RobertS975

The most recent thread that I could find on a search was 5 years old, so it is time to awaken this issue. I routinely notify my Visa, MC and debit cards of upcoming international travel. I also routinely call Amex even though they claim it is not necessary.

One year ago, after several restaurant charges and a hotel charge in Lisbon, it was a 60 Euro charge for tee-shirts at a Hard Rock Cafe that triggered a freeze which required an expensive cell phone call.

Last night, I returned back to the USA from the Philippines to listen to a half dozen Amex fraud calls on the answering machine for my wife's DL Platinum card. I went online, nothing out of the ordinary, a large hotel charge. I called the fraud numbers given in the messages, but they demanded to talk to my wife in the Philippines.

The irony is that in 36 years of having an Amex card, I have never had a fraud issue. And what really bugs me is that I attempted to call in our travel plans, but all the agent cared about was signing me up for some APR promo!

Amex, it is time to stop pretending you don't care about our travel plans when you are so quick to question fraudulent activity when we do travel.

rthib

This need to get fixed.
Every time I travel out of country, Amex declines my charge and wants me to call.

I have now just stopped using the Amex at all.
I have called before hand and sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't.

Never an issue with my Visa because it allows me to enter what countries I am going.

This is so stupid on Amex part.

krazykanuck

I typically leave my Amex cards at home when I travel internationally. At most I carry one buried in my bag just in case.... I'm not going to use them just to get dinged with the FX fee. Amex really needs to drop the FX fee on the annual fee cards like the PRG and SPG cards.

Before I went to the Middle East a few months ago, I told Chase in advance (since they have both my debit card and multiple CCs). Everything worked just fine, and interestingly one of the guys I was traveling with also banked with Chase and had his DC declined at an ATM since he didn't inform them.

Since then I've been on two other continents and probably 5 countries without informing Chase and everything still works. Same with my Citi issued card. I received it and promptly took it on a multi country tour to break it in without telling them. Charges in SG$, PHP, THB, and Yen without breaking a sweat.

cphurley

I travel all the time, mostly domestic and use my AMEX platinum often at gas stations, restuarants, grocery stores, etc. when I travel. Last saturday - for the first time EVER - I was declined on my AMEX Plat card for $200 of groceries in Salt Lake City, UT.

I had to call after and the CSR had no information as to why this charge was declined and/or why they thought it was likely fraud. I guess I shouldn't complain as this was my first decline in 15 years with Gold/Plat card... but it still annoyed me.

RobertS975

Foreign transaction issues do not apply to my Amex cards, but this brouhaha that occurs periodically with foreign travel is bothersome. It is not that frequent, but it also is not rare either.

Something needs to be fixed. BTW, the previous post said the CSR did not know the reason... that is because much of this process is completely automated!

cphurley

Right... some kind of algorithm decided the charge looks like fraud but what I find annoying is there is no reasonable explanation. I mean - it wasn't my first/only charge in Utah, or in Salt Lake City, or at grocery store(s). On the same day, I had charges at ORD and then Hertz SLC (auth only). I travel to SLC at least once a year and have always used my card.

I don't mind the, after the fact confirmation of charges (even that isn't ideal)... but being declined really should not happen in my opinion.

RobertS975

Most annoying is that they tell you that they do not need travel notifications, but then when you do travel, their fraud-o-meter goes off! I don't visit this Amex board often... is there a company representative or official lurker?

mia

This has nothing to do with VISA, but rather the bank which issues the card. Which card(s) do you have?

Did the CSR confirm that it was declined? I often find that the issuer has no record of the attempted transaction. Not all failed transactions are declined, there may be a network problem.

Not any longer, but you can contact the Social Media team which used to post here via Twitter.

wripro

I recently called Amex to notify them of travel plasm and was also told there's no need. Reading this thread I think I'll just leave the card home. I have plenty of alternatives where I don't risk getting denied.

edweird

I don't notify my card issuers when I travel, although 85% of the time there will be an airline ticket or hotel booking on the card, for that location, in advance.

I use the cards (AMEX where ever it's accepted, and a MC where it's not) and have not had issues with charges. I am setup to get emails and notifications when ever a card not present or a foreign charge is made. Sometimes there's a clickable link in the message to indicate it's OK, and I will click it but that's after the charge.

My history would show a lot of charges in a lot of places over the years, as a result of frequent travel. I'd guess there's some weighting to the suspiciousness of that based on past charge habits.

Wyfind

Whenever I travel abroad, I chat American Express and let them know. They let me know that there's no need, but I insist that they make a note on my account as I do not have a phone number abroad that they can call me at.

I can't confirm whether they actually added the notes, but I have never had problems using my Platinum card in Europe (Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium or France).

AllieKat

Were these chip transactions or swiped transactions?

Wyfind

They were all using the chip.

fliesdelta

I wonder why there seem to be very different experiences with US Amex cards used outside of the US.

I've two Amex cards, both US based: platinum and Delta platinum.

Last year I used both in Mexico, England and Hong Kong, both for small purchases (equivalent of US$ 5 to 8) to large-ish (equivalent of US$ 1200 at a hotel in HKG), and not a single problem.

Some were at merchants like hotels and restaurants, some at automated kiosks like tube stations, some were swiped and some were EMV.

RobertS975

I don't mean to mislead... 95% of the time or more, my DL Platinum card and Reserve card work fine abroad. But why should I be able to charge a dozen times on a trip, hotels and restaurants, and then on the 13th charge, it is declined and I have to call. My profile shows constant travel, much of it international.

Citi and Chase want to be called... never a problem after that.