Last night, when I was at the mall, I bought several things at one store and charged them on my credit card. My daughter then came into the store and talked me into buying an additional item that cost around $2200. When the salesgirl went to run the second charge through, my credit card company refused the charge. I was mortified, embarrassed, and confused. I have a very large credit limit and I know I'm nowhere close to reaching it. Why would they do that? I was so glad I had another credit card with me from a different bank, but I never want to go through that embarrassment again.
It may help for you to understand that in blocking the second purchase, the credit card company was probably trying to protect you (and it) against fraud. No, there aren't people sitting up in a big room in the sky looking at every charge going through and saying, "Tsk, tsk. Phoebe is out shopping again. I think she's bought enough." Instead, charge authorizations are processed through automated systems which often employ fraud reduction software. Some of the sytems are quite complicated. They learn your purchasing patterns and look for abnormalities that could indicate fraud. For example, if you've had the credit card for nine years and you've never made a purchase out-of-state and suddenly charges start coming in from foreign countries, either you've sprung for a big trip or a criminal is trying to use your account. Often, the company will call the number they have on file for you to attempt to verify the validity of the charges.
In your case, what triggered a possible fraud alert was the two attempted charges at the same store within a very short period of time. This could have been indicative of a crooked employee trying to run a second, unauthorized charge on your card. Rather than risk it, the card company put a freeze or block on your account. You could have called the company, using the number furnished on the back of the card, furnished identifying information in response to their questions, and they might have been able to unblock the account immediately. Their main goal is to ensure the charges that go on to your card really are legitimate charges initiated or authorized by you.
Call now and find out what happened. Until you speak to the card company, the hold is likely to remain in place.
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It may help for you to understand that in blocking the second purchase, the credit card company was probably trying to protect you (and it) against fraud. No, there aren't people sitting up in a big room in the sky looking at every charge going through and saying, "Tsk, tsk. Phoebe is out shopping again. I think she's bought enough." Instead, charge authorizations are processed through automated systems which often employ fraud reduction software. Some of the sytems are quite complicated. They learn your purchasing patterns and look for abnormalities that could indicate fraud. For example, if you've had the credit card for nine years and you've never made a purchase out-of-state and suddenly charges start coming in from foreign countries, either you've sprung for a big trip or a criminal is trying to use your account. Often, the company will call the number they have on file for you to attempt to verify the validity of the charges.
