It's important to call your credit card company before leaving home, let them know when and where you're going to.<BR>With all the criminal activity involving credit cards lately, the CC companies are using software to deny authorization for purchases that smell fishy, like in overseas (even in another state, which happened to me).<BR>That's why it's a good idea to call them, give them the info before you leave.

Huh? So now I have to call the milkman, paper boy, mail man AND my three credit cards to tell them I will be in Puerto Rico for a week??? Don't you think you run a risk of telling strangers that your home will be unoccupied for a week??<BR><BR>What kind of purchases were you making to be denied credit? Anything weird?<BR><BR>I was denied at a card shop before Christmas. It took a two minute phone call to get it resolved. What's the big deal in that????

Absolutely true advice, right on. And a Bank of America rep told me (after we got cut off in the US--just away from home) to ask for security, not just customer service. It may just be them--but.

Don't go overboard on us. Why call every credit card for a trip?? What is the sense in that? Do you know how many cards I carry??? If there is a problem then call them and resolve it. Geeeeez lets not go scaring everyone.

I sure don't want to SCARE nobody.<BR><BR>I KNOW the CC companies have been thanking me for calling them, telling me it was a good idea, asking me when and where I'll be traveling, asking when I come back.<BR><BR>Last Christmas my wife's Visa was denied at a Target store. It turns out someone stole our number when we traveled on Memorial day some 150 miles from home, and used it to purchase some $1,000 worth of merchandise. The dumb thing is, Visa didn't deny the criminal's purchases, but my wife's, because they were suspicious...<BR><BR>You need not carry ALL your 35 credit cards with you when traveling. And it's SO MUCH easier to make a preliminary phone call before you travel, than get stuck at a store in the middle of Istanbul, get embarrased, start making international phone calls, don't you think???

I always call Citibank which is my main credit card before a big trip. I did a short jaunt to California and they cut my credit off the last day of the trip (but didn't know it until I got home and there was a phone message from them asking me to call them). Seems on the last day I made a major charge in California, got home and did a deposit on a rental by phone in New York City, and paid for my rental car when I got home to Florida. Those three states in one day sent a signal and they were cutting me off as a precaution. Don't forget you're not responsible if someone has stolen your card or makes false charges, so I can't blame them for being cautious.<BR><BR>Of course, if you are traveling, it seems kind of silly for them to be calling your number at home asking you to confirm that you are traveling.

Ami is ABSOLUTELY correct.. but just include that caveat, that even if you DO call sometimes they block your card if there are a great deal of strange purchases and overseas charges. While my husband and I were in Greece our Mileage Plus Visa card (ironically a card that market's itself TO international travellers) was suspended EVEN THOUGH I had called before we left and let them know that we would be overseas...<BR>It was a real pain in the you know what to fix. Luckily I did have a non-800 number and access via the Internet but it did take a while to iron out.

Happened to me once also, tried to book a hotel thru a Greek agency via e-mail. With time zones and work it took a couple of days to get the info, fix the problem with the CC company and resubmit my hotel request.<BR> The hotel had booked-up by then. <BR> I called my CC companies (even ones I had no problem with in the past) and told them I would be making overseas purchases. They said they would put that info in my file and I haven't had a problem since.<BR>Regards, Walter

Why is everyone running around doing the credit card company's work? This is what they pay their security people to do folks. Don't they hold the bag if illegal purchases are made on your card (perhaps you might be liable for a small sum)?????????<BR><BR>Why do their work? That is what included when you pay their fees!!!!!!!

Uh, Kevin, exactly the point. The cc companies want to limit their losses, so they WILL block your card the moment they see foreign charges popping up.<BR>I take 2 cards only, call those 2 companies before we leave, and have not had a problem.<BR>With MBNA, they closed my acct the same day it was hit with several internet 'feeler' charges, none of them legitimate. They also left me a voicemail so I could call and get acct transferred. I thought this was very good service, even if motivated by self-protection.

What are you suggesting is &quot;their work&quot; Kevin? Calling each customer every couple of days to see if they are going on a vacation soon? How do you plan for them to know who is on a legitimite trip and who has a stolen card or identity? I don't mind calling them to let them know my charge activity is going to be a bit extreme for the next couple of weeks. Big deal. How else would they know or be able to check?

I always notify my cc company when I travel overseas. I let them know what dates and countries I'll be visiting and the date I return to the US. I tell them to consider any activity that is happening on my card overseas after my return date to be fraudulent. There may be some unscrupulous cashiers/clerks overseas that know you're a tourist and will be out of their country shortly so they go nuts on your card. People complain that it's their bank's job to watch for fraud but how do they know whats fradulent and what's legit in another country? It only takes a couple of minutes to call your bank but could take months to have disputed charges credited back to an account. An ounce of prevention....

Absolutely call before you go...if you have many more than usual transactions than normal even while you are at home you card can be denied. It happened to a customer of mine last week..he had paid about 15 different suppliers that day and when he tried to charge at our place it was denied...a call to them and he had to get on the phone and give his ID and say it was all legitimate.

I've always called my card companies before leaving the country. First, because I don't want to have any problems making purchases overseas and, second, I don't want anyone using my card number in the states while I'm gone (if my house were robbed while away, card statement removed from the mail, etc.) The companies make a note in their computer system and any purchases coming in from places other than those you authorized during your absence will be flagged. Also, they always give me a toll-free number to call from the country I'm visiting in case I need to reach them.

To AMI-- YOU are correct-- <BR><BR>WE had the same thing happen to us on a 2 day drive to FLA in OCT!!! It took VISA over a week to start to deny charges and it happened in a restaurant over a $20 meal!!! I was fuming! <BR>When I spoke to customer service, they told me they thought someone was using my card....DUH........Yeah- and it took them over a weeks worth of charges thru 4 states to catch me!! It was ridiculous ,embarassing and reminded me too much of big brother watching...<BR><BR>Like I have to call in to tell someone I will be out of town...THEY even wanted to know WHEN I would be home-(like for what? to case my house????) <BR>At that point , I lost it and said I WILL CALL THEM when I get home....<BR><BR>However,NOW when I leave town, I do call Visa and give them my states I will be in and approx.time I will be gone... I do NOT tell someone EXACTLY WHEN I WILL be home though-- It is NO ONE&quot;S business/////

The same thing happened to us when we first moved to Europe in 1999. Our credit cards were blocked by our U.S. bank. Fortunately, we also had credit cards from our European bank, but many banks have gone overboard on blocking credit card use outside the user's home area.<BR>Unfortunately, they had some reason to. My sister-in-law has traveled to Paris a few times in the last few years and a couple of months ago, got a call from her credit card company to find out if she was traveling because a large transaction (over $2500) had been made with her card in Paris. She was NOT abroad--it turned out the waiter from a local restaurant had copied down all her credit card info then phoned it in to a connection in Paris (the waiter got her personal info--address, phone number--because she was on the restaurant's mailing list). The charges were reversed, of course, and the waiter arrested.

I call before an international trip and it has worked well. I do not expect the card company to call me. I need to let them know so I will not be inconvenienced.<BR><BR>One other tip: Sign up for your card's internet access. I use it to check my charges weekly or whenever. That way you always know the status of your account and can immediately recognize any strange charges instead of waiting till the end of the month. All the card companies have this benefit....or it they do not, they should.

I usually do this but with mixed results. I think the credit card companies aren't very good about this stuff (at least mine aren't). One I called never got the info correct and then tried to &quot;blame&quot; me by saying I should have called some security number instead of customer service (I think someone above mentioned that). I would have been happy to if that was offered as an option on the dial-in customer service where you can never talk to a human being. Also, I was irritated that somehow they were blaming me for their customer service agent not being trained correctly -- if that is their rule, how come they want me to learn it but not their own customer service people? So, even though I gave them my info it didn't do any good and I had several phone calls on my machine when I got home about unusual charges, but they went through anyway.<BR><BR>I've also had one company put a hold on charges and phone me because of unusual charges that weren't that unusual or high -- one was just because I bought $100 worth of sheets at a local dept. store, and the other was some minor expense out of town (such as Andy had). <BR><BR>In any case, if a problem occurs, some have numbers on the back you can call collect from abroad. My Citibank VISA does and I've never had problems with them and security. My other card, Capitol One, is the one who told me I'd given info to the wrong person who never told me to call someone else -- they have a special security number for use abroad but they won't tell it to you unless you call and ask for it (it's not on the card). I like Capitol One okay in general, but they aren't very good about this issue.

I personally don't call (you know - the &quot;it will never happen to me&quot; syndrome) and have not had problems. But in my travel seminars I always recommend folks do call. I have been OK so far but I had a friend who had her major card blocked while she was on a trip to China and had a terrible time getting things straightened out. She had to work completely with cash until she got to Hong Kong and visit a branch of her bank. The funny thing is she takes 2 to 5 international trips every year and had never had any problems before.

April's note prompts another thing: ask your card company for a number you can call to report a stolen/lost card (you call it collect). The 800 numbers used in US do not work if calling from Europe.