Time for a new bank account

I have a checking account and attached to it is a MasterCard debit card that I use for pretty much everything. It's a simple system that works, or at least it did up to tonight. I took advantage of Amazon UK's offer for cheap bluray Planet Earth and attempted to pay, only to find my card keeps getting denied. That was odd, and needed to be looked into immediately.

A quick check-in at my bank's web site showed a red Must-Read MasterCard News notice, leading to setting up something called SecureCode for online shopping. Oh joy, another hoop to jump through, but it only took a minute to complete. Heading back to Amazon, I tell them to try the card again.

Another notice shows up a few minutes later saying that, no, it isn't working this time either. A little poking around into the rules reveals that this isn't so much a security feature as a restriction on who I can use my card with. If the site doesn't comply with whatever the fuck SecureCode is then it can't be used there. This is mind-bogglingly stupid.

So tomorrow I get to wake up extra-early and head to my bank, which will in turn lead to getting in touch with the higher-ups, all with little to no chance of changing a thing. Then I get to cancel my bank account (at a nice local credit union that I was pretty happy with up to this point) and try to find a place that doesn't actively suck.

Why are all money-handling institutions run by brain-dead assholes?

James

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Originally Posted by James

Why are all money-handling institutions run by brain-dead assholes?

James

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because even more brain-dead assholes keep falling for phishing scams and having their bank accounts emptied, this is just a preventative step against that that not all retailers may have signed on with yet...

edit: especially european retailers, as I'm sure they don't have to have the same standards in accepting MC as american stores do

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James

I have a checking account and attached to it is a MasterCard debit card that I use for pretty much everything. It's a simple system that works, or at least it did up to tonight. I took advantage of Amazon UK's offer for cheap bluray Planet Earth and attempted to pay, only to find my card keeps getting denied. That was odd, and needed to be looked into immediately.

A quick check-in at my bank's web site showed a red Must-Read MasterCard News notice, leading to setting up something called SecureCode for online shopping. Oh joy, another hoop to jump through, but it only took a minute to complete. Heading back to Amazon, I tell them to try the card again.

Another notice shows up a few minutes later saying that, no, it isn't working this time either. A little poking around into the rules reveals that this isn't so much a security feature as a restriction on who I can use my card with. If the site doesn't comply with whatever the fuck SecureCode is then it can't be used there. This is mind-bogglingly stupid.

So tomorrow I get to wake up extra-early and head to my bank, which will in turn lead to getting in touch with the higher-ups, all with little to no chance of changing a thing. Then I get to cancel my bank account (at a nice local credit union that I was pretty happy with up to this point) and try to find a place that doesn't actively suck.

Why are all money-handling institutions run by brain-dead assholes?

James

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I work at a local credit union! Time to spit knowledge!

cka is right, that kind of stuff is put in place from countless retards who answer the phone with "Oh hey, here is my social, pin, and acct number go nuts!". It sucks for those of us who know what social engineering is, but that's the price of the public's ignorance. It's not so much of a Your Bank issue, as it is a Mastercard issue (Who the fuck has heard of a MasterCard Check Card BTW). Any other MC Check Card you get is probably going to hit that same snag.

For instance my institution uses Visa, and through Visa we have "Secured By Visa" sounds like the EXACT thing you're describing. However it's set up by the website to comply, not for the institution.

Case in Point: I ordered something from website X in NA and was prompted for my info for the "Secured By Visa" stuff. Then I ordered my DS Flash card from France and was asked nothing. I did however get a call confirming my foreign purchase.

Do you really want the hassle of setting up any electronic transfers such as automatic payments or direct deposits with a new account / institution over a malfunctioning website and a security feature?

Don't go in there flexing, you're not going to impress anybody.

Using a debit card for online purchases sounds like a bad idea in the first place anyways. Use a credit card and pay it off at the end of the month. Why risk opening up your bank account to teh haxxorz.

It's not just one website. How do XBLA/PSN/Steam purchases work? Is DeepdiscountDVD a member? Amazon wasn't listed as an acceptable vendor, from any country. The odds of Play-Asia being on there sound pretty low. I don't spend hundreds online every month or anything like that, but there are lots of little purchases here and there throughout the year that I'm going to be blocked from if I allow this "feature" to remain intact.

James

It's MASTERCARD.

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Originally Posted by K3V

Using a debit card for online purchases sounds like a bad idea in the first place anyways. Use a credit card and pay it off at the end of the month. Why risk opening up your bank account to teh haxxorz.

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This is one of the reasons I got a credit card, other than emergency peace of mind. Having a normal credit card on hand is a lot simpler than using my debit card, and credit card companies tend to be more forgiving than banks in the event that a fraudulent purchase is made (at least with mine, anyway). If I'm doing online purchases, I pay by credit card, and as soon as I receive my item, poof, pay it off. This is much more friendly for international and Amazon marketplace purchases.

btw I have a Mastercard credit card and this isn't happening to me (yet).

This is why imbeciles should be identified and removed from society as early as possible. People with perfectly capable brains who consistently make choices on par with a disabled person are the ones who bring things like this upon our society.

Support the movement James and get your full purchasing rights returned.

Getting your ID stolen has nothing to do with how smart you are. All it takes is 1 crooked person at one part or another in the money stream.

Hell, there are people inside the ID theft departments for banks and cards that do it. My last room mate's ex wife is one of them. She knows how not to get caught and has 5 layers of fake names to hide the money under. >_> I'd report her if I could think up a way to ask what those names are.


Mastercard is probably doing this to help secure who is getting access to their customers card info. I had my card ID stolen about 5 years ago and I'm pretty sure it was done by an online store selling the information to someone else. This is probably an effort to limit that kind of theft.



This is not a problem I see going away. The people in charge of these institutions don't understand the workings of these systems.

acquire a credit card. debit cards are for people who have bad credit or who are not responsible enough to control their spending or pay their bills.

further, have multiple cards so you have options when one doesn't work. having a lot of available credit does not mean you have to use it.