[spatula6554]

a phone call before leaving is what he needed to do. even those of you heading to the rally should do it. I had the same thing happen to me once, and it ticked me off, but at the same time I am happy to see they are on their toes.

it's always a good idea to inform your bank and cc company that you will be using the cards while away on vacation......or if you travel often enough, just let them know that. mine will never get blocked because I take the time to call them up and let them know where/when I will be using them.

If you are planning on using both a credit and debit card while traveling make sure to call about both, even if they are the same bank. The Wife and I were in Eastern Europe traveling and had previously called about the credit card. We had been using both in Spain, Hungary and Austria but once we got into the Czech Republic they shut down our debit (ie. no cash) in a section of Prague which took mainly only cash. We marched into HSBC and asked if they could help but since we weren't Business Premier members they wouldn't help...we had to raise a bit of American ruckus and eventually they helped...but the moral is the same bank has many different arms and rarely do they communicate...unless they are working to get money from you!

[loudnlow7484]

FWIW, Paypal has never shut my card off on me, and I use it pretty regularly down here. Never informed them of anything. US Bank has never shut me down either, but I MIGHT use it once every 6 months here. Never used my Etrade card, so I can't tell you if they would do it or not.

[the wind]

a phone call before leaving is what he needed to do. even those of you heading to the rally should do it. I had the same thing happen to me once, and it ticked me off, but at the same time I am happy to see they are on their toes.

it's always a good idea to inform your bank and cc company that you will be using the cards while away on vacation......or if you travel often enough, just let them know that. mine will never get blocked because I take the time to call them up and let them know where/when I will be using them.

they call me when i leave the state and use it,atleast mastercard does must have been a visa.

[jeffer949]

Sorry to hear about the trip. Its always a bummer when an injury makes you change plans.

[wickeded]

FWIW, Paypal has never shut my card off on me, and I use it pretty regularly down here. Never informed them of anything. US Bank has never shut me down either, but I MIGHT use it once every 6 months here. Never used my Etrade card, so I can't tell you if they would do it or not.

When I have not called to notify in advance
Paypal has frozen my cards several times when out of the country .

[loudnlow7484]

When I have not called to notify in advance
Paypal has frozen my cards several times when out of the country .

Guess I'm either lucky, or uncared-for...... Going on 7 months I've been here this time, and they don't seem to care much....

[thetable]

they call me when i leave the state and use it,atleast mastercard does must have been a visa.

Man, if my CC company did that, I'd be on the phone with them more often than I am with family.

[Nero]

Guess I'm either lucky, or uncared-for...... Going on 7 months I've been here this time, and they don't seem to care much....

They would do it up front. After 7 months, they don't give a hoot.

[mammut89]

Guess I'm either lucky, or uncared-for...... Going on 7 months I've been here this time, and they don't seem to care much....

time vs. location is an issue. If you start using your card in one place and stay there its ok. if you use your card 3 times in 3 different states in 3 different days the alarms go off.

[thetable]

time vs. location is an issue. If you start using your card in one place and stay there its ok. if you use your card 3 times in 3 different states in 3 different days the alarms go off.

How about 6 states in the same day?

[Wild-Bill]

Depends on your habits I think. If they're used to seeing you travel then it won't set off any alarms. If your habits are to use the card only in the area of your home town then a charge in an area you've never been should set off all kinds of alarms.

[the wind]

How about 6 states in the same day?

they go by your habits.they know you as the travler.back to tom.hows it going now?

[loudnlow7484]

They would do it up front. After 7 months, they don't give a hoot.

I'm surprised that they didn't shut me off when I came down for the first time. Even then, not a peep from Paypal or US Bank. Maybe they figured I don't have any money to lose anyway, so it really doesn't much matter.

[zuma]

Back to Tom. If his foot issues ease up a little, I bet he's having a blast in spite of the money monsters. One of the best days I ever spent began with a burned up microbus, four hundred miles from home, and $10.15 in my pocket while being told over the pay phone that a bus ticket home would cost me $10.25, which I did have before making the phone call. (10 cent pay phones in 1976)

I made friends with the world that morning, stepped out of the phone booth, walked to the outskirts of Fredericksburg, Tejas, held out my thumb...and I was sitting at my best friend's house that night drinking a cold Coors beer two hours before the $10.25 bus ticket would have gotten me there. Keep on trucking', Tom. You don't know just how bad I wish I were there, even if you do hang out with a dude named BF.

[tdrcomm]

I'M BACK!

3500 miles on a torn Achilies and pulled hamstring. Nice
Got back Tuesday. Write-up to follow shortly. Stories to tell.

A few quick thoughts:

1) Make sure you tell your financial institution that you're going out of the country way in advance.
2) Get the international data plan.
3) Vancouver P.D. ------> "You guys don't get much crime up here, do you?"
4) Oregon is a triple-digit state.
5) British Columbia is a triple-digit provence.
6) Hayabusas love Oregon and British Columbia.
7) Pudgy old guys that ride Harleys may actually have something profound to say - listen to them.

Here are some of the pics:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.230367003662899.64404.100000688041738