Could be. It is strange that Amex would not have seen the denial and told me about it when I called to ask but I have not specifically requested Amex to enable offshore purchases. Somehow I assumed Amex to be more global. The one Visa that did go through they did notify me a couple of years back after I took a couple of international trips that the card was permanently authorized for international purchases and I no longer needed to call in to authorize them so you are probably right. I still cannot fathom how Amex would not see a rejected charge, they claimed no charge was ever submitted. Next time before I use the Amex I will call in to pre-authorize and see if that works.