Bank keeps blocking forum payment (UK)

[comet]

Do any other UK VIP members have problems with the monthly credit card payments for the forum subscription? I'm with LloydsTSB and they have blocked about 5 of the monthly payments over the past year. Their system flags them as fraudulent simply because they are going overseas.

The first I know about this is when I get an email from dev2host saying that the payment has failed. I then have to ring the bank, go through the usual security protocols, explain the problem, get transferred to the fraud section, answer about 8 security questions (not kidding) just to get the payment authorised. It takes over 20 minutes each time.

I have explained that this is a waste of their time and mine for such a low value transaction, and that I want the payment made each month. However, they are incapable of doing this and apparently they can't set their system to flag this payment as ok. It doesn't happen every month though, which would actually make more sense to me if it did.

This month, for the first time, I did get a text from the bank asking me to confirm if I was making the transaction. I then had to email Jerry to ask him to resubmit it. Less painful than the 20 minute phone call, but still unnecessary in my view. I'm sure Jerry could do without the additional admin.

Just wondered if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I don’t have any of that nonsense!

Have you got another credit card you could use instead? I often find that one might ‘play up’ with a transaction whereas another won’t.

 

[kommando]

They check small amounts as a fraudster typically first does small amounts to test a card before moving on to the large items. I bank with several banks and for overseas HSBC are the easiest to deal with.

 

[comet]

I don’t have any of that nonsense!

Are you with Lloyds or someone else? I've only got the one card, can't be doing with multiple bits of plastic - I'm bound to lose one and not notice it.

They check small amounts as a fraudster typically first does small amounts to test a card before moving on to the large items. I bank with several banks and for overseas HSBC are the easiest to deal with.

Thanks, they explained about the small transactions and I know that they will get false positives from the systems. I'm just surprised that with the technology available today they can't recognise a regular payment to the same payee, or flag that payee as "safe".

I've had the same account for 40 years, perhaps I should consider HSBC.

 

[Onder]

HSBC might allow you to open an account in another country linked with your UK account.