What Do People Think of Verified by Visa?

[UpperNwGuy]

I had my first experience with Verified by Visa today, and I didn't enjoy it.  I'm going to Europe next month.  I tried to use my CSR online to buy a ticket to a European tourist attraction, and the charge would not go through.  I called Chase and talked to a customer service rep who then transferred me to a Verified by Visa rep.  The second rep insisted on verifying my identity by texting a numeric code to my cell phone.  Once he was satisfied, he said to try again with the online ticket purchase.  Meanwhile, the online site had timed out, and I had to go back to the beginning of the ticket selection and purchase process and re-enter all the data.  This time the charge went through.  The call was over 15 minutes long -- all to verify an $18 charge!  I asked if I would have to repeat this laborious process each time I procure train tickets, tours, and admissions over the next few weeks, and he said he could extend my verification for 72 hours, and not a minute more!  What???  Now I'm worried that I will be running up huge international cell phone charges in Europe as I try to use the card for hotels and restaurants over the course of a three week trip.  What have your experiences been?

[DantGwyrdd]

Might be the Chase implementation, never really had an issue with Capital One other than a text + email asking me to confirm that it's not fraud on occasion.

[UncleB]

If it's the same 'Verified by Visa' used for online purchases you're not likely to run into issues while traveling, at least not with the 'Verified by Visa' people (assuming you're not ordering things online while traveling, of course). 

I've personally never registered with it for this very reason; since I'm not responsible for fraud anyway I would prefer to keep my online ordering process as simple as possible.  In the event of any fraud I will simply let my issuer deal with it.

[iced]

I find some countries tend to be more srutinized than others - Mexico and China have been the two where I have to verify the most, and even then the numbers were small (1 to 3 times per week). I always went with the data/text message to verify I placed the charge and things go right through.

It's a bit late for this trip, but I recommend you always, always, always have an international phone and data plan when going abroad. The ability to quickly respond to messages, check maps, buy tickets online or even make restaurant reservations quickly and easily cannot be understated. On more than one occasion I have got to an attraction, found a long line for tickets, and just bought them online and cut the line right then and there.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@UncleB wrote:

If it's the same 'Verified by Visa' used for online purchases you're not likely to run into issues while traveling, at least not with the 'Verified by Visa' people (assuming you're not ordering things online while traveling, of course). 

I've personally never registered with it for this very reason; since I'm not responsible for fraud anyway I would prefer to keep my online ordering process as simple as possible.  In the event of any fraud I will simply let my issuer deal with it.

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Just to clarify, I have not registered with Verified by Visa.  In this case, the merchant, Ticketmaster España, requested that my identity be verified through Verify by Visa before they would accept my card.  Perhaps if I had registered with Visa, I would not have had to undergo Chase's tedious process.  I looked around the Chase website afterwards and did not see anyplace to register, so they may prefer to handle their own verifications.  I asked the phone rep if he was employed by Chase or by Visa, and he said Chase.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@iced wrote:

I find some countries tend to be more srutinized than others - Mexico and China have been the two where I have to verify the most, and even then the numbers were small (1 to 3 times per week). I always went with the data/text message to verify I placed the charge and things go right through.

It's a bit late for this trip, but I recommend you always, always, always have an international phone and data plan when going abroad. The ability to quickly respond to messages, check maps, buy tickets online or even make restaurant reservations quickly and easily cannot be understated. On more than one occasion I have got to an attraction, found a long line for tickets, and just bought them online and cut the line right then and there.

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I have made approximately 30 overseas trips in the last decade, some for work and others for pleasure, so I have my act together.  I "always always always have an international phone and data plan when going abroad," but I purchase the low end plan, as I find I can manage my data usage so that most of it goes through the free wifi in my hotels rather than through the cellular network as international roaming.  I research tourist attractions, buy tickets, and make reservations online in my hotel room in the late evening or early morning. Most of my cellular data usage comes from using Google Maps when I get lost.  I almost never make phone calls while traveling, and I don't want to have to make them now to convince Chase that I am really me every time I use my CSR.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@DantGwyrdd wrote:

Might be the Chase implementation, never really had an issue with Capital One other than a text + email asking me to confirm that it's not fraud on occasion.

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Chase used to do what you describe Capital One as doing.  Now, however, Verified by Visa, a program of Visa International, appears to have forced a change.

[iced]

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:

I have made approximately 30 overseas trips in the last decade, some for work and others for pleasure, so I have my act together.  I "always always always have an international phone and data plan when going abroad," but I purchase the low end plan, as I find I can manage my data usage so that most of it goes through the free wifi in my hotels rather than through the cellular network as international roaming.  I research tourist attractions, buy tickets, and make reservations online in my hotel room in the late evening or early morning. Most of my cellular data usage comes from using Google Maps when I get lost.  I almost never make phone calls while traveling, and I don't want to have to make them now to convince Chase that I am really me every time I use my CSR.

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You don't have to make phone calls to convince Chase. They'll send a text message for alerts and fraud notifications to approve transactions if/when they get flagged. It's as simple as typing a response (1 for yes,2 for no) and you're on your way. Even with a bare-bones international plan you'll spend less than a minute and pay less than $1 in roaming fees for such a transaction.

I had a total of 0 swipes get flagged as requiring verification in Spain earlier this year. If Ticketmaster initiated a verification through Visa, that's something with their system, not Chase's.

[UpperNwGuy]

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@iced wrote:

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@UpperNwGuy wrote:

I have made approximately 30 overseas trips in the last decade, some for work and others for pleasure, so I have my act together.  I "always always always have an international phone and data plan when going abroad," but I purchase the low end plan, as I find I can manage my data usage so that most of it goes through the free wifi in my hotels rather than through the cellular network as international roaming.  I research tourist attractions, buy tickets, and make reservations online in my hotel room in the late evening or early morning. Most of my cellular data usage comes from using Google Maps when I get lost.  I almost never make phone calls while traveling, and I don't want to have to make them now to convince Chase that I am really me every time I use my CSR.

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You don't have to make phone calls to convince Chase. They'll send a text message for alerts and fraud notifications to approve transactions if/when they get flagged. It's as simple as typing a response (1 for yes,2 for no) and you're on your way. Even with a bare-bones international plan you'll spend less than a minute and pay less than $1 in roaming fees for such a transaction.

I had a total of 0 swipes get flagged as requiring verification in Spain earlier this year. If Ticketmaster initiated a verification through Visa, that's something with their system, not Chase's.

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Yes, the text messaging system you describe has been used by Chase for several years.  This is new and different.  They even said as much during my call with them today.

A second merchant, the Spanish national railroad, just now used Verify by Visa as part of the approval for my purchase of a train ticket.  In this case, it sailed through because I am within Chase's 72 hour window.