In message , at 17:57:28 on Sun, 26 Feb
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
I did think about trying a different card.

It probably wouldn't have helped, unless the transaction was flagged by
the issuing bank rather than the card processor.

It must be flagged by the bank, because banks are the people you are
supposed to tell when you go abroad. I doubt they in turn pre-emptively
inform every card processor in the part of the world you are travelling to.

The card processor would know the identity and nationality of the
issuing bank, though, and may have flagged the transaction themselves.

It's impossible to rule out, from the information available, but it
doesn't appear to be the normal practice.

And yet I can routinely buy things (expensive as well as cheap) in the
UK from electrical retailers, without any referral to the card company.

I don't get a "referral" to my bank at US retailers; however, they do
ask for photo ID, match it to the name on the card, closely scrutinize
my signature and compare it to _both_ my credit card and ID, and get an
imprint of the credit card--despite swiping it, which makes an imprint
unnecessary at other merchants.

It would be a "referral" if they were instructed to do that by the card
company on a transaction by transaction basis.

I'm not aware of such steps being done on a per-transaction basis, eg.
depending on the card number or payment amount.

It happens all the time.

Would they really do all that if you were buying was a $5 pack of AA
batteries?

In theory, yes; those merchants are required by their card processor to
take those steps for _all_ card transactions, and being discovered not
doing so could cause their fees to rise or their merchant account to be
closed. They'd rather annoy customers and potentially lose that one $5
sale than lose all their (much larger) card sales, which would likely
result in bankruptcy.

Perhaps they have a self-imposed floor limit, below which they'll take
the risk.
--
Roland Perry