credit cards
I am not full-timing but have a question. I have had a hold put on my account because Citi Bank saw charges from different locations. I called and they restored my account but wanted to know what thre...
Forum Discussion
rwbradley wrote:
I have heard that many Banks use a formula (the exact details are somewhat like Area 51). But I have heard their formulas for determining if they should block your card are quite complex and based on dozens or even hundreds of weighted variables, and everyone's formula is different. The ones I have heard of most often are:
1) previous travel history, if you never travelled before and than start full timing, that can be a big red flag
2) size of the transaction seems to always be a big one
3) time and distance between transactions ie gas in LA than 15 minutes later gas in New York
If this is more than urban myth, that would mean that you can train the bank to not flag you (very much or at all) simply by being predictable. This is probably also why one person may get flagged and another wont.
x2
Really depends on the protocol of the card you are using. Cabela's Visa card has a really strict checkup or maybe it's just I so rarely use the card. Actually in retrospect it's just that Cabela's card is silly which is my definition of any card that wont let you dispute a charge over the phone or online. Snail mail disputes are well slow.
AMEX on the other hand has a different credit usage model and never questions my whereabouts as long as it's consistent.
