Travel Advice: Tell Your Bank You're Traveling

[kevin_standlee]

If you are coming to Montreal from a long distance away, it's a good idea to tell your bank that you are doing so. This makes it less likely that they will see you trying to withdraw money from an ATM a long way from home, decide that it is suspicious activity, and lock your card down. I had to spend more than ten minutes on the phone with them -- while Cheryl waited for me to come back so that I could join her, John Mansfield (Anticipation's Fixed Functions division manager), and Ben Levy, (Dealers' Room area head) for dinner -- wading through menus, entering my ATM card number, and answering security questions so that they would turn the card back on. I don't really resent Bank of America for this; the pattern is suspicious. I meant to call them a week ago, but the hold-queue time was something like twenty minutes, and so I gave up, intending to call again, and I never did so again. I did advise my credit card issuer that I'd be on the road in Montreal this weekend and please don't shut off my card.

Edit, 0625: filled in missing name after prodding in comments.

Comments

[dinogrl.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I was going to post something about stores in general not taking "American" credit cards. Mastercard in general. That was my experience in Vancouver, at least.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

In this particular case, it wasn't a rejection of a credit card, but a ScotiaBank ATM refusing a Bank of America ATM card for a cash withdrawal from my checking account. And ScotiaBank is BofA's Canadian partner.

[dinogrl.livejournal.com]

Understood, but I think it is good information to let fans know that stores do not take ATM cards even with V/MC logo. I had to pay for things in cash except for my hotel room and a few places downtown. I have never had this much CAN currency with me since my childhood!