American Express Membership Rewards - $50 Dominick's purchase denied and triggered fraud/security alert: but what can I do?

$50 of groceries at a well-known supermarket chain in my home city got denied today. Had to call in and tell them "Yes, I am still in possession of my card; and it really was me at the supermarket today".

But what can I do? I love the SPG points, and from what I've heard other card issuers pull similar stunts too.

<sigh> so I'll probably just suck it up, continue carrying a backup CC, and expect to call their "Security" department next month when I'm at, oh I don't know, the gas station or drugstore.

AMEX has gone crazy in the last 9 months after about a decade of great service. From crimping all my limits to triggering fraud alerts on EVERYTHING, the card is rapidly becoming useless.

Chase used to shut my MP visa off if I used it more than 3 times in the same day. I kept using the card and once I got a couple of more occurrences I complained to customer service and they figured out how to dial back the fraud threshold.

Should work the same with Amex. Just keep using the card.

Should work the same with Amex. Just keep using the card.

Yeah, keep using it, so they can call up and demand that you pay your bill immediately before the call is terminated, or your card is suspended.

And keep using it some more, and enjoy your Financial Review and signing a 4506-T granting Amex full access to your confidential tax records.

But better not use it at the liquor store, or walmart, or however many other merchants that they won't disclose, lest they cancel your card because they feel your shopping preferences make you a bad risk.

This issuer is just not worth the trouble! Amex has become the high-maintenance fat girl with acne who still manages to think she's all that. Any time someone says Pfffffffffft, she chalks it up to "jealousy", and keeps right on doing what she's doing. Yet soon enough, she'll still find herself sitting alone in a corner at the dance.

Forget trying to keep Amex happy, and just find a better looking girl with less drama. The more you chase after a drama-queen like this company, the more internal justification they feel for their behavior. None of the other issuers are anywhere near as ridiculous as Amex has become, and it just isn't worth dealing with them.

I have moved my spending completely from amex to citi hilton.
I can't deal with their crap anymore.
I went thru a FR also and passed, but they cut my blue cash to a sad level so its sock drawered permanently.

Amex has become the high-maintenance fat girl with acne who still manages to think she's all that. Any time someone says Pfffffffffft, she chalks it up to "jealousy", and keeps right on doing what she's doing. Yet soon enough, she'll still find herself sitting alone in a corner at the dance.

Nice. Very helpful to the topic at hand.

Nice. Very helpful to the topic at hand.

Ah come on, you gotta have a sense of humor about it... :D

And no kidding, Amex really does act like some drama-queen ex's of mine. Fickle, irrational, self-centered, insecure, and you never know where you stand with them. By about age 25 I'd learned to steer clear of that type in my dating life, and now I'm also learning to steer clear of them in my financial life. LOL

I got one too during an online purchase. Mis-entered the CID#. I've signed up for text alerts and got one immediately on my cell. Had already resubmitted the transaction with the correct CID. Called the # in the text message and they unlocked the account and let the second transaction through immediately.

The real-time alerts are quite useful.

now I'm also learning to steer clear of them in my financial life

IMHO, Chase is the worse when it comes to fraud paranoia.

I had the same thing happen with an on-line purchase from B&H, one of the most reputable on-line merchants in the world, and one from whom I've been buying high-ticket items for more than a decade (and on my Amex). I had a relatively small purchase declined (less than $200). An Amex robot called me the next day to "verify" my recent purchases. I called back and got a live person who apologized (of course) but couldn't assure me this wouldn't happen again. I'm particularly concerned because, when I travel internationally, I rely heavily on my Amex.

IMHO, Chase is the worse when it comes to fraud paranoia.

YMMV. AmEx has been bad but I had no problem with Citi and Chase.

At least they asked you if you have the card in your possession. HSBC never asks that! They just go right to the charge detail that triggered the alert.