Capital One made my day

[Nanner]

We are about to embark on the Maasdam 47 day to Carnaval and the Amazon. I called the credit card company to report upcoming travel and got the automated response program

 

The silly thing didn't recognize Curacao or Bonaire (changed them to Arizona and Delaware!), or French Guiana.

 

So I tried again, changing Curacao and Bonaire to Netherlands Antilles. Sure enough, the voice then had us going to the Netherlands. It still didn't recognize French Guiana either.

 

So I gave up on all three. I sure hope we don't have an issue using our card on any of those islands.

 

As for St. Lucia and St. Maarten, the voice all three times translated them as STREET lucia and Street Martin.

 

You just can't make this stuff up!

[Krazy Kruizers]

That is so funny.

Years ago American Express changed their system where we don't have to call them anymore. As long as we book our cruise and hotels and flights through them, they know we are cruising. I asked them one time -- how do you know where we are cruising? They claimed that their system can check the HAL site and they know. I am not sure about that. But I just like not having to call them and report all the ports we will be visiting .

[sail7seas]

I called our Visa bank to notify them of upcoming travel and when they asked where we were going and I answered Alaska, they told me they would transfer me to the International Desk. :rolleyes: She wouldn't believe me when I told her it actually is a U.S. state.

 

I agree about it being great to not have to call AmEx but I call Visa and M/C in the event something happens and we cannot use AmEx card. I like having the others as back up.

 

Edited January 11, 2016 by sail7seas

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great cruise

[sail7seas]

We are about to embark on the Maasdam 47 day to Carnaval and the Amazon. I called the credit card company to report upcoming travel and got the automated response program

 

The silly thing didn't recognize Curacao or Bonaire (changed them to Arizona and Delaware!), or French Guiana.

 

So I tried again, changing Curacao and Bonaire to Netherlands Antilles. Sure enough, the voice then had us going to the Netherlands. It still didn't recognize French Guiana either.

 

So I gave up on all three. I sure hope we don't have an issue using our card on any of those islands.

 

As for St. Lucia and St. Maarten, the voice all three times translated them as STREET lucia and Street Martin.

 

You just can't make this stuff up!

 

 

 

I experienced similar when I called about travel to Bermuda. :D

 

Hope you have a great cruise.

 

[iancal]

We just got a notice from one of our VISA banks (CIBC) that we no longer have to advise them if we are travelling out of the country, for how long, or where. We used to do this on line.

 

Have not heard anything similar yet from our other cards Chase Visa or Capital One MC.

[momatibm]

I go online and put in the countries where I will be travelling. And if I am expecting a delayed charg Me let them know. It was a piece of cake to do it. This was both Mastercard and VISA.

[serendipity1499]

We are about to embark on the Maasdam 47 day to Carnaval and the Amazon. I called the credit card company to report upcoming travel and got the automated response program

 

The silly thing didn't recognize Curacao or Bonaire (changed them to Arizona and Delaware!), or French Guiana.

 

So I tried again, changing Curacao and Bonaire to Netherlands Antilles. Sure enough, the voice then had us going to the Netherlands. It still didn't recognize French Guiana either.

 

So I gave up on all three. I sure hope we don't have an issue using our card on any of those islands.

 

As for St. Lucia and St. Maarten, the voice all three times translated them as STREET lucia and Street Martin.

 

You just can't make this stuff up!

 

That is sad!

 

But I wouldn't give up as I've had my card compromised.. I would either call back & ask to speak to an Agent or Supervisor or go on-line to do it...

[IRL_Joanie]

We are about to embark on the Maasdam 47 day to Carnaval and the Amazon. I called the credit card company to report upcoming travel and got the automated response program

 

The silly thing didn't recognize Curacao or Bonaire (changed them to Arizona and Delaware!), or French Guiana.

 

So I tried again, changing Curacao and Bonaire to Netherlands Antilles. Sure enough, the voice then had us going to the Netherlands. It still didn't recognize French Guiana either.

 

So I gave up on all three. I sure hope we don't have an issue using our card on any of those islands.

 

As for St. Lucia and St. Maarten, the voice all three times translated them as STREET lucia and Street Martin.

 

You just can't make this stuff up!

You are right, you cannot just make this stuff up:) Which is why I do not do Automated anything. I speak to a human being.

 

How in the world do you get a human being on the line, you may ask, simple, keep saying HUMAN BEING a time or 2. The programming cannot deal with those words and transfers you to a human:)

 

Works for most places that uses automated what evers:)

 

Joanie

Edited January 12, 2016 by IRL_Joanie

[flatcircle]

Our best cc interaction involved a purchase in Puerto Rico. It was amazing to hear a representative try to explain how changing US$ to US$ justified a foreign exchange transaction charge. That conversation made me wish we still used traveler's checks! :eek:

[Marseydotes]

Two years ago, we called AmEx to tell gem of our trip and the response was we did not need to tell them an longer. Then, when I tried to make a large purchase in Columbia, they denied it until I got on the phone with them!

Now, if I am told they do not need to know, I insist that they put ut down, explaining about my experience. Humans only! And thanks for the tip--human being, please!

[RocketMan275]

"Representative" usually works. Sometimes I just pound on "0" a few times.

 

I hate those automated service lines. Really, I hate them. I really do.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Two years ago, we called AmEx to tell gem of our trip and the response was we did not need to tell them an longer. Then, when I tried to make a large purchase in Columbia, they denied it until I got on the phone with them!

Now, if I am told they do not need to know, I insist that they put ut down, explaining about my experience. Humans only! And thanks for the tip--human being, please!

 

That seems to be their new approach. Don't bother telling us, if there's a problem, we'll let you know. And "let you know" seems to come in the form of a denied purchase.

 

My cards say I don't have to alert them, but I do anyway.

[Scrapnana]

Before my world cruise I called the two card companies. I spoke to humans for both but one told me that their system would not take more than nine countries! I had to guess which nine countries I would be most likely to use my card. Luckily, it all worked out.

[scm1848]

I called Visa Sapphire to report our cruise on the Noordam in August/September 2014. I actually got a "live person", but when I said "Montenegro", she said it wasn't listed. I asked about Yugoslavia - nope. She said, "How about Serbai?" I just said, "Fine" and gave up.

[john2003]

Our bank no longer requires it. I am glad as it was a total waste of time. A few years back they cancelled our Visa card as a reader in a store in Sydney had a reading error. At least that was their story.

All our scheduled payments were rejected and we were called to the front desk on the cruise that had just started. Luckily we has Mastercard as i learnt a lesson on an earlier trip to have an alternative.

Never was there any recognition that i had advised that we were travelling and where.

[iancal]

,,,,same here. Despite notifications our Visa got suspended while we were in a small town in rural Costa Rica. It was a real treat to get it unsuspended.

 

Oddly enough once in a while our Chase Visa either suspends access to our on line account (only access not use of the card) or once in a while will not allow an internet transation in a foreign country.

 

Yet the card continues to work in ATMs, for merchant charges, etc. Their fraud dept has never given us a proper answer so we assume that it is some sort of intermittent AI computer program bug.

 

Just another reason to ensure that you travel will several card options.

[jig]

Cap one has never given me a problem. I don't call them anymore.

[1of4]

Although some banks say they no longer require it we have encountered issues if we did not do it. So I always hit zero or whatever that particular card insists on if you have issues, to talk to a live human. We always get thanked for our perseverance.

 

It is so much easier to make the calls from home than trying to figure out why your card is not accepted while on vacation.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I think the only financial outfit I still need to call is Schwab (debit checking for ATM foreign withdrawals). I use web sites for the other cards that I take which in include Cap One, Barclay MC and BA ATM (backup).

 

AMEX told me some time ago that I need not notify them since they track purchases and such with some sort of 'special program'. I haven't had any problem with them (I used to use it to pay the on board bill only pretty much but now use Barclay for the cash back / statement credit thingy).

 

Just put travel flag / travel in CC search engines and you should get to a page that you put your travels dates in and drops down lists for various countries that you will be traveling to. Some sites are a tad more sophisticated than others but all seem to work for us.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. We're off for a 'quickie 14 day Veendam Caribbean this coming Sunday. We're ready!

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[tooalto]

We have a CapOne card , 2 actually, since we have had nothing but great service. I use the online form for letting them know we will be out of the country and have never had a problem. I think some of the mix-up could be in the "auto fill in" system some tablets and phones use. I've gotten some very strange and funny results if I don't check what word is in blue before I hit enter.

[bonvoyagebites]

Given the choice, I definitely like doing these things online. My debit card has been shut down for trying to get cash when in Vegas... that's always fun.

 

Online, at least you see instant confirmation that the change was made, and the person on the phone didn't monkey things up at all... For that matter, I do almost everything online...

[Lizzie68]

You are right, you cannot just make this stuff up:) Which is why I do not do Automated anything. I speak to a human being.

 

How in the world do you get a human being on the line, you may ask, simple, keep saying HUMAN BEING a time or 2. The programming cannot deal with those words and transfers you to a human:)

 

Works for most places that uses automated what evers:)

 

Joanie

 

No need to do this at all, just press 0 a couple of times. You don't even have to listen to the menu.

[Nanner]

I had tried to use the Cap One website in the past for travel notification regarding cruises, but it wouldn't handle numerous countries. Perhaps that has changed, but that is why I opted for the phone call route.

 

I did speak to a person this morning, to make sure all the countries were entered, including St. (not "Street") Martin and Lucia. So we will be set, but it was just such a hoot what the automated program did to me that I felt the need to share.