Gotta tell you something that happened yesterday...

[tammie]

I was stunned... didn't know what to say...
Our daughter is still in college and we gave her a credit card with her name on it for "emergencies".  Of course "emergencies" are usually something like being at Starbucks with no cash... Anyways a credit card is a must for renting a car, so we got it for her before she left for DC a couple of years ago.  Today she flew to Seattle to see her boyfriend, and a rental car is needed.  A week ago I made a payment on the card, a few days ago I made another payment, just to be sure she had "enough"    Apparently, if you make more then one payment in a week the Patriot Act kicks in and your funds are not available for 10 business days! Something to do with "money laundring".   Can you beleive that?!  Had I made one "big" payment all would have been okay... but since I made 2, all was messed up!  I literally spent all day yesterday on the phone with rent a car agencies, and the CC company trying to get this worked out so she could have a car!  Couldn't use my card, cuz the car agencies demand that the person picking up the car have a CC in their name... CC company wouldn't release the funds... finally the CC company agreed to a "manual" approval (that's where the car agency call the CC company and verbally gets approval) to the car rental... car agency would not do a "manual" approval... finally, after 8 hours of phone calls back and forth the CC company released enough funds to cover the rental.  Acually had 2 CC supervisors call me! 
But honestly, these weren't huge payments, I'm not that stupid to give a college age daughter  a CC with a huge limit on it!  When the CC company told me what the problem was I really was speachless...
So, moral of the story - only make one payment a week, or you won't have any available balance on your card! 
I'm kind of glad the CC company only released the amount needed for the car rental... now when daughter is out of cash - that's it!  No big CC bill next month!   
Tammie

[Mikey]

That is strange.....and nice information to know...

[MikeW]

I am dating myself - but I used to be given a train ticket for where I was going. Of course that was always traded in for cash, and I would hitch hike around the country. Met some memorable people, and to this day, still some of my most valued memories.

Of course, this was before criminals were encouraged to run rampant, and allowed to prey on the innocent public at large.

Sadly Tammie, there are so many scams going on out there, that CC companies are understandably very cautious.

Cheers,

Mike

[terri]

there are so many scams going on out there, that CC companies are understandably very cautious.


So very true...but, doesnt it always seem like its the honest people that wind up getting inconvienced? The criminals already know how to beat the system...

Well, tammie, at least one thing good came out of it.... No big CC bill next month

But what a hassle, im sure.

[Teresa]

Wow!  That's just amazing.  Who among us would have had a clue about multiple payments on a credit card? 

[Krista]

evidentally we don't have that up here. I have a CC with a low balance for my Stampin' Up business. This month I had two big orders to place both which maxed out the available credit so I had to make 2 payments  within a couple days of each other in order to get both orders through and I didn't have any problem at all.

What a pain for you!

[Johns]

Fortunately for us, our son is even more frugal than we are.  We never had a problem with him overspending throughout his entire college experience.  Even now, at age 35 he maxes his 401-K and until he bought his house he saved more of his paycheck than I ever did.  If he keeps it up, he will retire with more cash than me.

That's pretty good information to know, though, since there are enough things out there that can "blindside" us when we least expect it and when are least able to deal with it.  Thanks for the info.