Originally Posted by
CMK10
While I agree, has there ever been a case in recorded history where a card that declined the first time didn't decline the second time unless a phone call was made?
Yes, there has.
It's happened to me a couple times, generally when the business is using some sort of wireless card processor. I knew my card was fine but wasn't sure the cashier had a clue, so when the card declined on the first try I requested that the transaction be re-entered v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and then it went through.