What steps I should take if I'm failing to purchase anything outside of US and bank does not help me at all?

Question

I have a very strange problem which drives me crazy for almost about a year and I just don't know what I can try to do next.

So here's the situation so far:

• All my Wells Fargo debit cards seems to be not working for purchases outside US, well, almost.
• I'm saying almost because sometimes they do - but I'm failing to figure out when exactly. I had assumption that this has something to do with week days but still failing to figure out why.
• Here's the page I see each time when I'm trying to use my card outside of US for the first time:
• After successful activation I see following screen:
• After successful password submit transaction is declined without any reason why it's happened provided.
• This is about internet purchases only I have no troubles with using card in local ATMs or for paying in shops at all.

Sounds like I'm trying to use this Stack instead of just going to the Wells Fargo support, doesn't it? But actually in Bank following is happening:

• First, they've told me the reason is I hadn't called and asked to approve the card usage of card outside of US. But I actually did and they've acknowledged it.
• Then they've told me that there's no signs of any activity on their side (they literally can not see that I've even tried to pay)
• They refused to explain (literally - "I don't know") who is in charge of interface I've provided eariler.
• They've taken my card and had tried to make purchase I had problem with to be sure my claims are valid. They've acknowledged that indeed there is a problem, but the nature of that problem is a mystery for them.

I'm kind of frustrated because well, this is first time in my life when my payment is not accepted and I'm failing to figure out who's responsibility it is. To be honest, I've been quite shocked when bank refused to say what is this interface and why I see Wells Fargo logo there, but let me put emotions aside and ask a question:

If my payments are refused and bank insists that they have no traces of this activity at all - whom next I can reach to try to solve this issue?

Because I'm pretty much despaired. Buying tickets outside US is becoming a pretty bad experience to me.

Answer 1

I would say if the bank that is giving you problems can't get it straightened out, no one on StackExchange is going to be able to do anything about it.

It sounds like you are trying to purchase airline tickets. If your account at Wells Fargo has a US address, and you are trying to buy something like an airline ticket from on overseas site, you are normally not able to use a US address (required to use the US card) in their system.

We live outside the US and would look up flights on Momondo. However, whenever we would go to any of those sites to buy the ticket, they were all foreign sites (Expedia UK, Tripsta, etc.) in a foreign currency and those sites are designed for users in those countries. So not only do they charge you in another currency, they expect for you to put in an address of that country, not the US. So when the bank gets the request back, the address fields are not matching up and it declines. We tried to work it out a few ways and could never get it to work unless we used a credit card issued in that country with an appropriate address in that country. We were disappointed because the rates on those sites are sometimes way less than the prices quoted to Americans on US sites.

I would be very surprised if you went to the US Expedia site, found a flight, and tried to book it with your US card (and US address) and it doesn't work. The flight might cost more, but it really should be a successful transaction.