It is fashionalbe to bash the CCC's for credit line decreases, account denials, bad service, ignorant CSR's, and for generally not being on the ball. That's not my experience, and I had a particularly impressive interaction with Visa today. I have a Visa card issued by my credit union that I've had since mid-1992 and by my detailed records I've pushed $282,000 through this account. I use this card for most of my online transactions including eBay, PayPal settlements, recurring charges for my mini-storage, myFico fees, car insurance, Amazon, and most everything else I buy online from all sorts of e-tailers, which is considerable. Never had any problem until today when I made a purchase for $89.50 online. Upon hitting the button the transaction was DENIED. I know the card account details by memory but for some reason I put the wrong expiration date in. I was starting to reenter the correct information when the phone rings. It was Visa security requesting if I would confirm my ID and answer some questions about my last five transactions. The first one they mention is the $89.50 screw up. I explain what happened with the wrong info. They then ask about my previous four transactions which were all mine. They said they just wanted to confirm that my number wasn't out there in cyber space and they would clear the error and remove any restrictions on the card. I thought that was pretty impressive followup in almost real time to prevent or limit potential fraud on my card. Props to Visa.
