So I took a trip up to Thousand Oaks a couple of days ago. Get back, and my debit card is no longer working. Pissed me off, as I found out when I was trying to get gas. Managed to make it home (hooray for the overly cautious low fuel warning light) and get some cash from my wife.

At any rate, I call up Bank of America to see why my card is being declined. Got plenty of money in my account, so that isn't it. After waiting on hold for 10 minutes or so, I get through to customer service, who after verifying my identify tell me my card has been declined due to unusual activity. I check my online statement and can't find anything out of the ordinary, so I ask them to explain. I'm then told that I've been making an inordinate number of visits to gas stations, and that's why my card was deactivated.

So, I explain to the customer service rep that my card has not in fact been stolen, I just drive a car that gets crappy gas mileage. Got my best and worst mileage on that trip, too. 21.8 mpg on the freeway, and 8.9 attacking a twisty mountain road.

 

Nice of them to deactivate it without telling you. This is why B of A sucks worse than your gas mileage.

 

i've had some extremely horrible experiences with b of a.

 

A heck of a story. They're just trying to take care of you, but this is more of an indictment of the '8 than BofA.

 

lol its really that bad on gas how are you guys driving with ur foot all the way down on the accelrator :P

 

As much as I hate my bank (Wells Fargo), at least they call me first to ask about unusual activity rather than just deactivating them.

 

Pretty much.

 

That's unfortunate they didn't try to verify the activity with you first via a phone call or something.

I've had an account through BoA's Military Bank for 14 years, and I've got nothing but good things to say about the services I've received from them. I will add, however, that BoA and BoA Military are technically two separate banks, all under one coporate roof...

 

Whew I'm glad my credit union won't do that to me.... My other vehicle is 03 Dodge Hemi.... I love reading about everyone complaining about gas mileage. LOL... Lets not talk about trips to the gas station k?

 

Tell me about it. I swear all these complaints are from former honda drivers! It is a damn PR conspiracy I tell you!

 

Previous vehicles were a toyota tundra w/ a lift and tires, and a toyota supra with an aftermarket turbo and 550 injectors.

 

My Honda CBR600 gets 200 miles per 4 gallon fill-up. :D

 

My credit card company deactivated me for "unusual activity" a few times without telling me...nothing more embarrassing than having your card declined while out eating with people - just like the old AmEx commercial.

Anyway, I threatened to pull my account and I now receive a courtesy call about once every two months to verify that the purchases are mine.

Still get anxious everytime I use it, though.

 

Apparently stolen credit cards must frequently be used for purchasing gas.

A few months ago I was very low on gas and in a hurry so I stopped at a convenient station and bought $2.00 worth (I didn't like the brand). Later that afternoon I filled up with my normal brand. That night I got a call from the credit card company confirming that my "unusual" usage was valid.

 

Makes sense, it's the only place I know where you don't sign the slip.

 

Police say that credit card thieves check to see if a stolen credit card has been cancelled yet by first trying them at a pay at the pump gas station before they use them inside a store. If the card won't go thruogh at the pump then then they know the victim's already called it in and the bank has flagged it. If it still works at the pump then they go to a close-by merchant and make the illegal purchase as they figure there's little chance that the card will become "hot" in the next few minutes.

 

When credit card companies deactivate your card, don't fool yourself into thinking they are doing it to protect you. They are doing it to protect themselves. Consumers are already protected against unauthorized uses, so you won't have to pay if someone steals your card. But the credit card company will have to eat the cost which is why they deactivate your card.

What has happened to me in the past is that I'll get a call whenever I go out of town on travel. They always assume that the card is stolen if it is used outside it's normal area. Luckily they never deactivated it, they just called me about it.

Completely off topic, but I hate Wells Fargo. They charged me $33 overdraft fee AFTER I deposited my paycheck. I complained they said the charge was proper. I'm switching to a new bank now.

 

Positive side of all this is that they at least care enough to watch what's going on with your card...Imagine it got lost/stolen...

 

Further off topic. If you are using a "Check Card" you are responsible for all purchases made after it's stolen if you don't report it in 30 (or is it 60) days. There are different rules that for a credit card. So you bank is helping you by calling. They're better off letting you not notice than having to refund your purchases.
--Dave.