A word of warning - card blocked by Nationwide

[micksandals]

Apologies if this is already well known, but I had my card stopped by Nationwide because of "suspicious activity". I'd been out of the country and hadn't used the card so I had no idea what it could have been.

I called them up and they said it was due to lots of test transactions from something starting with "WDW" - the penny dropped. I explained that I was booking restaurants for a holiday in May (!) and thankfully they unblocked the card.

Just worth considering if you have any error messages when booking ADRs as I had (partly due to the blocked card, partly due to issues with the site/app recently).

The card was unblocked and I've been able to book the rest of the ADRs now!

[00swan]

Good to know, thanks for sharing

[duchy]

I once called Delta to book a flight and then popped to my corner shop.
My card was blocked because Delta showed up as located in Atlanta and then another transaction a few minutes later 3000 miles away.

I try to avoid using the same card at a London airport as I'll be using in the US the same day as the bank don't seem to be able to grasp I can use it at Heathrow and then in New York eight hours later and tend to block. It's only a quick call to unblock but a bit of a nusience.

[sha9]

Can I ask if it was a debit card? I have a credit card linked and never had this issue.

[micksandals]

Originally Posted by sha9

Can I ask if it was a debit card? I have a credit card linked and never had this issue.

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It was, which I think was the issue.

My card has been stopped before because of genuine fraud, so they might be a bit more "sensitive" than normal.

[sha9]

Originally Posted by micksandals

It was, which I think was the issue.

My card has been stopped before because of genuine fraud, so they might be a bit more "sensitive" than normal.

See more...

Yes I’ve heard of this happening with debit cards.

[derenstar]

I had my nationwide credit card declined when I tried to pay for our flights the other week. No explanation and there was plenty of money on the card, booking was direct with BA! Tried three times and each time it got declined. I used another card in the end, rang Natiwonwide and they said it was suspicious activiy. What’s the point of a credit card if you can’t use it for a major purchase?!

[JudgeJ26]

I had this happen to me a couple of years ago with my Lloyd's debit card. When I told them it was Walt Disney World they were fine. It's good to know they were keeping an eye on my transactions.

[deanobrown]

This happens a lot more nowadays...
Last Christmas between October and December my card was stopped THREE TIMES!

Luckily with HSBC they ring you as soon as you have tried to use it, go through a few security questions, explain why it was stopped and then unblock it for you.

It is a real pain, but with all the fraud going on nowadays better safe than sorry!

[Scaramouche]

Originally Posted by deanobrown

This happens a lot more nowadays...
Last Christmas between October and December my card was stopped THREE TIMES!

Luckily with HSBC they ring you as soon as you have tried to use it, go through a few security questions, explain why it was stopped and then unblock it for you.

It is a real pain, but with all the fraud going on nowadays better safe than sorry!

See more...

I wish ours was that painless last night. An hour we spent on the phone to them after trying to order currency. In previous years I've never had an issue with HSBC when they've done this before, but last night seemed to be complicated and take ages.