Financial institutions just do not trust Neo. xD

[jellysundae]

I've just bought some more NC. Previously I've used my debit card, but then I get a phone call from a robot making me jump through multiple hoops to prove no-one's stolen my bank card. So I thought I'd use my credit card this time instead. Turns out they too are distrustful because I got a fraud prevention text that I had to answer Y or N to if I had actually just made that purchase. I think I'll stick with the credit card in future though as it was just that simple question, rather than multiple choice options about the year I was born and various other things that the bank robot asks. Also, gotta use my credit card to keep my credit score healthy, haven't I!

I wonder what it is about Neo that triggers the fraud prevention protocols, is it because it's a game site?

[Undead]

I haven't gotten that before, I gotten it on a non-related game site. Which bank do you have? if you want to answer.

[jellysundae]

I bank with the Halifax, and it's a Capital One credit card. See I'm in the UK so the bank's not going to mean anything to you, I wonder if it could be because it's an overseas site I'm giving money to?

[phill]

I've never bought any NC but I've had my card stopped twice when I've bought multiple books for my ereader and I'm like, can you not!  Complete hassle to get a new card when all I'm doing is getting a few books. I daren't buy more than one book now, lol. 

I just know it would be the same if I bought NC!

 

eta

"I wonder if it could be because it's an overseas site I'm giving money to?"

Could be but if so that's daft, people buy things from all over the world nowadays with the click of a button, it's not unusual.

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by phill
added

[jellysundae]

38 minutes ago, phill said:

"I wonder if it could be because it's an overseas site I'm giving money to?"

Could be but if so that's daft, people buy things from all over the world nowadays with the click of a button, it's not unusual.

Yeah that's what I thought, but it's a sad fact that a lot of security protocols are a bit 18th century in their thinking despite being about digital online purchases, lol.

[kayahtik]

I've had that happen once before. And it wasn't a bank robot, it was a bank person. I think it must have been because I bought NC several times on the same day, so it may have looked like the site was charging me multiple times for one transaction. I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed admitting that I'd spent all that money on neopets.com.... 

Since then, I've started using Paypal for all my Neopets purchases. It's a lot simpler anyway, and the bank trusts Paypal a lot more. But idk if you can use it in the UK...?

[jellysundae]

38 minutes ago, kayahtik said:

I've had that happen once before. And it wasn't a bank robot, it was a bank person. I think it must have been because I bought NC several times on the same day, so it may have looked like the site was charging me multiple times for one transaction. I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed admitting that I'd spent all that money on neopets.com.... 

Since then, I've started using Paypal for all my Neopets purchases. It's a lot simpler anyway, and the bank trusts Paypal a lot more. But idk if you can use it in the UK...?

I have a Paypal account, but I've not used it in years, it has about £1.50 in it xD. I'd have to transfer money into it to be able to use it for Neo so it's more faff than I'm willing to bother with, lol.

It's a shame that as adults we tend to feel embarrassed about the games we play, isn't it. I wish that the species as a whole could shed the mindset that playing is for children only, grown ups are allowed to have fun too!

[kayahtik]

54 minutes ago, jellysundae said:

I have a Paypal account, but I've not used it in years, it has about £1.50 in it xD. I'd have to transfer money into it to be able to use it for Neo so it's more faff than I'm willing to bother with, lol.

For future reference (assuming it works the same in UK as in US) you can link Paypal directly to a debit/credit card or checking account! So you don't have to transfer to Paypal and then pay, it all just goes automatically ^^ I've done this for years and never had any problems with security or anything like that. Highly recommend it! 

[Nielo]

54 minutes ago, kayahtik said:

For future reference (assuming it works the same in UK as in US) you can link Paypal directly to a debit/credit card or checking account! So you don't have to transfer to Paypal and then pay, it all just goes automatically ^^ I've done this for years and never had any problems with security or anything like that. Highly recommend it! 

I'm assuming Paypal works the same everywhere - at least that's how it works in Holland as well.

[Kute]

Maybe it triggered a purchase from California since thats where Neopets lives. But thats kind of weird considering its online. 

[rntracy1]

7 hours ago, jellysundae said:

I bank with the Halifax, and it's a Capital One credit card. See I'm in the UK so the bank's not going to mean anything to you, I wonder if it could be because it's an overseas site I'm giving money to?

I think that's EXACTLY the issue J.  I had someone actually use my debit card fraudulently, to buy things in the UK.  Since I never buy things overseas, they flagged my account and notified me.  I was able to get my money back, but to me, that wasn't good enough.  For one, I felt violated.  Yes, I know it wasn't an attack on me personally, to them it was just a number that they used, but the bank told me that they would investigate and let me know the results.  I never found out if they found out who used the card, but since they had items delivered, I don't see how they couldn't find out. My problem is, while I did get my money back, the people still got their items and that bothers me. 

I know it can be bothersome to have to go through all that, to use YOUR OWN card.  lol.  I mean after all, the fraud people don't have to go through it. . But it is for your own protection.  Mine actually was fraud, so I was very happy to go through it.

[lakecat]

I haven't paid for NC yet. I sometimes make online purchases with a CC. I have also used gift cards online a few times. You may want to try that. Buy one or two from a local store and keep track of how much you have used from them. 

[jellysundae]

12 hours ago, lakecat said:

I haven't paid for NC yet. I sometimes make online purchases with a CC. I have also used gift cards online a few times. You may want to try that. Buy one or two from a local store and keep track of how much you have used from them. 

Neo giftcards aren't sold anywhere near here, as far as I know. I'm pretty sure there'd be hardly anywhere that sells them these days apart from maybe a few big stores in big cities. In the Mall that "redeem cards" bit on the side used to show UK stores - Sainburys which is a supermarket near me, Game, and Toys R Us which I know is US too but the UK stores all closed recently -  Though that's putting the cart WAY before the horse, because I can't physically get to anywhere where they might be sold, lol. I barely set foot outside so buying online is the only sensible option for me really.

[Nielo]

34 minutes ago, jellysundae said:

Neo giftcards aren't sold anywhere near here, as far as I know. I'm pretty sure there'd be hardly anywhere that sells them these days apart from maybe a few big stores in big cities. In the Mall that "redeem cards" bit on the side used to show UK stores - Sainburys which is a supermarket near me, Game, and Toys R Us which I know is US too but the UK stores all closed recently -  Though that's putting the cart WAY before the horse, because I can't physically get to anywhere where they might be sold, lol. I barely set foot outside so buying online is the only sensible option for me really.

I always assumed gift cards (much like Neo merchandise) were only ever sold in the US, but I guess maybe some things make it as far as the UK, just not as far as Holland.

[jellysundae]

29 minutes ago, Nielo said:

I always assumed gift cards (much like Neo merchandise) were only ever sold in the US, but I guess maybe some things make it as far as the UK, just not as far as Holland.

I can't remember ever seeing Neopets cards anywhere, I DO remember seeing Gaia Online ones, so I think I'd have noticed Neo ones too. But being a pretty provincial area it doesn't surprise me at all if they never reached this area.

[Undead]

What I would suggest is doing pay pal. I use a wellsfargo bank. 

[lakecat]

I wasn't even thinking about Neopets gift cards. I meant $50 or $100 gift cards that are from credit card companies such as VISA and others that are sold in grocery and other retail stores. Then input the numbers as you would a regular credit card. 

[Nielo]

3 minutes ago, lakecat said:

I wasn't even thinking about Neopets gift cards. I meant $50 or $100 gift cards that are from credit card companies such as VISA and others that are sold in grocery and other retail stores. Then input the numbers as you would a regular credit card. 

Huh, I'd never even heard of those. I just googled them, and apparently they do exist in Holland, but a quick search only turned up one store that sells them. I'm not sure what it's like in the UK, but credit cards aren't that common a form of payment in Holland, which is probably why these kinds of gift cards aren't readily available in our grocery stores. (We mainly use credit cards for booking hotels and flights, maybe to pay for a meal in a fancy restaurant, but not much else.) But perhaps the UK is more like the US in this respect, @jellysundae?

[lakecat]

14 minutes ago, Nielo said:

Huh, I'd never even heard of those. I just googled them, and apparently they do exist in Holland, but a quick search only turned up one store that sells them. I'm not sure what it's like in the UK, but credit cards aren't that common a form of payment in Holland, which is probably why these kinds of gift cards aren't readily available in our grocery stores. (We mainly use credit cards for booking hotels and flights, maybe to pay for a meal in a fancy restaurant, but not much else.) But perhaps the UK is more like the US in this respect, @jellysundae?

That's fascinating to me. I'm curious to hear from JS about the UK for comparison. Here in the U.S. we use credit cards for groceries (and pumping gas) and every other retail purchase if the amount is more than the cash we have in our wallets, and sometimes even if we have plenty of cash on hand. There are other reasons such as getting money back for a defective product. The companies also give points for usage over time which can be redeemed later. As for gift cards, they are often on display either in the check out lanes or in special displays. They are also frequently given as an alternative to buying an actual present for someone, hence the name "gift" cards, and the image of a wrapped box on them.  Using one won't raise red flags with one's regular credit card company because it's a completely separate thing, even if you have a CC from the same company that issues the gift card. For online purchases, think of it like a wallet of e-cash. 

[jellysundae]

Credit cards are used for everything over here, too, though some places have only relatively recently started accepting them. Aldi never used to when I was still able to get out and do my shopping myself. Which meant that I couldn't use my Paypal card there either because it's classed as a credit card because it's Mastercard, despite the fact that it's actually a debit card. As I was paid via Paypal at the time that was a pest!

I think I've heard of the cards Jim's talking about though. They make sense as the recipient's not limited in any way with what they can buy with it, much better than gift cards in that respect. A lot of gift cards cover a wide range of stores now, but a pre-filled cash gift card, well . . . it's the modern version of giving someone cash, isn't it.

[Nielo]

10 minutes ago, lakecat said:

That's fascinating to me. I'm curious to hear from JS about the UK for comparison. Here in the U.S. we use credit cards for groceries (and pumping gas) and every other retail purchase if the amount is more than the cash we have in our wallets, and sometimes even if we have plenty of cash on hand. There are other reasons such as getting money back for a defective product. The companies also give points for usage over time which can be redeemed later. As for gift cards, they are often on display either in the check out lanes or in special displays. They are also frequently given as an alternative to buying an actual present for someone, hence the name "gift" cards, and the image of a wrapped box on them.  Using one won't raise red flags with one's regular credit card company because it's a completely separate thing, even if you have a CC from the same company that issues the gift card. For online purchases, think of it like a wallet of e-cash. 

Yeah, I travelled through the US when I was 21, and while I knew you guys use credit cards a lot, I was still surprised to see the teenagers in front of me pay for their lunch with them. When I applied for one (for the sole reason of needing it in the US), I was told I could get one on the small amount I was making while working in a movie theater, only to be informed later that I couldn't get one. So I had to get one through my mom's account. XD

(We mostly use debit cards (and cash) in Holland.)

@jellysundae Interesting! Maybe Aldi didn't accept them because they're a German chain, and in my experience, credit cards aren't really used that much over there either (but I could be wrong, so if there are any German TDN'ers who could correct me, that'd be nice).

[lakecat]

10 minutes ago, Nielo said:

...(We mostly use debit cards (and cash) in Holland.)

@jellysundae Interesting! Maybe Aldi didn't accept them because they're a German chain, and in my experience, credit cards aren't really used that much over there either (but I could be wrong, so if there are any German TDN'ers who could correct me, that'd be nice).

Many people have debit cards here too, usually issued from our banks. I have both debit and credit cards and use them at different times. I should have made that clearer. I think a gift card may actually be more like a debit card, in that it is limited in how much you can use it for (the amount you paid, such as $50).  

BTW, we have ALDI stores here too. I shop there sometimes. And use a credit card. 

[Nielo]

2 minutes ago, lakecat said:

Many people have debit cards here too, usually issued from our banks. I have both debit and credit cards and use them at different times. I should have made that clearer. I think a gift card may actually be more like a debit card, in that it is limited in how much you can use it for (the amount you paid, such as $50).  

BTW, we have ALDI'S stores here too. I shop there sometimes. And use a credit card. 

My credit card (the one linked to my mom's account) is actually issued through our bank as well. I do remember getting some Visa advertisements in the mail though, but that always seems weird to me, just randomly getting a card from somewhere that isn't a bank. XD

Perhaps they realised that not accepting credit cards in the US would be really bad for business.

[jellysundae]

Nielo I wouldn't be surprised at all if Aldi didn't accept credit cards because they're a German company. I didn't bother with one for years, I just had a debit card and if I didn't have the money for something then I didn't get it, simple. I got one through my bank because I needed one to pay for my internet. AOL (urgh!) didn't have a direct debit payment option (seriously, wut?!) so I had to get a credit card. Once I wised up and switched providers I cancelled the credit card because I had no need for it.

But these days, because of credit scores, you HAVE to have credit, don't you. :^/ So I got another card and I try to remember to use it, lol. As someone who's unable to work and subsists on benefits my credit score's pretty great, which shocked me a lot, I was honestly expecting it to be zero or something, lol.  Mainly because I didn't know how they worked, but it seems my only negative is the credit limit on my card is low but considering my "income" there's not much I can do about that!

[Nielo]

19 hours ago, jellysundae said:

Nielo I wouldn't be surprised at all if Aldi didn't accept credit cards because they're a German company. I didn't bother with one for years, I just had a debit card and if I didn't have the money for something then I didn't get it, simple. I got one through my bank because I needed one to pay for my internet. AOL (urgh!) didn't have a direct debit payment option (seriously, wut?!) so I had to get a credit card. Once I wised up and switched providers I cancelled the credit card because I had no need for it.

But these days, because of credit scores, you HAVE to have credit, don't you. :^/ So I got another card and I try to remember to use it, lol. As someone who's unable to work and subsists on benefits my credit score's pretty great, which shocked me a lot, I was honestly expecting it to be zero or something, lol.  Mainly because I didn't know how they worked, but it seems my only negative is the credit limit on my card is low but considering my "income" there's not much I can do about that!

The whole reason I'm wary of credit cards is the whole 'spending money you don't have' kind of thing. I'm sticking to debit cards. (I think you're the first non-American I've heard mention credit scores. Have they suddenly become more important in the UK? I've never heard anyone here mention them.)