Overheard a guy in a Medellin cafe talk about his bank account getting locked

He was on a video call, really stressed, saying his main bank back home froze everything because of 'suspicious international activity'. He hadn't told them he was traveling for 6 months. It took him over two weeks and multiple notarized documents to get it sorted. I always just used my normal cards. Now I'm calling my bank tomorrow to set a travel notice. Has anyone had a backup plan for this that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_barnes4822d ago

Man, that's the worst. It feels like we're all just one weird charge away from our own banks turning on us. I've seen this happen to friends, and it's never just a quick phone call fix. The system is so jumpy now that buying a coffee abroad can look like fraud. My backup is having a second account at a totally different bank with a bit of cash in it, and I carry a tiny bit of old-fashioned cash too. It's a pain to set up, but it saves you from being totally stranded.

iris_mason8822d ago

My card got frozen last year buying gas in Toledo... took three days to sort out.

stella3071d ago

Ever think about how this makes people scared to travel? Like, you plan a trip but then worry your card will freeze at the worst time, so maybe you just don't go. It's not just about the cash backup, it's about the stress changing what we do.