“This was not simply an inconvenience of having a card declined. Our primary funds for the trip were held in this ANZ account, meaning the repeated blocking of my card left my wife, our three young children and me overseas without reliable access to our own money.”
He said they were forced to use a credit card as an alternative payment method.
“The fact that I had alternative payment methods available ultimately prevented this from becoming much more serious.”
The man said that after his card was blocked, he immediately contacted ANZ through its internal messaging service but didn’t receive a response until three days later after the issue had been resolved through the automated process.
Then, frustratingly, the same card was blocked for a second time eight days later; despite not leaving the country and it being successfully used after the first time he was stopped from making transactions.
“ANZ has a shockingly poor communication channel option for customers … it takes over 48 hours to get a response even during weekdays,” he said.
An ANZ spokesman said staff were working directly with the customer to understand what happened.
“We acknowledge the frustration experienced by the customer in this case.
“We’re committed to helping protect customers and their money from scams and fraud.
“If we suspect a transaction or account activity on a customer’s ANZ Eftpos, Visa Debit or credit card might be fraudulent, we may send a text or email asking the customer to let us know if the purchase was authorised.
“Some transactions may be temporarily blocked, even if the customer has let us know they are travelling.”
ANZ said it recommended customers ensure their phone has roaming on or let the bank know their international number while travelling.
“This advice was provided to the customer when they notified us of their travel plans,” ANZ said.
According to ANZ’s website, it also recommends travellers take a mix of payment options, including a Visa Debit and/or credit card, foreign cash and phone payment options such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.