Credit & Debit card issues, latest edition....

[DaBurglar]

A long while back I may have mentioned in a post the frequent occurrence of issues with credit and debit cards being temporarily frozen when people use them during trips to places like Vegas, AC and other similar destinations. Specifically, since 2014, when I would visit AC and take with me my Bank of America Visa card and my BofA checking debit cards, unless I had "informed" BofA of my trips and I had more than one transaction on either of my cards, they would freeze them until I contacted them to verify that it was in fact legit and not fraud!

Now I'm a huge fan of prevention of fraud, and of vigilance, etc. But I found BofA policy and practice in this area to be hugely inconvenient and annoying...Mainly because in freezing the accounts they inadvertently cause a chain of events that put you in a lot difficulty as well a potential cost if your cards are linked to other automatic payment options, etc. The biggest hurdle though was the fact that BofA security center is the only place that can unlock accounts and they operate 8am to 11pm PST, which for East coasters is an issue....And they are often flooded with calls so you can end up waiting literally hours before you straighten things out!

Several times, I found myself with my Visa card froze, my BofA checking debit account froze and thus forced to use my Amex for charge I preferred not to use Amex for...And then had​ to spend valuable time fixing things! All because the BofA computer saw charges and holds being applied to my accounts in an area (AC) that I didn't reside within....Despite the fact I had been doing this every month for years!! I have perfect credit scores and plenty of funds and credit lines....

This is not exclusive or limited to Vegas or AC...It can happen under many other scenarios...

[MT1716]

Don't know if this will help. Everytime my wife and I travel overseas, we notify our banks and credit card companies. Never had a problem. I wonder if you could do the same for a trip to AC or Vegas?

[billryan]

    All my cards have a spot on their website to inform the bank of your travel plans. Its for your protection.

[Onenickelmiracl]

There are Bank Of Americas right off the boardwalk. Can't people just go in there? I'd personally feel a necessity to get rid of them altogether if they were me. I personally dont like the way they do business based on my experiences.

[Tedlark]

There are Bank Of Americas right off the boardwalk. Can't people just go in there? I'd personally feel a necessity to get rid of them altogether if they were me. I personally dont like the way they do business based on my experiences.


You're absolutely right. Last year I took a trip to Las Vegas and forgot to notify BoA that I was traveling and when I got into town I stopped at one of their brick and mortar banks to hit the atm early in the morning. My atm transaction was declined for possible fraudulent activity and I simply went into the bank later in the day and they unfroze both my atm card and my BoA credit card as well. No hassle at all.

[DaBurglar]

There are Bank Of Americas right off the boardwalk. Can't people just go in there? I'd personally feel a necessity to get rid of them altogether if they were me. I personally dont like the way they do business based on my experiences.There is a BofA one block up from the former Trump Taj.   Yes I went there and NO they themselves were unable to "unfreeze" my account....they said only the center out in Phoenix could do it, so they told me to go over to one of there phones and call from there.....I kid you not I was on hold for over 45 minutes before they talked to me.Yes, since last July, 2016, I now "inform" my cards whenever I travel....But the fact someone even needs to take time out and go to a branch is in itself a hassle....I asked them if they could simply update my account so that all transactions that appear from AC are allowed, they said "no, our policies will not allow that, unless I want to "move" my account to the BofA in AC, or close by".....I'm like, "huh?  whatever"

[Tedlark]

Odd; I was not asked to "move" my BoA accounts to the BoA in Las Vegas or "close by."

I'm like, "huh?"

[DaBurglar]

Odd; I was not asked to "move" my BoA accounts to the BoA in Las Vegas or "close by."

I'm like, "huh?"Neither was I.....why don't you re-read my post again, and then reload another one of your turd post bombs into the bra you use as a slingshot....I'm guessing though it won't matter, you still won't see the mistake you made in comprehending what I was talking about or referring to, or the point I was making.

[Tedlark]

So what in the last paragraph of what you wrote did I misunderstand?

The part where you asked if you could just update your account settings there or the part where they said their policies wouldn't allow it unless you moved your accounts?

Again: when I had the same exact issue in Las Vegas that you had in Atlantic City I was able to unfreeze my accounts right then in Las Vegas without them stating to me that I would need to move my accounts to that, or any other BoA branch.

Word.

[FAA]

Unfortunately, I can contribute to this thread, detouring from the main issue. Saturday morning, I was roused by a text that my debit card has been compromised. A $2.87 purchase in Illinois was blocked. This is the third time in six years, IIRC. The usual cancellation/Fed Ex replacement routine. Hope to get the new one today, then switch cards on auto pay bills. What a hassle. Skimmed, hacked. It's all semantics.