Credit Card Transaction Declined: Tips to Avoid Your Credit Card Purchases From Being Declined
Posted June 9th, 2010 and last modified November 23rd, 2011
Credit Card Denied
How to avoid the embarrassment and inconvenience of having your credit card purchases declined
In the early days of credit cards people often only used them for the occasional one off big purchase like a holiday, or maybe even a new television. Today it is more common for people to use their credit cards instead of cash, and for transactions as small as fuel purchases, or a weekend takeaway.
At some point in your life you will go through the slightly embarrassing experience of having a card transaction declined. If this happens locally, and you have another method of payment, it will an inconvenience and nothing more, however if you are in a foreign country, and only have your credit card on you as a method of payment you could have a real problem.
We need to know why sometimes our credit cards are declined, and see what we can do to avoid the situation.
Why Was My Credit Card Transaction Declined?
To be certain of the exact reason your credit card transaction was declined you really need to speak to your credit card company. There are however some fairly standard reasons your card may be denied.
- Odd spending pattern - If your card provider notices strange patterns in your spending habits they may well put a block on your credit card for security purposes. If you only ever use your credit card a couple of times a week for very small purchases, and then in one day there are 3-4 large purchases made you issuer may flag the activity as strange and potentially fraudulent and will block the card.
- Daily limit – Some credit cards have daily spending limit within the terms and conditions. If you have not read your terms properly you may not be aware of these and this could result in you overspending and having a transaction declined.
- Spending abroad – If you are going abroad you should really contact your card provider to let them know. If they suddenly see a range of transactions happening overseas, they may well suspect fraud and block your card.
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Keep Them Informed
It is worth noting that in all the situations discussed none of the reasons for card denial were to do with the card holders financial standing. Most times when a block is put on your credit card it has been because of a suspected security breach, and with credit card fraud on the up it is better to be safe than sorry.
In most cases if you contact your card provider and let them know of any impending changes to your spending habits you can avoid the embarrassment, and annoyance of a refused transaction.
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