Twelve percent or 26 million people had either a credit or debit card declined last year in the U.S., according to USA Today. Insufficient funds accounted for just 32 percent of these. The rest were for increasingly common fraud prevention issues. About 30 percent of credit users, along with 16 percent of debit users, reported having their cards declined due to a fraud protection program.
Using a card out of state or country can prompt a decline. Contact your bank before you travel.
Online transactions with debit cards are increasingly blocked if the credit card processor is out of country. If the transaction is essential, the consumer can usually clear the transaction with their bank first.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
