Before leaving for his honeymoon, Derek called Bank of America to make sure he could rely on his debit card while he was in Japan. Bank of America assured him that he would have no problem accessing money. Yet on the third day of his honeymoon, neither he nor his wife could draw cash from their cards, stranding them with only $15 in cash.
He writes:
My wife and I went on our honeymoon in March of 2006. We both had saved about $2,500 to spend on our ten day trip. Rather than paying currency exchange fees and carrying a huge amount of cash with us, we opted to carry our Bank of America Visa debit cards with us and withdraw smaller amounts of cash at Citibank ATMs (which only have very minimal cash withdrawal fees).Both of us called Bank of America’s customer service about two weeks prior to our trip and went through the whole ridiculous ID verification nonsense you talked about. We spoke to their fraud protection department and let them know on each of our individual cards that we would be in Japan during that time and that we would be making frequent large purchases and cash withdrawals on our cards. They assured us that everything was taken care of and we’d have no problems using our cards while we were in Japan.
On the third day of the trip, we went to Akihabara to make some video game purchases. I found the only Wii system we saw the entire time we were on the trip and tried to buy it. My card was declined, which was incredibly embarrassing and difficult to deal with because of the language barrier. My wife tried her card and it went through, thankfully. The next shop we came to had something she wanted to purchase, at which point her card was declined. She paid with the cash she had left over, leaving both of us with about the equivalent of $15 total in cash.
We assumed we’d hit some sort of daily limit and thought we’d just get more cash out the following day and it’d be fine. When our cards were both declined at the ATM the next morning, we got worried. We spent the last of our cash on the cheapest phone card we could find so we could call the bank and get this mess taken care of. We scoured their website looking for a 24-hour customer service number but couldn’t find one (with the time difference between here and Japan, they had just closed their main customer service department and it would’ve been 10 or so hours till it opened again). We tried calling the other 24-hour numbers to see if there was a way to get to someone that could help us.
We ended up having to spend an entire day sitting in our hotel room doing absolutely nothing waiting for their customer service department to open. We didn’t have any money for food and all we were able to eat was a few candy bars we had picked up a few days prior. When we finally got to talk to someone that night, they said we should’ve tried the 24-hour number and that the other people we spoke to should’ve given it to us. Both cards had been frozen due to unusual activity and they basically said it doesn’t matter that we told them exactly what we were going to be doing. They assured us we wouldn’t have any more problems this time, but when we went to get money out (about a mile away from the hotel) my wife’s card was declined again. After walking back to the hotel and getting it fixed again, we were able to use our cards for the rest of the trip without a problem.
Still, we wasted an entire day on our honeymoon in Japan, wondering if we would even be able to fix the problem at all. When I called customer service when we got home, I was told that the problem was our fault because we were relying on those two cards. Their reaction to what happened was that I should’ve had other credit cards or cash available in case there was a problem with our Bank of America cards. It took me more than six months and countless phone calls with threats to move my accounts (two checking, two savings, a money market savings, and a mortgage loan) over to another bank for them to take any responsibility and offer me a $300 credit for the time lost and the poor experience.
Sorry for the lengthy email, but I couldn’t resist when I read your article. Bank of America has absolutely horrible customer service and more people need to be aware of it. I’m glad someone with access to a widely read forum was able to post this sort of information and get the word out.
Don’t rely on a single bank or form of payment, especially when traveling. Treat your money like an investment and diversify.
PREVIOUSLY: Bank Of America Won’t Let You Access Your Money
(Photo: mrhayata)
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Wow $250 a day in Japan, I just want to know does that include money for hotel or is that all for fun and food? Not counting hotel expenses (it’s nice having friends all over the world) I lived on $50 a day the last time I was in Tokyo, if that even, and I had a blast. Sucks that they froze your credit card, but I’m sure you could have found something to do other than “sit” in your hotel room.
Maybe next time carry a small bit of cash or traveler’s checks. I think one of the places I went to in Tokyo only charged me Â¥3 on the dollar, and when I went it was Â¥118 to the dollar so not to shabby.
oops debit card not credit card
@Kn10, et al.
OK, there, big ballers! I am sure there are many people who do not have multiple credit/debit cards and $3,000 in disposable cash to carry around with them. These two newlyweds both saved $2500 (I assume that is their combined savings, but feel free to give me an F for reading comprehension). Yes, I did shake my head at certain parts of the story (e.g. still purchasing when both cards were declined *slaps forehead*), but it is not fair to assume that the newlyweds have the financial portfolio that you do.
@velvetjones
I do not have a personal Amex, but my colleagues and I have an issue with our Corporate Amex cards in Tokyo virtually every time we go (even though Amex is prealterted to our travel plans).
Regarding Bank of America, they apparently DO have a 24 hour customer service line for fraud protection (it’s an 866 number, to my recollection). My issue is that it is not printed on the back of my card. I had an issue this past Christmas…on December 23rd, I was gift shopping. I made three purchases less than 5 miles from my home ($75, $100, $175). When I tried to make a fourth purchase of $740, my card was declined. My principal issue with Bank of America is that, in my experience, the card authorisation reader usually says “CALL BANK” when there is a fraud suspicion and I usually have to speak with an account rep at point of sale. In this case, I had been waiting on a ridiculously long line (yes, feel free to say I should not leave my shopping until the last minute) and was incredibly flustered knowing that my balance was over 4 times the purchase amount. The sales associate let me step aside to call BOA; it was 5:45 on a Saturday and their CS line was closed. So, I used another debit card to complete my purchase. I then tried to use a BOA ATM, which gave me an accurate balance and would not allow me to withdraw funds. There were no messages left at either phone number I have on file with BOA. I called them the following morning and the CS agents made it seem like it was my fault: apparently, I was supposed to KNOW the 866 number that has 24-hour access even though it was not printed on my card and I could not seem to locate it on their website.
Apparently, (I cannot attest to the veracity of this statement), if you call the main BOA CS number and select “Lost/Stolen” card option, if you tell the voice recognition system that your card is Lost/Stolen, they transfer you to a live agent. Um, why would I say my card was Lost/Stolen if it was in my hands and how was I supposed to know that doing this would connect me to a live agent?
Anyway, two of the BOA reps made me feel like I did something wrong. I was flustered and felt it was irresponsible of BOA to freeze my accounts without even calling me or giving me an opportunity to verify my purchases at point of sale. The BOA reps did not see it my way…when I asked them to waive my monthly maintenance fee of $5.95 as a mini-apology, they refused. HAH! They did offer to have the “corporate office” send me a letter of apology. Um, yeah, that and $2.00 will get me on the subway. I guess I need to take a course in dealing with CS reps since I seem to get nowhere with BOA.
Don’t get me wrong, I am ALL FOR fraud protection, but the bank cannot freeze accounts leaving a customer with virtually no way of reinstating them.
Sadly, I have had NO issues using my HSBC debit card in a foreign land, but I will be canceling my accounts with them (since their lax fraud protection department did not notice that I was making purchases in Astoria, NY and $3000 in cash withdrawals in Spain on the same day).
I have zero sympathy for you. It was poor planning on your part, and it was for 1 day, I mean, I’d say that wasn’t so bad, you just didn’t think about bringing cash.
Ive had the exact same experience as you while I was in Shibuya and yes I bank with BofA. I went into a Citibank to use their ATM. After I got declined, I asked to use their phone (instead of a phone card) and dialed the number on the back of my card. After awhile we straightened everything out and it was taken care of within an hour.
Sorry but you shouldn’t have relied on your card and yes there is a daily limit. Next time you’re overseas, bring cash.
@speedwell:
Exchange BEFORE the airport talk to your bank and buy currency ahead of time.
Have around a days worth of cash on you for emergencies in addition to your spending cash
I normally side with consumers but in this case I think traveling outside the country without a backup plan was not wise. Being in an unfamiliar place without some kind of safety net is just not a good idea (not even necessarily a foreign country, just going cross-country/out-of-state you should have a backup plan.) I do think BoA screwed up and I think the bank could’ve been more helpful, but I am saying it is the travelers’ fault that they only had 15 dollars and were stranded. Any number of things could’ve happened that they didn’t plan for, natural disaster (Japan is prone to earthquakes isn’t it?), stolen debit cards, etc. You never know what to expect! A couple of hundred dollars in cash or travelers checks would’ve prevented this (even if the exchange rate sucks) it’s better than being stranded.
One simple thing almost killed me back when I ended up spending 2 months in Europe for work — the ATM keypads were upside down compared to what I was used to and didn’t have the traditional alphabet to help me out. And then my bank had only 800 #’s on everything (including 411 when I called). But I did have plenty of credit cards…just no cash.
I not to long ago travled to japan.
He is my traveling advice.
Exchange currency at your local bank before you go. I was able to get very close to the LISTED exchange rate. Currency conversion kiosks take a hefty chunk out of your transactions.
Banks do not work the same all over. In Japan I found atms were treated like BANKS. This means they closed at night ,weekends and on holidays. Don’t expect foreign countries to work the same as the US.
Credit cards are not accepted everywhere. Sometimes only national cards are accepted. Bring cash everywhere you go.
Bring extra US cash with you. When I ran into trouble and needed some extra yen,the atms were closed, My foreign,US, checks were no good. Lucky for me I had extra US cash, in case I got stuck while in the US. I exchanged that with no issues.
Call your banks and bring with you international numbers for help and the directions on how to dial them. I had a heck of a time trying to call my travel agent from a pay phone in the airport.
Have extra food at all times. Sometimes bars and food places close. Flights can get delayed and you can get hungry. A few bags of crisps or a can of spaghetti can come in real handy.
Have a buddy or family member than can wire you money if you need it. My parents are good about holding money for me just in case of emergency during my travels.
If all else fails talk to the US embassy. As long as you speak English they will get you some kind of help.
Somehow I doubt anyone will read this being post 106 and all.
I’m very anti-credit cards.
but i still have one for use when we travel.
when we get back, if we’ve used it, back into the safe it goes and we pay it off.
to me the rewards, points and all that other stuff are just garbage on a personal card. It’s a scam to catch the unwary and make you feel good about making the card issuer rich.
Now on my friends company card they are great. he runs a concrete company and pays for his concrete with it every day, thousands of dollars, they fly 1st class everywhere.
This happened to me in the UK. The best advice I can recommend is to take the number of your local bank branch with you (or look it up online) and call that number. Even if you’re calling out of business hours you will be transferred to the 24 call center. I’m amazed that banks don’t support their customers travelling overseas better than they do, it really can be a scary experience, being stuck abroad with no money.
One other point to note is that most UK retailers now use ‘chip and pin’ card readers (an embedded security chip in the debit card) at point of sale and are really reluctant to process foreign ATM/Debit cards that don’t have this feature. Best to take a well known credit card with you, or at least some emergency travellers checks
Ouch. I am very happy I dumped Bank of America long ago.
I also use a well-established local credit union. BofA, Wamu, and Wellsfargo have all screwed either close friends or family. Shame on them too, they should be able to out perform the local credit unions, but for some reason they seem to stumble out the gate.
@Alger:
They were in yen. i was doing it at a bank where I had an account, not at a hotel. They were very polite, and it is my own fault that I couldn’t speak the language, but the process took forever.
Add me to the “What were you thinking bringing one form of payment?” crowd. I can’t totally blame BoA that the cards got a hold put on them as it’s hard to say exactly what triggered it, and frankly I’d feel a bit safer knowing the hold was put on the card.
But really, when I travel I have –
Two credit cards (one in my wallet, one in my bag)
One debit card
A few hundred dollars in traveler’s checks (dispersed between my wallet, carry on luggage, and checked luggage.
A small amount of local currency.
Should the hold have been placed? Probably not, but it’s still no excuse for bringing one form of payment. what if something happened to their cards (lost/stolen)?
That’s quite strange. I’ve never banked with BOA, but I’ve banked with several other places (notably, Washington Mutual and a local credit union). On my way to study abroad for 4 months, I actually called *on the way to the airport* to put a note on my account. I’ve not ever had a problem using my cards all over Europe, Latin America, and SE Asia.
10 days in Japan for $2500, after air and hotel I presume, for 2 people is really good. Sucks on the lost day, but it’s your honeymoon… I’m sure the day wasn’t totally lost!
Before going to Japan the guidebooks warned us: Japan is mostly a credit-card free society. It also mentioned Citibank was by far the best represented ATM.
However, Citibank froze our card after our first withdrawal as part of their ‘Fraud protection’, and it took a few days to lift. Furthermore, since cash advances are limited on our card, I was paying off the card by the internet from BOA to Citi. It took 4+ days for transactions to clear. On top of that, the international fees were pretty steep.
Eh… if you’re going to be in Japan wouldn’t it be smart to get a JCB card? I think if any card’s going to be widely accepted and usable it would be that, right?
Another suggestion is when you call your Bank or CC next time, of this kind or issue or in general, give them your cell phone number for the file too.
We had a problem with a CC company thinking fraudulent charges while we were on vacation. They called our house, then my cell phone. I verified we were on vacation and everything was fine – no loss of service at all.
Yeah when I go to Europe I always get a bunch of cards. You can check the back to see which systems they use in ATMs, make sure you have a smattering of different ones. That way you’ll have at least something that works. I have had cards stopped for fraud prevention like this as well. The first time it happened I needed to get a phone card but was told they only sell them in Post offices and it was a Saturday evening, but since I had other cards it was no big deal really.
@speedwell: The use of “chip and pin” credit/debit cards in the UK means that you’ll only likely be able to use ATMs or Travellers Checks on your travels. Interestingly, I see everyone mention travelling with US$ checks – you can buy UK Pounds Travellers Checks here and take them with you – they’re as good as cash over there, and you don’t have to find somewhere to change from $ to £
I left Bank of America when I was 18. I have never come back to them. Thank God
@Rachacha:
You and me both, I could have thought of something to do with the wife! I could make it a 24 hour thing! As a matter of fact we did that one day when we were on our honeymoon in Texas.
That same thing happened to me three months ago. I have been to Tokyo many times and never had issues with my B of A card working in the citibank ATMs, then, on my most recent trip, the only one which I had actually informed B of A that I would be in Japan for the specified dates, my card got shut off nearly upon arrival.
I was fortunate enough to have enough cash on hand to last me until I could call them, but it was nonsense as someone had specifically entered in “this guy will be in Japan on these dates” into their system (i hear it’s a large dry erase board).
So next time, i’ll go back to my old system of just not telling B of A where i’m traveling, which has worked for all my previous trips.
Wow, I’ve had a lot of problems with BOA, but we went to the UK for 3 weeks this summer and didn’t have any problems using our debit cards for withdrawls. It’s very handy that BOA actually has a partnership with Barclays Bank, so we didn’t incur fees from using an out of system ATM. We did, however, also bring a credit car along. Another solution to this problem might be having a relative wire you money? I also got the international customer serivce number from a bank rep before I left.
you did all the right things by informing the bank in advance and talking the fraud dept. advising that you would be traveling. If i were you I would find out who the incompetent ass was that blocked the account. Or if the note was even placed. How dare they ruin one of the most important moments of your life. I would make a presedential complaint.
Actually, it’s an ongoing problem for BoA — their customer service is utterly lousy.
As was pointed out in the original post, the 24-hour line’s staff pretty much denied having the ability to fix the problem, even though they did.
Thus, it’s their fault that so much time was spent trying to get the problem fixed.
Meanwhile, having been in Tokyo…I’m thinking, “Wow, I could feed myself for a couple days on $15!” No, not kidding; I fortunately like noodles, and knew where to find a 99Y store.