Purchasing with credit cards

[susand262]

Has this happen to anyone else. I tried to use my credit card today (For $2 no less) and it was denied. I than got a call from my credit card fraud department to verify that I had made that transaction and the one before. The one before was from a women's online specialty shop. This happen once before right after I used it online for a site that was for women's clothing. Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen.

[VS Fan]

Are you married? Credit card companies track all kinds of info about you and like it or not purchasing women's clothing would be seen as "atypical" for a single male. Perhaps they will eventually "update your profile" but I would doubt they have a "Crossdresser" check box LOL. Who knows, though... maybe they do... if you're not concerned about being "outed" you could simply call them and ask "what gives?" - VS Fan

[Gina X]

If it was for a low amount the CC Co will verify it was you as thieves when they have a stolen card will test it by making a low value transaction to see if it works before emptying your account. I've had my debit card details compromised in the past and they tried making a 50p donation to a charity luckily my bank spotted it and rang me to see if it was genuine, HTH

[tammi ogles]

Hi,VS Fan.I'm new to website, but really liked your reply an this issue. I'm sure some of purchases would raise an eyebrow, but I'm married and con fly under Big Brother's radar.

[AllieSF]

I have had that happen to me. Sometimes it is because the on line retailer that you are buying from has the transaction processed to an offshore (international) account. The credit card company as a courtesy just wants to make sure that is a purchase that you made. that little bit of courtesy can also save them a lot of money if they can stop a fraud before it gets too bad. Hopefully you thanked them for being concerned.

[susand262]

Yes I am married. The first time it happen we just got back from vacation so I thought it was because of all the transactions. This time it was just after I made a purchase at a clearly womans site.

[Wendy_Marie]

I had a SA ask me in front of several other shoppers once for my ID when I handed her my Debit Card which of course had my male name on it... to be honest I think she was trying to be a little smart!
I have since went to the Department of Motor Vehicles and gotten a State issued I.D. card which has my legal birth/male name on it but with my enfemme pic. I obtained this I.D. card after being told by a very nice young woman at the State office that here in my home state of Missouri there are certain exceptions made for Transgender persons.

[GMCD]

A little off-topic, but had to share.

Whenever I had to show an ID while I was en femme but before I'd had proper ID issued, I'd just hand over my cards with my sad male photo and all and just say, "It's a long story."

On topic: I wonder if you could ask the credit card company exactly why you've been flagged. Don't make a big deal about the fact that it's a women's clothing site, just ask politely why your card has been denied - what you did or what came up on their computers that made them take an action on you. You might find out that it's all perfectly innocent bureaucratic bull and red tape and not necessarily Big Brother out to "get the tranny." I'd think you'd have a great case in court if you did find out they were gunning for you because you're "the dude who buys himself high heels", though! ;)

Much love!

[Vickie_CDTV]

There are a number of spending patterns that can trip a fraud alert. One infamous one is buying two tanks worth of gas and buying a pair of sneakers (probably the reason gas stations now put a holds on cards after spending a certain amount of money for a period of time.) I wouldn't worry about it, they were almost certainly not targeting you.

[Sara Jessica]

A little off-topic, but had to share.

Whenever I had to show an ID while I was en femme but before I'd had proper ID issued, I'd just hand over my cards with my sad male photo and all and just say, "It's a long story."

That's funny, and actually quite related to the general topic, credit card usage in our community.

I do something similar. I present my ID and cover my picture with my thumb, saying my alter-ego is underneath. The SA usually has quite a chuckle and there's never been an issue with it.

As for the OP's comments, I don't think there's anything to read into it at all. I don't think we can be so bold to think that major credit-granting corporations have created a little behind-the-scenes computer program that targets those likely to be TG. And certainly the person on the other end of the phone call in India doesn't give a hoot where you have been buying whatever it is you buy.

[Babette]

One of my credit card companies will call me if I have a large transaction. To save confusion, I usually call them ahead of time when planning a large business purchase. They will enter a note into their database and there is never any problem.

Check with your bank before you travel overseas and use a debit/credit card. My debit card is not authorized for use in several countries due to the high occurrences of fraud.

I am very happy that banks and credit card companies take measures to protect me.

Babette

[Samantha43]

If it was for a low amount the CC Co will verify it was you as thieves when they have a stolen card will test it by making a low value transaction to see if it works before emptying your account. I've had my debit card details compromised in the past and they tried making a 50p donation to a charity luckily my bank spotted it and rang me to see if it was genuine, HTH

I've had this happen too. It was a $2.00 charge. I'm glad the bank spotted it. I had to cancel the card and get a new account number.

[susand262]

Don't get me wrong I am glad that my credit card company is watching out for me. I would rather have them block the transaction than pay out if it was actually stolen. i was just curious if it was because I bought something from a clearly woman's store. This is the second time it happen. last time was right after I purchased online from Ultra.

[Maria2004]

I've never been concerned nor had any issues with using my credit and debit cards with my guy name or showing my regular ID card when requested, one thing I did do the last time I got a credit card, (I read about it on this forum) was add an "Authorized User" in my fem name "Maria Andres" and an additional card. It was more for fun really, since I have no official ID to back "her" up :)

I have used it only once, at a restaurant, they didn't bat an eye and it was nice to be able to sign my fem name for a change.

[Kate Lynn]

I purchase with credit/debit card all the time,especially when I used to shop amazon.

[Alice B]

I use my card for all my purchases and have never had a problem when making purchases of woman's clothing, make up or any other item. My wife and I always advise out card company when we are going to be traveling to eliminate any problems.

[Picklebob]

I've never had a fraud alert trigger on anything I've actually bought, but when my debit card number was stolen, the random $3 charge triggered the alert and not the 4 xbox live accounts.

[kymberlyjean]

A little off-topic, but had to share.

Whenever I had to show an ID while I was en femme but before I'd had proper ID issued, I'd just hand over my cards with my sad male photo and all and just say, "It's a long story."



Before I got my secondary ID with the femme picture, I would hand over my male DL and say "Yeah, I've changed my hairstyle since I had this picture made"
Usually good for a chuckle and a "thank you very much"

Kim

[Vickie_CDTV]

It is splitting hairs, but they are not really protecting us so much as they are protecting themselves. In the US a credit card holder is only liable for the first $50 of unauthorized transactions, and they are on the hook for the rest. Not that I blame them, if I were them I would be as vigilant as possible too. While in theory a card issuer could, if everyone working behind the scenes went stark raving insane (and ignored the risk of bad publicity and possible lawsuits), decide to try to identify trannies by their spending habits. While I certainly don't think it is beyond the big banks' scruples to do such a terrible thing to folks, the risk they face versus any possible gain make it far more likely they are just looking for fraud to protect their own bottom line.

[GMCD]

Hi, I immediately thought about this thread when I saw this article come up in my morning news feed: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/06/06/credit-scoring-company-discriminating-against-trans-clients/

[BillieJoEllen]

Years ago my wife and I made a trip out east and on the way home we stopped for gas in Ohio. Went to pay for the gas with my credit card and was denied. I never used this card all that much up until our trip. As it turned out the next time we needed gas we had to use our remaining cash. We had just enough gas to make it back home. When I called the credit card company to complain they explained to me that an unusual spending pattern was shown in purchases. I've often wondered why no one could figure out that gas was being purchased in different cities in different states and that after a week the purchases were being duplicated in reverse. I guess they weren't very good at American geography.

[sometimes_miss]

One of my credit card companies will call me if I have a large transaction. To save confusion, I usually call them ahead of time when planning a large business purchase. They will enter a note into their database and there is never any problem. Check with your bank before you travel overseas and use a debit/credit card. My debit card is not authorized for use in several countries due to the high occurrences of fraud. I am very happy that banks and credit card companies take measures to protect me. Babette

+1. When shopping for female stuff, I just say it's for my wife. Doesn't work with the size 16 shoes, though.

[Stephanie47]

I've never had a credit card charge blocked at a woman's clothing store. Maybe it's because my wife and I use the same credit cards. Credit card companies are on the hook for fraudulent charges, so I expect them to make reasonable inquiries. Whenever one of us takes a trip I always notify the credit card company that charges will appear from the city we will be visiting.

It irks the crap out of me that Target and many other retailers do not even ask to see the credit card you are using to verify that it belongs to you. The crooks know how many transactions can be made before a computer system will block the transaction and ask for identification. Yes, thieves will make a minor purchase to verify the credit card has not been cancelled.

One of the drawbacks of using a credit card at a woman's store is ending up on a mailing list and getting mailings from stores a wife never buys at. I used to get coupons from Victoria Secret for a free pair of panties in my name because my daughter used my card as an authorized user while in college. My wife used those coupons- RATS!

[Emily Ann Brown]

I never use my card for stuff that small.

And I am blessed...the GUY I live with got me my own card on HIS account, so my name is on the card. WINK. Somebody explain that to the blondes you didn't get it.

Em

[Darlene-VA]

One night I went shopping at CVS to pick up some things around 8 pm and I loaded up the little carry basket and waited in line behind a few people and they rang up my purchases and had to ask for my ID since I had a bottle of wine. Of course I took this as a nice gesture being 54 it is not that often that I am carded anymore. After that I swiped my Mastercard and the whole system went down and I did not have enough cash to buy all the things I had. At that point the cashier called the manager to the front and he said he would go to the back office to see if it was approved before everything crashed. Well he came back up front and said Miss it was approved and I just can't print out a receipt for you at this time and so sorry for any inconvinence and if that is ok with you if you come back tomorrow I will print out a receipt and it will be waiting for you to pick up. The could not of have been any nicer and by the time it was fixed I had 6 people lined up behind this very happy Miss. So there are times when you just want to make a quick trip in and out and it can take a while!