A Must-Do Before Traveling


Imagine you are dining out while on vacation or a business trip. You go to pay the bill, and your WestStar debit card is declined. You know there is ample money in your account to cover the expense. For the life of you, you cannot figure out why it was declined. 

 

Why was my card declined?

Due to the increasing amount of debit card fraud, it is common practice for bank and credit card fraud monitoring services to flag transactions that appear out of a cardholder's ordinary habits (i.e., new geographical location, sudden change in spending patterns, etc.). As such, to assist in preventing potential fraud, transactions within specific geographic areas and with particular types of merchants will trigger a "block," resulting in some card transactions being denied. If this occurs, please try using the PIN-based debit option with a keypad and entering your PIN (i.e., use the chip card function).

 

Before You Travel

To reduce the likelihood of your card being declined when you travel, we recommend notifying us of your travel plan at least 48 hours before your trip. You can submit your travel plan to us by:

 

Phone or Visit a Branch

Call our Client Service Center at 915.532.1000 (El Paso) or 575.323.6040 (Las Cruces), Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (MST) or visit any of our branch locations.

Digital Banking - Secure Message
    1. Once you have logged in, select "Messages" from the menu, then select the pencil icon to create a new message.
    2. Next, select "Debit Card Support" or "Customer Service" from the recipient dropdown menu.
    3. Enter your travel plan, which should include: 
  • Specific city, country, and date for each place you will visit.
  • Contact phone number where you can be reached. 
  • Once complete, send your message.
Digital Banking - Card Controls
      1. Select “Card Controls” from the menu.
      2. Then select “Travel Notifications” and complete the form.

  1. After you submit your travel plan, we will attach a travel note to your debit card in our system. Your card will continue to be monitored by our fraud detection service, and you may receive a phone call while traveling to verify the validity of your purchases.

    For your security, please ensure that your contact information is up to date before your travel.

    Not all products and services are available to all clients.