Barclaycard Morons. (or 'The most expensive weekend I never had')
For reasons that will make a story for a different QOTW, I managed to snap my Barclaycard in half a week before I was flying to Miami.

Forgetting all the problems this caused with having booked things with a different card to the one I eventually had in my hand, I physically had to get a replacement before I could leave the country.

The day before I flew, a courier bought it to the closest branch of Barclays to where I worked.

I collected it, I signed for it. I went home.

The next day I used it to buy a copy of Empire magazine, 20 Marlboro lights and a bottle of Coca Cola at the WHSmiths in Heathrow airport.

Then I got on a plane.

I arrived in Miami. I got in my hire car to drive to Fort Lauderdale. I checked in to my hotel.

The next day I tried to check out.

After my card was rejected, I was on the phone to Barclaycard where it was explained to me that my card had been used at Heathrow and in Florida. Fair enough, I knew that to be true.

What I couldn't understand, is how the fuckwit at the other end of the phone didn't get that it's not really possible to bu stuff in London, then buy a drink in America within 13 hours and also spend £3,000 in Rio in the meantime.

I could have had a lot of fun in Rio for £3,000.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Fri 14 May 2010, 13:50, 6 replies)

This is a repost?
I remember doing the maths before to work out if you could do London, Rio, Miami in a day.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Fri 14 May 2010, 16:03, closed)

Possibly.
I don't actually remember telling it before, but with my memory that doesn't actually mean much.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Sat 15 May 2010, 9:06, closed)

Visa = just as moronic
They checked I wasn't using my card in Canada when I'd been all but simultaneously making use of it here in the UK.

Perhaps it's a 'did you pack your own bags?' question that they're legally obliged to ask in the unlikely event that you'll break down and confess all. In this case to being a low-grade credit card scamster unbound by the natural laws of space and time.
(Happybara The jungle came alive and took him, Fri 14 May 2010, 16:50, closed)

I used to get this all the time...
And it makes no difference if you advise them beforehand that you'll be travelling.

I got a prepay credit card to stop all the hassle - I just have to remember to put money on it before I travel now...
( snee held his breath since, Mon 17 May 2010, 9:32, closed)

Because credit card companies don't make customers liable for fraudulent transactions
when someone uses a card fraudulently it is the company, not the cardholder, that they are stealing from. I guess credit card companies would rather cause you a bit of minor inconvenience than risk losing thousands and thousands of pounds. Can't say I blame them.
(Vlad the Inhaler forgot his password, Tue 18 May 2010, 11:47, closed)

I don't understand what happened here.
So someone did use your card in Rio while you were in Florida? And you're angry because they blocked your card even though someone really was using it fraudulently? They acted entirely appropriately by blocking it if that's the case. Perhaps I've misunderstood what you are trying to say.
(Vlad the Inhaler forgot his password, Tue 18 May 2010, 11:45, closed)