Laser "Restricted card"

P. Breathnach

I attempted to buy some prize bonds online. My transaction was declined, and declined again when I re-submitted. I phoned the prize bond company, and attempted a telephone transaction. Card declined again.

Phoned the bank. No problem at their end: my card is supposedly good, and I have the funds to cover the transaction. It must be "merchant services", and it might be a random selection for security checking. The prize bond company should phone merchant services for an authorisation code and the order can then be put through.

Back to the prize bond company. The lady at the other end of the phone told me that in 12 years dealing with card sales, she had never needed to seek an authorisation code - she didn't even have a phone number for merchant services (when you think about it, it's not very probable that a person using a stolen or cloned card would purchase prize bonds). If transactions were declined, there was usually a reason that could be identified. She got on to her IT department, and learned that the reason the transaction was declined was "restricted card".

Back to the bank. They can't explain it. They say there is no restriction on my card. It's not even standard terminology with them.

So I can't complete a transaction where there should be no obstacle. In effect, I am being denied access to my money. I don't know why; I can't get an explanation; I'm annoyed, but I don't know who should be the focus of my annoyance.

Is there somebody here who knows what happens under the bonnet, and can tell me where to direct my ire?

Davy

Have you tried using the card to purchase something else?

If you enter the pin wrong and the card is locked, you can unlock at ATMs under pin services but I dont know if that just locks the pin or the card

P. Breathnach

Davy wrote: »

Have you tried using the card to purchase something else?

No. I haven't yet had a reason to. But your question touches on one of my concerns: I normally use the card to pay for my grocery shopping, and it would be inconvenient and a bit embarrassing to have it declined in my local shops.

If you enter the pin wrong and the card is locked, you can unlock at ATMs under pin services but I dont know if that just locks the pin or the card

I haven't used the pin. It's not relevant to online or telephone transactions. Neither did I miskey the card number, because that would be picked up before the stage of committing the transaction. Somebody (for a broad meaning of somebody - essentially a computer programmed by somebody) put the kibosh on my transaction, and possibly also on my Laser/ATM card.

BuffyBot

Well considering they billed me twice recently for one transaction and one bond purchase (and asked me if i was sure i didnt forget one!) I'm not sure how much faith I'd put what their payments team say...