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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Credit card company have just cancelled my card

79 replies

lurkerspeaks · 21/12/2013 09:20

…. because there were unusual transactions on my account.

Yup, that will be because it is Christmas and I've been present buying you morons.

So now 4 days before Christmas I have no functional credit card. There will also now be issues about trying to return gifts I have already bought as the account will no longer be active to receive refunds.

You seriously couldn't make it up. So AIBU in thinking their fraud detection software should have some seasonal flexibility build in?

OP posts:
VampyreofTimeandMemory · 21/12/2013 09:22

Can't you just phone them and confirm you're aware of all the transactions?

FatimaLovesBread · 21/12/2013 09:23

Just ring them and they'll take the block off so you can use it again

CwtchesAndCuddles · 21/12/2013 09:23

Haven't they just put a block on the card? Are you sure it has been cancelled?

This happen to a friend and when she phoned them the block was removed straight away.

Original poster
lurkerspeaks · 21/12/2013 09:25

Nope they've just phoned me to tell me all about my suspicious transactions (all of which I made) and that the card is cancelled.

They can't uncancel it. I asked.

OP posts:
IrisWildthyme · 21/12/2013 09:25

I had my card stopped because of an unusual transaction, and had it activated again within 20 minutes just by phoning them up and saying it was fine - are you sure it was fraud-detection rather than spending-over-the-limit?

RandomMess · 21/12/2013 09:26

Oh dear Wine you would have thought they would have rang you and asked!!! That is what our card company has done before Sad

RandallFloyd · 21/12/2013 09:27

Have they closed your account?

There won't be a problem with refunds if it's just a new card, your not the first person to have to get a new credit card, just explain to the retailer and it'll be fine.

Original poster
lurkerspeaks · 21/12/2013 09:28

Definitely fraud. The limit (another issue as I keep asking them to lower it because of the fraud risk) is large enough to purchase a small car.

I haven't been that generous to my family…..

OP posts:
Coconutty · 21/12/2013 09:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RandallFloyd · 21/12/2013 09:29

*you're

RandomMess · 21/12/2013 09:30

Time to find yourself a new credit card company that is offering a lovely incentive to sign up Grin

MammaTJ · 21/12/2013 09:30

I went shopping in a big city a few miles away. Then we drove near to home and stopped in a pub for dinner. Then I tried to pay by card. Because I was miles away from where I had been spending on it all day, they had to phone and check before it would go through!! How did they even know?

Snowhoho · 21/12/2013 09:30

Like the others this happened to me with my debit card, thankfully it was just a block and was fixed in a few hours. What a nightmare, Im sure once its investigated you will be fine (no help just now I know) and it will be the card that's cancelled, not the account.

Original poster
lurkerspeaks · 21/12/2013 09:32

They are sending me a new one.

I am of course going away for Christmas so it will be arriving in my absence. Which also poses security issues.

I guess I'd better just go and move some money around and hope my bank don't get upset about the unusual transactions on my current account (normally spend everything on credit card as my card is a cash back one - so I'll also be missing out on that).

OP posts:
orangepudding · 21/12/2013 09:32

That is really odd to cancel your card.

I bought an iPad mini on mine. A block was put on my card but when I called to confirm the purchase the card was unblocked.

Nanny0gg · 21/12/2013 09:32

Don't get it.

I have had my card stopped before (to my fury) for Unusual Transactions - thanks M&S - but it's been fine as soon as they've cleared it with me.

Cancelled sounds very strange. You need to take this much higher up with the company.

MidniteScribbler · 21/12/2013 09:33

My bank did it to me as well (although it was fraud - parking charges for the City of Westminster. I live in Australia and was buying at the local grocery store at the same time), except they never notified me, just cancelled it. I had to get a transaction declined then ring them to be told about it. Had to wait nearly two weeks for a new card!

Ridiculous really, they could pick up the phone and call before just cancelling cards.

Original poster
lurkerspeaks · 21/12/2013 09:33

It is M&S. Apparently they can't reverse the cancellation.

I made quite a bit of a fuss on the phone due to the hassle. The computer still says No.

OP posts:
RandallFloyd · 21/12/2013 09:36

It's certainly odd that they've completely cancelled it, normally a fraud block would be applied and then removed when the activity was confirmed as genuine.

Anyway, as I said there won't be an issue with refunds as it's simply a new card for the same account so all retailers will be fine to process any refunds, it happens all the time.

Also, there is no real security risk for the card being delivered whilst you're away as the card cannot be used until it is activated.

Inconvenient I know but hopefully moving your other money around will enable you to finish your shopping.

StealthPolarBear · 21/12/2013 09:37

How can the cancel it though when the balance isn't zero? That seems really odd

RemoteControlGeekToyOfTheYear · 21/12/2013 09:37

Sorry they're being such a pain - maybe worth taking your custom to a different company, or pushing to get an interest free period on your new card by way of compensation?

DP had his bank card put on stop due to an unusual transaction once. After a paying a fortune making a gazillion phone calls, the unusual transaction turned out to be a monthly direct debit that had been in place for two years. There is no logic to their software sometimes!

Heathcliff27 · 21/12/2013 09:37

Scribbler, I was the victim of card fraud and mine was used for parking charges in westminster too, and for various other £800 worth of stuff

rootypig · 21/12/2013 09:39

Re refunds to card - they can do it, I learned this recently. Or at least for my Barclaycard Visa. Some Internet transaction was refunded after my card was replaced, i was worried it would go awol but it was credited to my account no bother, so they obviously keep an account history. Check with them.

rootypig · 21/12/2013 09:41

They are cancelling the card, stealth, not closing the account.

RandallFloyd · 21/12/2013 09:44

Right, I used to work for M&S credit cards so I think I can explain what's happened.
(It's HSBC that deal with the fraud side of things but we could see everything they do.)

Basically they will have cancelled the card because they have reason to believe that someone has compromised your card details not because of your Christmas spending.

Their systems are very complicated and of course explaining them would just be giving 'how to commit fraud' lessons, but basically they have detected something untoward going on and believe your card details are at risk.

Of course no system is 100% accurate 100% of the time but tbh the HSBC one is pretty shit hot and detects a lot of fraud before it even happens.

I know it's inconvenient for you to be without your card if you still have presents to buy but there's every chance they've saved you from something a hell of a lot more inconvenient.