they won't auto-CLI me if it's not being used at all), so I go get some gas and went to buy something cheap ($170) at Macy's and the card was flat-out rejected. Not "Call Issuer", mind you, just "Declined" (twice).
Having read the myriad stories here about Chase's trigger-happy Fraud Department I was fuming, paid with my Plat AmEx and called the CS number to yell at Fraud Management, who told me that the charges were "outside my spending pattern". Considering it was only the 3rd charge ever, and all within 5mi of my house, I asked them (after being subjected to a number of "information from public databases" questions like "How tall does your Driver's License say you are?" and "What's your sister's maiden name?") to stop putting damn fraud alerts on my card, period. (I check all my cards on-line daily).
It doesn't matter, though- the stupid thing has no annual fee, so it goes back in the drawer and I have a reminder on my Treo to pull it out every 6 mos and buy a bottle of Coke or some such on it just so's it doesn't go inactive. If they don't want my money, I see no need to let 'em have it.
(For an example of how it should have been handled, a month after I got my AmEx Blue I was in SF and got the "Call Issuer" message when out shopping. AmEx made sure it was me and sent me on my way and I've never had any issues with any of their 3 cards since.)