# Bank won't let me use available funds **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667 "2018-10-08T19:24:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/61 "2018-10-11T12:42:18Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I always keep a few $100 in my pocket and another $200 in the car. Never been pick-pocketed. (Knock-on-wood.) It sounds like OP could keep money in his pocket, _get pick-pocketed as often as once per year_ and _still_ have shown a net profit from the cash-carrying just due to this one incident! Check post #5: if I’m understanding correctly, we’re talking about transactions as large as $13,000. That’s an awful lot of cash to be carrying around on an ongoing basis. Not just risky, but also inconvenient, since you can’t get bills larger than $100 these days; you’d be carrying around a brick of 130 bills. > [@Hilarity N. Suze](#): > > At that point I deduced that the bank had canceled it along with the debit card. You’ve got a credit card and a debit card through the same bank? That is to say, both cards are being watched/controlled by the same fraud detection system? This is the same problem the OP has, i.e. a single point of failure can cripple your ability to transact your daily affairs (as you’ve experienced). ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/62 "2018-10-11T13:12:41Z")
> [@Dancer\_Flight](#): > > As a memory/guess\*, 90 pkgs @ 24 rolls/pkg. > > Figure 1 month per package, about 7.5 years-ish. Longer if both are working outside the home and have adequate fiber intake. > > \*(I just sanity checked on amazon for bulk TP and there’s a listing for 25 cases on a pallet at 96 rolls per case) Impressive figuring! Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact number. My mother worked near the town’s food pantry, and so every week or so she’d drop off a handful of packages (they were just 4 rolls/package.) But she never again purchased toilet paper! Five years later, after my dad had died and my mother needed to move into an assisted living place, there was still an impressive stack of packages in the garage. BTW, the food pantry was always super-happy to see Mom and her TP delivery. It’s one of the necessities of life, but can’t be bought with food stamps and people seldom think to donate it. So next time your local grocery does a BOGO or other good deal on toilet paper, maybe give it a thought. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/63 "2018-10-11T13:35:20Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Check post #5: if I’m understanding correctly, we’re talking about transactions as large as $13,000. My assumption was that the other expenses would be paid by check, or normal billing. Am I wrong? Are such costs paid immediately these days via debit/credit card? IIUC that would have been unusual in the 20th century (when I lived in U.S.A.). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/64 "2018-10-11T14:47:07Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > My assumption was that the other expenses would be paid by check, or normal billing. > > Am I wrong? Are such costs paid immediately these days via debit/credit card? IIUC that would have been unusual in the 20th century (when I lived in U.S.A.). Back in 2008, during the recession, the number of NSF checks my business received skyrocketed. Using a check guarantee service would not have been viable for a small business, so I stopped accepting checks. My local competitors then saw even more NSF checks, so they all joined me in turning away checks. I do not have people paying me $13,000, but I do have people counting out cash to pay me $300-$500, or else using a card. I don’t know if this generalizes to the rest of the US, though. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/65 "2018-10-11T16:00:12Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > I’m awake and so’s my bank. In May, I had a fraudulent charge on my debit card the bank alerted me to. They reimbursed me same as a credit card. Credit card protections might be superior to debit, but IIRC Visa currently chooses to extend the same protections to both, Mastercard et al are probably similar. The difference is the float time: if you know you’ll get your credit reimbursed but it might take a few days you don’t care. If you need to pay rent NOW and your checking account is empty though you’re in a rougher spot as you need to borrow or accrue short term debt to pay it. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/66 "2018-10-11T16:41:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Back in 2008, during the recession, the number of NSF checks my business received skyrocketed. Are you talking about bad checks from strangers? It sounded like OP has on-going business relationships. I hope OP clarifies this matter. ---
**Author:** ![Mumberthax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mumberthax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mumberthax)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/67 "2018-10-11T16:51:26Z")
Lemme’ tell ya’ about this little thing called…ruffles and flourishes, please…CASH. I use that for everything. I’ll be taking a road trip down to Central Florida this month, and I’ll be taking $1,000.00 in cash with me. Works everywhere. Totally untraceable. Consumer privacy assured. Credit cards are for suckers. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/68 "2018-10-11T17:21:24Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Are you talking about bad checks from strangers? It sounded like OP has on-going business relationships. Anyone who writes a bad check is a stranger. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/69 "2018-10-11T17:29:22Z")
> [@Mumberthax](#): > > Credit cards are for suckers. Funny, I feel that way about cash. I keep plenty in my wallet just in case I visit some place that doesn’t take any cards, but my wife and I use credit cards for everything else that we can, including utility bills. Mostly it’s Amex, and the frequent-flyer miles that accrue have resulted in _several_ free flights to Japan for us over the past decade or so. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/70 "2018-10-11T17:30:11Z")
> [@Mumberthax](#): > > Lemme’ tell ya’ about this little thing called…ruffles and flourishes, please…CASH. > > I use that for everything. I’ll be taking a road trip down to Central Florida this month, and I’ll be taking $1,000.00 in cash with me. Works everywhere. Totally untraceable. Consumer privacy assured. > > Credit cards are for suckers. This has been brought up several times in this thread. Once again: The OP was planning on making a _$13,000_[!] purchase. That’s a lot of cash to carry, just in terms of physically transporting it. And if he routinely conducts his business this way, it becomes physically dangerous as word gets around that he’s driving on remote roads carrying thousands of dollars in cash on a regular basis. Cash may still be superior to credit cards (or debit cards, which is what OP was actually using) in many circumstances, but it’s just not practical in many situations. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/71 "2018-10-11T21:11:01Z")
MrDeals, I understand your frustration. I’ve had that happen to me before, but fortunately in my case it was merely an annoyance, and didn’t cost me any money, just 15 minutes on the phone getting things straightened out. I’ve also had the reverse, where I’ve gotten a call at 7am on Sunday from the fraud department asking if I was doing cash advances at a grocery store in the UK. This is what I would do in your situation. Get a credit card or two with good gas rewards. Use those to buy gas, and pay it in full each month. With the amount of fuel you’re using, the 1-2% rewards will add up. Many of these reward cards have a cap on gas rewards, so you might need a few to carry you through the year. Then that leaves your debit card available for the times you really need it, like in this case. My guess is that even with a small bank the number on the back of the card will be answered 24/7. The card itself may be managed through a company like Elan Financial, who handles cards with other company’s names on them. And, by all means, if you’re angry at your bank, then switch. They need to earn your business, not just keep it out of inertia. All of the banks do fraud alert kind of stuff, but I’d hope their algorithm would be tuned well enough to not lock you out on a large fuel purchase within 50 miles of your home. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/72 "2018-10-11T21:15:31Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > And now I have to change everything I have automatic billing for. Everything. You might, you might not. I had the same credit card canceled due to fraud twice within three months. Both times they promised that recurring payments would be automatically updated. The first time it didn’t happen, but the second time it did. In fact, before I even got off the call I had notifications from Samsung Pay and Google Pay that my card information had been updated. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/73 "2018-10-11T21:18:35Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Let me get this straight. You deal in $15k debit card transactions that have to be paid at the time the truck arrives or if not they’ll sell it to your competitor? No invoices, commercial checks or credit cards? That sounds like something I’d watch on the Discovery channel. “Outback Truckers”, on Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667/74 "2018-10-11T22:03:11Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > This has been brought up several times in this thread. Once again: > > The OP was planning on making a _$13,000_[!] purchase. That’s a lot of cash to carry, just in terms of physically transporting it. And if he routinely conducts his business this way, it becomes physically dangerous as word gets around that he’s driving on remote roads carrying thousands of dollars in cash on a regular basis. & once again, we don’t know _why_ it was declined & locked out at that gas station. Perhaps it was because they suspected that station of having skimmers installed & therefore any card used there was compromised. If the OP didn’t use the card there, they may very well have been able to purchase the goods for sale. Many card issuers (banks) have limits, both in terms of total $ spent & numbers of txns in a given day/weekend. Maybe he typically averages 1.7 txns a day, & this was his 10th or 15th one on that day, ie. not just a few more than normal but off by a factor or two. I don’t work with business accounts, but for a personal acct, $13,000 is over the limit as to what one can make a purchase for at many banks. > [@echoreply](#): > > My guess is that even with a small bank the number on the back of the card will be answered 24/7. The card itself may be managed through a company like Elan Financial, who handles cards with other company’s names on them. Answered yes, but possibly only for lost/stolen purposes. You want customer service, you need to call your bank. That could be the exact same phone #, just during extended business hours & then after hours it rolls to the outsource company that has limited ability, like only to close it if you report it lost or stolen, much like a doctor’s office uses an answering service after hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-wont-let-me-use-available-funds/822667.md?page=3)