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Freezing of bank accounts

2222

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:14

Is there anyway to know if your bank account has been frozen? Will the bank inform you or will it suddenly not work?

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Sticky Wicket36659

1511

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 22:49

I dont use a UAE card for internet, but can I ask if anyone is asked to verify by visa or mastercard, like they do in the uk. I always use my UK debit visa to book flights etc, and my bank always has me verify, its good safety cushion. Not with my UAE CC but certainly with my UK cards i have to.

2725

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 21:56

I dont use a UAE card for internet, but can I ask if anyone is asked to verify by visa or mastercard, like they do in the uk. I always use my UK debit visa to book flights etc, and my bank always has me verify, its good safety cushion.

edna.welthorpe36638

516

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 21:50

And your bank is familiar with your buying patterns? If they suspect that there may be some hanky panky going on they may well freeze the account. You haven't had a problem, great! Surely the point is, there is NO blanket problem with buying stuff direct from the UK or USA using a UAE credit card, despite what you said in your earlier post. People do it all the time. We buy using Shop & Ship too, which means we're giving a UAE billing address and a USA or UK shipping address. Again, never once had a problem. Sure, problems do sometimes occur, but it's not a given, and when it does it's usually not the banks or credit card companies, it's the retailers who have an issue. *Some* online retailers insist that they will only ship to the credit card billing address, and of course some US retailers refuse to accept non-US credit cards, but that's their own business decision.

2937

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 20:54

Yes, I've had that too. I've tried to order something online and have it delivered to my mum's in the UK, and because the billing address is different to the delivery address they won't do it. I've also had transactions refused because my billing address is in the UAE, and not the UK or the US where I've been trying to order from. It has worked sometimes, though. I guess each retailer has their own policy, maybe?

5499

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 20:34

I've had my card stopped recently, and rightly so - it was for a (small) transaction that was not mine. When I've been issued with a new card I've had a few calls from the bank to verify transactions. Some websites won't process an order where the two addresses don't match.

2937

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 20:30

My card was cloned a few years back and to give them their dues, Mashreq were on the phone to me at 4am checking if it was me using the card in NYC. I was tucked up in bed in Dubai so they stopped the card straight away and refunded the amounts the guy managed to charge.

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 20:19

And your bank is familiar with your buying patterns? If they suspect that there may be some hanky panky going on they may well freeze the account. You haven't had a problem, great! Would you rather they freeze when they suspect a problem or let it go? In UAE, you're held responsible for all suspect transacations (legally) usually.

5499

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 19:25

Buying goods in the UK or US and having them delivered to Shop & Ship means that items are delivered to a UK/US address with a UAE billing address. I've just used my UAE credit card to have Amazon send stuff to my Mum's address in the UK.

2222

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 19:08

Your billing addresses match where the goods are being shipped. In many instances (not all - I know) if the goods are not being shipped to the billing address, the goods won't be shipped either. That's not true - i have order things from the UK that has been delivered to my home address (courier) and credit Card is billed to my PO Box.

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 19:06

Think about it - MasterCard and Visa are entities that are attached to banks but they are not banks. HSBC Visa is not necessarily the same as HSBC nor is it the same as ADCB Visa - they are separate entities - read the fine print on your credit card paperwork. Your billing addresses match where the goods are being shipped. In many instances (not all - I know) if the goods are not being shipped to the billing address, the goods won't be shipped either.

edna.welthorpe36638

516

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 18:57

is the billing address also UK? No, we use our UAE credit card with UAE billing address to buy stuff online from the UK and USA all the time. Never once had it refused.

CanadianInDXB420

409

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 18:36

Not that i know of, but as am visa less it's a real possibility and now don't know whether to use or not...They froze mine when my company told the bank I had resigned and did not give me prior notice - I had a healthy balance, no debt/loans and a credit card that always has a zero balance yet they froze everything anyway at the inopportune time of trying to pay for a hotel in Fujairah. It took one pair of mighty lungs to get it activated again.

1257

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 18:28

is the billing address also UK? Credit card companies (and they are usually separate from banks) look askance on a credit card being used in say UAE and the billing address is also in UAE. A great many people have credit cards issued by the bank where they also hold personal and chequing accounts. Not sure where you get the information that credit card companies are 'usually separate from banks'. Certainly, a company like American Express -- whose main credit offerings are in the form of 'charge' cards, not credit cards -- is one example, and there are many store credit cards available [such as M&S and the like'> but equally, loads of banks offer credit cards, even if they are monitored by separate departments. As for the UAE credit card/UAE address issue ... the only problem I've had is in having things delivered to the UAE. I've never had a problem using my card [with a UAE address'> if I use my Aramex address in US or UK [and you'd think that would be more of a problem!'>. :D

spongemonkey980

4329

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 18:14

Yes the visa cancellation is a problem or the visa running out, when we renewed our visas this year we had to take copies to the bank so our accounts were not frozen, this is for everyone with HSBC, they even text you to tell you your RV is running out!! Get your cash out asap Izzy. This has never happened to us.

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 17:30

is the billing address also UK? Credit card companies (and they are usually separate from banks) look askance on a credit card being used in say UAE and the billing address is also in UAE.

edna.welthorpe36638

516

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:57

It is one of the primary reasons why you can't buy direct from US or UK suppliers How do you mean? We buy stuff online from the UK and USA using our UAE credit card all the time.

Sticky Wicket36659

1511

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:31

Yes the visa cancellation is a problem or the visa running out, when we renewed our visas this year we had to take copies to the bank so our accounts were not frozen, this is for everyone with HSBC, they even text you to tell you your RV is running out!! Get your cash out asap Izzy.

2222

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:29

Not that i know of, but as am visa less it's a real possibility and now don't know whether to use or not...

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:29

Banks can and do freeze bank accounts (and more often credit cards) without notice. Credit cards are often frozen if activity is recorded that is "unusual" - i.e. the credit card is being used in a country that has problems with fraud activity but the credit card holder has never used the card there before. It is one of the primary reasons why you can't buy direct from US or UK suppliers - fraudulent use of credit card numbers here and in Asia in general makes them careful.

Sticky Wicket36659

1511

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:26

Oh dear Izzy, hope your accounts have not been frozen.

2937

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:16

Mine was frozen a few years ago when I left a job and it worked one day then not the next. Helpfully I was in the UK when I discovered it didn't work.

Sticky Wicket36659

1511

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:14

Not work.

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