Citibank Plus Transaction Overseas ATM Withdrawal Failed - FIX

undercut on 31/07/2016 - 16:49

Ozbargain's favourite travel debit card can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. After having used the card to withdraw cash from ATMs many times in many different countries, my card suddenly failed. 'Authorization denied' the ATM told me. I called Citibank's shitty automated system, and finally got through to the Phillippines call centre (but only after calling their Citi Prestige Service Centre and asking to be transferred). Their solution was to go back to the ATM (half an hour walk) and try again. It didn't work. Solution - try again in half an hour, we can't see anything wrong on our end. Cool, thanks guys.

Did a bit of Googling and found that the fix was to make a transaction in a shop to 'reset' the card. I was able to withdraw cash again straight away.

My experience with their app has also been painful. I registered for mobile app one time pin (which is required each time you make a transaction) prior to my departure. Every time I have changed sim cards, the app deregisters me from mobile OTP, which requires another long and arduous call to their call centre.

I love the card, but don't love Citibank.

Travel

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Citibank Australia
Citibank Australia

Comments

  • retiredfeline on 31/07/2016 - 17:01
    +1

    Hmm I've never needed the OTP for ATM withdrawals, only for online transactions, which I never needed to do since the card is only for withdrawing cash.

    • undercut on 31/07/2016 - 17:07
      +1

      I need the OTP to transfer money out of the account

  • Sweet3st on 31/07/2016 - 17:06
    +1

    So long as you set up your payees on the desktop site before you go, no OTP required. I paid all my bills this way OS for 2 months, no issues.

    • undercut on 31/07/2016 - 17:12
      +1

      Tried that, but as soon as I click the 'Make a Payment' button, it takes me straight to the mobile OTP.

      • Sweet3st on 31/07/2016 - 18:37
        +1

        strange! the only time i've ever needed OTP was when phoning Citibank. Click on 'Make A Payment', I'm asked to log in using username + password, nothing more.

  • Holysmoke on 31/07/2016 - 19:56
    +4

    If there are no transactions on the account for 6 months it goes into a dormant status. The shop purchase reactivates the card or sometimes call centre agent will make a 1c transfer in and out of the account to reset.

    • retiredfeline on 31/07/2016 - 20:02
      +3

      I always transfer money in well before the travel date and make a withdrawal locally to verify that it works before heading overseas.

    • RockyRaccoon on 01/08/2016 - 03:18

      So maybe the OP can advise if this was their first atm transaction while travelling THIS trip or one after a number withdrawals on the same trip.

      • undercut on 01/08/2016 - 03:52

        I left oz in April, and have been using the card once weekly since then. On this occasion, I had just used the card to withdraw money the day before, hence my frustration.

        Even if your card is working perfectly before your departure, it doesn't guarantee it will overseas. I found the fix via google - a few ppl on whirlpool have had the same issue.

        • retiredfeline on 01/08/2016 - 08:26

          I wonder if the "fix" you found on the Internet fixed anything. Withdrawals are declined due to many issues, some temporary. It could be that the posted fix did nothing and just trying again later, and perhaps not in the same situation, or with the same bank or location, met with success so the person assumed the "fix" worked. And people for whom the "fix" doesn't work don't post about it. I find that ATM messages are cryptic, and "authorisation denied" could mean anything from telecommunications failure to "we don't serve this card".

          On the few occasions when I have been unsuccessful with ATM withdrawals and I know why, it has been due to: asking beyond the daily limit, and that bank not accepting the card.

        • undercut on 01/08/2016 - 15:23

          @greenpossum: Worked for me, may work for others. Hoping I can help someone who finds themselves in the same situation.

          I used the same ATM each time (more than 10 times), and requested the same amount of money well under my daily limit. All within the space of 2 hours. After the over-the-counter transaction, my card was suddenly functional at the ATM again after +10 failed attempts. Coincidence? Unlikely.

        • retiredfeline on 01/08/2016 - 15:37

          @undercut: But how do you know that what you did was the "fix"? We don't hear from the people for whom the "fix" didn't work so there are no rates for the efficacy of this "fix". It's a black box.

          Let's just say I remain sceptical until somebody who knows the system fesses up and says yeah that's a known bug.

        • undercut on 01/08/2016 - 15:44
          +1

          @greenpossum: How do you know what I did wasn't the 'fix'? I didn't have time to do a double blind randomized controlled trial.

          Either way, if anyone finds themselves in the same situation, it's something to try. It won't cost you anything, and it's preferable to being cashless whilst overseas.

          Please, feel free not to enter the black box if you ever have the same problem.

          • Console on 09/08/2019 - 04:37

            @undercut: I know this thread is 2 years old but it is 100% still relevant.

            I can verify your fix.

            I can login just fine to the website and mobile app, no issues listed, everything looks fine.
            However, I just happened to speak to CitiBank on the phone for an unrelated reason and they told me that since my card hasn't been used for some time it's been marked as inactive and if I had tried to use it overseas the transaction would have been rejected! That would have been great!

            Don't know if they did anything on their end but I was told to make an outbound payment/transfer within 24 hours to re-enable the card.

            I guess the warning is don't just assume your CitiBank card is going to be ready to use overseas even if everything looks fine and you have put money into the account ready to use!

  • aim54x on 01/08/2016 - 07:35

    Strange that you said that OTP deregisters when you change sims, I had no issues with this whilst i was overseas with the CitiBank Plus last year (June and Decemeber). I did remember their online system going down so I could not transfer money from the savings account to the transaction account, leaving me redfaced in a very unfriendly Longchamp store (picking up a bag for my sister) after I forgot my PIN for my 28 Degrees card (I ended up paying cash).

    I did have issues using the Citibank Plus in a ticket machine at Goteborg airport though, after several declines I switched to the 28 degrees.

    • undercut on 01/08/2016 - 15:15

      Gotta love the "are you sure you can afford this?" face in high end stores!

      • aim54x on 01/08/2016 - 15:34

        Affording it wasn't an issue, but they certainly make you feel that way. I was in Munich so it was uber unfriendly.

    • hettienanxoi on 16/08/2016 - 05:17

      Yep if you use a new Sim other than the one you registered and locked the mobile app with your iphone the mobile app will de-register the old sim and will ask you to register for that new sim by sending a new OTP to the old sim. So if you are overseas and don't have global roaming for your old sim you won't be able to do your online banking either on your laptop or iphone with a new local sim bcoz you will need that new OTP from the old sim. To get around that problem, before going overseas you can update / change the mobile phone number in your profile to a friend/relative's mobile phone number at home, then when you are overseas and have your new local sim you can set that new phone number up in your profile by (at the same time) asking your friend/relative at home to send you the new OTP via Viber/Tango/skype. Once that is done everything should be fine.

      • aim54x on 16/08/2016 - 09:12

        Thanks for the heads up. Something may have changed since December. I only had the one phone and definitely changed the SIM with no issues with the OTP. I will take the precaution next time i travel though.

        I am using Android, not that it should make a difference.

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