"Clumsy Security Ruins Card"
Harvard Alumni World MasterCard® Review
Written by: vard on 2008-10-28
Overall Satisfaction
Customer Service
Rewards
Account Management
Delivery Time
vard's review: 
The clumsy, irritating security measures of the card issuer, which are years behind Bank of America and decades behind Amex, make the card embarassing to use.
This card, issued by the Juniper Bank subsidiary of Barclay's, is marketed to people who do a lot of foreign travel, whether for business or pleasure. The selling point of this card is that it does not charge an extra fee, beyond foreign exchange conversions, on charges made in currency other than US dollars. These fees can easily reach hundreds of dollars on an overseas business trip.
The problem is that this card suddenly denies authorization, without warning to customers who have a perfect payment record, a credit limit much larger that of the charged amount, and who have never reported or been victimized by credit card fraud. One has to call the issuer's card security section (which only works 8-4 M-F, not 24x7x365), often by staying up until 3AM local time overseas, to have the hold lifted. Then, when security assures the customer that the hold is lifted, the card is denied again the next day.
Amex deals with this by taking into account whether the country is Russia, Afghanistan or other high-fraud region or not, if the charge is not for 100 sets of DVD players, etc. Amex allows the transaction. Bank of America sends the customer an email, "a charge of X was recorded on your card, if this is a problem, contact us." The morons at Barclays/Juniper Bank cut off the customer's credit just as the customer is trying to pay for a major business dinner, jeopardizing the customer's credibility.
This just goes to show that in racing to the bottom of customer service in an effort to cut expenses, American credit card issuers have forgotten how to deliver acceptable, let alone superior, customer service.
Explaining the problem to the issuer's Customer Service people is a waste of time. Whether they are pleasant and powerless, or surly and powerless, it is clear that the issuer's response to security is to make the card impossible to use, thereby preventing fraud.
It also prevents use by legitimate customers.
The other terms of this card, like the APR, are middle-of-the road.
The rewards offered are less attractive than other cards. It takes more charge dollars to obtain any reward, nearly double what it takes with Bank of America, and the merchadise cards available are for small amounts with unattractive merchants.
The payment due date varies. This is a typical tactic by the credit card industry to confuse consumers. Why the America public stands for this kind of shell game is beyond me. I mean, would anybody allow the payment date of their mortgage to shift around every month, with huge penalties if one did not pay on time?
Online account management is satisfactory. The site loads quickly, has been debugged properly, and does not require Javascript or the latest Microsoft browser. In contrast, Bank of America's online site is a useless, defective mess.
Until the card issuer develops more sophisticated security, the card sits in my back drawer.
The clumsy, irritating security measures of the card issuer, which are years behind Bank of America and decades behind Amex, make the card embarassing to use.This card, issued by the Juniper Bank subsidiary of Barclay's, is marketed to people who do a lot of foreign travel, whether for business or pleasure. The selling point of this card is that it does not charge an extra fee, beyond foreign exchange conversions, on charges made in currency other than US dollars. These fees can easily reach hundreds of dollars on an overseas business trip.
The problem is that this card suddenly denies authorization, without warning to customers who have a perfect payment record, a credit limit much larger that of the charged amount, and who have never reported or been victimized by credit card fraud. One has to call the issuer's card security section (which only works 8-4 M-F, not 24x7x365), often by staying up until 3AM local time overseas, to have the hold lifted. Then, when security assures the customer that the hold is lifted, the card is denied again the next day.
Amex deals with this by taking into account whether the country is Russia, Afghanistan or other high-fraud region or not, if the charge is not for 100 sets of DVD players, etc. Amex allows the transaction. Bank of America sends the customer an email, "a charge of X was recorded on your card, if this is a problem, contact us." The morons at Barclays/Juniper Bank cut off the customer's credit just as the customer is trying to pay for a major business dinner, jeopardizing the customer's credibility.
This just goes to show that in racing to the bottom of customer service in an effort to cut expenses, American credit card issuers have forgotten how to deliver acceptable, let alone superior, customer service.
Explaining the problem to the issuer's Customer Service people is a waste of time. Whether they are pleasant and powerless, or surly and powerless, it is clear that the issuer's response to security is to make the card impossible to use, thereby preventing fraud.
It also prevents use by legitimate customers.
The other terms of this card, like the APR, are middle-of-the road.
The rewards offered are less attractive than other cards. It takes more charge dollars to obtain any reward, nearly double what it takes with Bank of America, and the merchadise cards available are for small amounts with unattractive merchants.
The payment due date varies. This is a typical tactic by the credit card industry to confuse consumers. Why the America public stands for this kind of shell game is beyond me. I mean, would anybody allow the payment date of their mortgage to shift around every month, with huge penalties if one did not pay on time?
Online account management is satisfactory. The site loads quickly, has been debugged properly, and does not require Javascript or the latest Microsoft browser. In contrast, Bank of America's online site is a useless, defective mess.
Until the card issuer develops more sophisticated security, the card sits in my back drawer.
6 Comments
Comment 1 by wildrage2
I Agree 
on 2008-10-28
I hate when card companies do tihs... Even for small charges. I've experienced it with MBNA (now BoA), Capital One, and Chase.
I work in Manhatten, and I once bought 2 Metro cards for the subway (1 for me, one for my fiance). The total cost was approximately $14. My card was abruptly 'turned off,' and only worked after I contacted customer service.
This has also happened other times with other cards, all with relatively low charges. Most of the time is has occurred when I had multiple charges for the same company.
Why can't they just call me
on 2008-10-28 I hate when card companies do tihs... Even for small charges. I've experienced it with MBNA (now BoA), Capital One, and Chase.I work in Manhatten, and I once bought 2 Metro cards for the subway (1 for me, one for my fiance). The total cost was approximately $14. My card was abruptly 'turned off,' and only worked after I contacted customer service.
This has also happened other times with other cards, all with relatively low charges. Most of the time is has occurred when I had multiple charges for the same company.
Why can't they just call me
Comment 2 by colonative
Barclay's on 2008-10-28
Foreign owned bank... I'd get rid of them for that. Or maybe they are just Yale guys.
on 2008-10-28 Foreign owned bank... I'd get rid of them for that. Or maybe they are just Yale guys.
Comment 4 by hjm331
RE: Vard on 2008-10-28
This is how sub-prime banks work, unfortunately. This is a very good review as you commented on all aspects of the card. AMEX cut my limit from $1000 to $500 this past Saturday without any notice whatsoever. I can't believe they had the nerd to do it on a Saturday. Thank goodness I was not out on the town that day/night. I can't imagine how embarrassing it would be to have a credit card declined it front of your friends or someone you're dating.
This is why my AmEx card will never come out of the sockdrawer except for a purchase of a couple dollars every two months or so. I guess it will be experience rude awakenings.
on 2008-10-28 This is how sub-prime banks work, unfortunately. This is a very good review as you commented on all aspects of the card. AMEX cut my limit from $1000 to $500 this past Saturday without any notice whatsoever. I can't believe they had the nerd to do it on a Saturday. Thank goodness I was not out on the town that day/night. I can't imagine how embarrassing it would be to have a credit card declined it front of your friends or someone you're dating.This is why my AmEx card will never come out of the sockdrawer except for a purchase of a couple dollars every two months or so. I guess it will be experience rude awakenings.
Comment 6 by thomas1
Harvard Alumni/Barclay's on 2008-10-31
That's too bad to go through that with an issuer.
I don't know how long you have had this card, or what your scores are like. They must be good in order for your approval for the card.
I would apply with another issuer, and get rid of it!
I simply couldn't use a card that I had to worry about using, or if it would work. It's already getting to the point that we have to check our accounts before using them.
Barclay's is not one of my favorite issuers, and is one of the reasons I dislike HSBC
on 2008-10-31 That's too bad to go through that with an issuer.I don't know how long you have had this card, or what your scores are like. They must be good in order for your approval for the card.
I would apply with another issuer, and get rid of it!
I simply couldn't use a card that I had to worry about using, or if it would work. It's already getting to the point that we have to check our accounts before using them.
Barclay's is not one of my favorite issuers, and is one of the reasons I dislike HSBC
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Disclaimer: This content is not provided by Harvard University Employees Credit Union. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Harvard University Employees Credit Union. Review content is powered by Finance Globe.
