Notifying Credit Card Company of Trip

[Twinsmomct]

I saw this tip on this board, but I thought I'd reiterated it. Call your credit card company before you go so that they don't cut you off in the middle of a trip. I just called mine and because we are travelling to Mexico, he said they would have been very suspicious if there was any activity from there if I hadn't called. He said that anytime you travel overseas to notify the company and they will note it on your account. I just gave him my travel dates and port locations and now I don't have to worry about not being able to shop (at least from the credit card company; now my husband, that's a different story)!! The agent also said to write down the 800 number on the back of the credit card so that in case you get pick-pocketed, you can call and have the card cancelled.

 

Patty

[suzeyQ]

Great tip!

[Sheffie]

Great hint! We also make copies of the front and back of our credit cards and put them in our carry-on suitcases so that we have the numbers, just in cast they get stolen. (Also our passports, drivers licenses, etc.)

[PAGA]

We actually had this happen to us on our Thanksgiving trip a few months ago!! The credit card company put a hold on the account before we ever boarded because we purchased a few things at Bayside Marketplace in Miami the night prior to embarkation. Late in the afternoon on the second day of the cruise we received a letter in our stateroom saying that our credit card had been declined (we were able to use our seapass card prior to that with no problem...not sure why the problem wasn't realized sooner...) Anyway, we called guest relations as the letter instructed and they connected us by phone (free of charge) to our credit card company. We were told that they considered the Miami charges "suspicious" and suspended the card. They never even mentioned RCCL's attempt to acces the account and were extremely apologetic when i explained I was calling them from the middle of the ocean!! But the moral of the story is that you don't even have to be traveling outside the US for your credit card company to put an inconvenient hold on your account. (Strangely, the card has never been suspended when my husband and I each use our respective cards in 2 different states on the same day...happens all the time when he travels for business...oh, well!)

[luv2cruise03]

My 19 year old daughter was in London this summer, and about the 2nd time she used her debit card it was declined. I called the bank and told them that she was out of the country and need the hold removed. They asked me a bunch of questions, and removed the hold. I happened to be on the account with her, or they would not have removed the hold.

 

When she goes this summer, she will know to call and let them know, and I will do the same before our upcoming cruise.

[sherry7]

Good tip. I always call them too.

 

Another tip: many credit cards (including the RCCL Visa card) will charge a Foreign Transaction Fee for purchases you make in foreign countries. I used my RCCL Visa card in St. Marteen for about a $30 purchase and noticed a small fee (between $1 and $2) on my statement. Good to know if you are going to be purchasing expensive jewelry, etc on your card, as I believe it's done by percentage. I did buy jewelry on my Visa in St. Thomas, but the fee wasn't charged...maybe because it's a U.S. Virgin island?

[SuzieTrue]

Family was in Colorado for a ski vacation.:) Rented a car, bought groceries and lift tickets before heading to the resort the next day. As we were trying to get our rental skiis, the card was declined.:mad: Used the back-up card. The CC tried to call us but WE WERE ON VACATION. Took 3 more weeks before I found out they had put a hold on the card.:confused: Have since called before any MAJOR trips.;)

[billie5]

Concerning the foreign transaction fee, it is not a question of where the card is used. It is a question of currency conversion. As long as the transaction is in U.S. dollars (as St. Thomas would be, for example), there will be no foreign transaction fee. Some foreign countries (Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Ecuador) have used U.S. dollars as their currency, and since the billing would be for dollars, there would be no fee.

 

Come to think of it, for currencies which are pegged at a fixed rate to dollars (balboas in Panama, for example) I have no idea if there would be a transaction fee.

 

Bill

[zotzer]

Great advice! I mean think about it....you are travelling to different countries, most likely using credit cards one day apart in various locations. It is a plus that they are watching your back, and if it *does* happen to you, don't fret too much.....it is always solved with a quick phone call (and your mother's maiden name :))

 

Tracy

[gatour]

I am not going to address debit cards but for credit cards, I imagine the credit card companies probably use risk factors. For example, I use the same card to pay the final payment, pay a few expenses on my way to the port, and then use it as my guarantee for my cabin account. That way there is a logical progression of its use, so if a risk accesor at the card company pulls up my record because of the heavy hold that the cruiseline puts on it.

 

They see that I have made a final payment for a cruise, then a day or two before cruise departure they see it being used for gas purchases between my hometown and the cruise departure port and then it is being used for the cabin hold, without me reporting it being stolen.

 

This also explains why Paga's card and her husband's card don't get flagged, it is "normal" for that type of activity to happen.

 

Having said all of that, it can't hurt to call the company to notify them of your plans. :)

[BeachBumMama]

I had a hold put on a card when I ordered about 15 items from one store, the store charged each separately so they became suspicious. I heard '15 consecutive charges in one afternoon' and I was sure it had been stolen. Then he explained it was to the same company and named the store. Charge total would have been about 200+ dollars, but they charged 25.00, 15.00, etc.

 

He said they tried the phone number (home phone but I wasn't home), I gave him my cell for any future emergency's like that so if something does come up, they can call me right away on cell. My mother once had her card stolen in NY and didn't know it, by the time she was halfway home, when she discovered she didn't have it, they'd charged over 3,000!

[wrp96]

I've had the same thing happen. I go to Dallas to shop at least once a year. I will stay at the hotel attached to the Galleria for a couple of days while I shop. I frequently will have multiple charges in the same stores over those 3 days. The first time I did it, they put a hold on all my charges. Luckily, the store I was in let me use their phone to talk to my credit card company and I was able to explain that I was staying at the hotel. Now, I notify my credit card company and bank when I am traveling and they have my cell phone number at which to contact me at.

[Coralc]

I don't know what is wrong with my CC company. I had read that tip and actually sailed with a couple that had charges declined for second purchase in a jewelry store.

 

Before the next cruise, I called my credit card company to tell them I would be traveling. They said, "That's nice, have a good time".

 

I asked if they needed my name or account number. They said no. Rep explained that they do watch for suspicous charges, but my telling them where I was going to be traveling wouldn't let them know if it was me charging or fraudulent activity, the card is approved for international use. Whatever. All credit card companies are a little different, apparently.:D

[Fury1995]

Yes, this is a good tip - when it works. I thought about it after we arrived in Grand Cayman. I called my bank, told them I was in Grand Cayman and planned to make purchases and didn't want to be "embarassed" at the register. The bank rep said "I'll note the account" and sure enough, "decline". They sales clerk had to "make the call" we all dread when the line is forming behind you and the transaction was approved. Guess it depends on the bank.

[FitzLA]

I have never had my cc company stop a charge in another country. But I have had them ask to speak to me to verify charges before.

 

Also, and this may just be me, but I do not use a cc in many countries, and mexico is one of them. Your cc doesn't have to be stolen for someone to charge it. Many people have had their numbers charged for very high amounts after they have left the store, by store workers who take the number from the receipt. I would be very careful about using your cc in certain foreign countries.

[tadjr]

I travel quite often and have only once had my cc company even call to verify the charges. Luckily my mom was over feeding the dog when they called and she advised them that I was on a cruise vacation. I would think they could verify that a charge for transportation (cruise or air/hotel) had taken place a while ago if it was done on the same card and that I hadnt reported the card as stolen, but I guess its just easier for them to hold it until someone calls them to complain they cant shop.

[KelJ]

When we cruised in December, we made a jewelry purchase in St. Thomas for $3400 and charged it on the same card for which I had paid for the cruise and for which I had set up our seapass account. Luckily, our card was never questioned the whole week.

However, when we got back home, there were FIVE messages on our answering machine from our credit card company stating that they wanted to verify a purchase. Maybe they eventually figured out that I must have actually been on vacation and not able to answer my home phone because there was never a hold put on the card, and smaller purchases had been charged in Nassau the day before.

We have been to Bermuda and Mexico and never had a hold put on a card, but I think I will call before we cruise at the end of this year just to give them a heads up.

[ILoveScotland]

Add me to the list of people who think this is a great tip. I had a call from my debit card bank yesterday wanting to verify a charge that had just come in from Scotland. I'm going to Scotland in May and had just gotten off the phone with a hotel guaranteeing a booking with the card, so all was well. But I really appreciated the call from the bank, and it gave me the opportunity to let them know the dates I'll be away this spring.

Now I also know to let the bank know when DH and I go to Barcelona in November for our transatlantic cruise back to the US.

[steve20832]

My credit card company cut off my card 3 weeks before X-mas because they saw 3 charges on the same day for UPS.com (All 3 charges were than than $20 each). I was shipping holiday packages. I only use the card about 10 times a month so they thought it was fraud when they saw 3 charges in one day. GRRRRRRR.

[pollux]

The card company is really on the ball.

Last month I charged for the Trans Atlantic cruise, a day later Air Fare to Houston and Insurance.

A few days later ,I charged Air Fare back to USA on the same RCC card and got declined.

I called the 800 number and they asked some questions ,like what cruise did you charge in August?

Well everything was OK and I charged my air fare from Europe back to USA.

I also told them when I would be out of the country and how long so if I need the card in Europe I want be denied.

But always carry a second card for security in case you are denied.

[BeachBumMama]

My mom bought jewlery once in Mexico (I think), quite a purchase. They approved it, she got the ring, and when she got home my dad who hadn't been on that trip, playfully asked to see her new jewlery purchase. lol They called their home number to verify and he told her she was there.