Page 4 January 2, 2014 Finance Why Was Your Credit Card Transaction Denied? By Jason Alderman We’ve all had these moments: You’re at a romantic restaurant and the evening went great. But just as you and your date are readying to leave, an embarrassed waiter appears and whispers, “I’m afraid your card has been denied.” So much for romance. The same thing can happen at the grocery store, when shopping online or worst of all, when you’re traveling and don’t have a back-up means of payment. Why do credit card transactions get denied and what can you do to prevent it? Banks and other credit card issuers have developed complex algorithms that track credit card behavior and highlight unusual usage patterns commonly associated with card theft or fraud. “Unusual activities” that jump out to card issuers include: When you ordinarily use your card only rarely, but suddenly make several charges in one day. Making multiple purchases at the same store (or website) within a few minutes of each other. An unusually large purchase – say for a major appliance, furniture or jewelry. Alert your card issuer before making large purchases. One small purchase quickly followed by larger ones. Thieves will test the waters to see if a small purchase is denied; if it’s not, they’ll quickly run up major charges. Exceeding daily spending limits. Some cards limit how much you can charge per day, even if you have sufficient remaining credit. Making large purchases outside your geographic area. Multiple out-of-town purchases in short succession. (Always tell your card issuer when you’ll be traveling.) International purchases, whether online or while traveling. In fact, some card issuers automatically decline international transactions because of the high potential for fraud, Seniors Eye Diseases May Go Unnoticed in Individuals with Diabetes (BPT) - With more than 8 percent of the American population having been diagnosed with diabetes, regular dilated eye exams are critical to prevent vision loss. Diabetes is a disease that interferes with the body’s ability to use and store sugar, which can cause many health problems. Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage throughout the body, including the eyes. Over time, diabetes affects the circulation system of the retina, the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye. “Many eye problems show no symptoms until they are in an advanced stage, and that is why we recommend that people with diabetes in particular have an eye examination by a doctor of optometry at least once a year,” says Doctor of Optometry Tina MacDonald, a Certified Diabetes Educator and a member of the AOA’s Health Promotions Committee. “When the eyes are dilated, an eye doctor is able to examine the retina for signs of diabetic eye disease and prescribe a course of treatment to help preserve an individual’s sight.” Only 32 percent of respondents are aware that diabetic eye disease often has no visual signs or symptoms, according to the AOA’s 2013 American Eye-Q consumer survey. Additionally, only 39 percent know that diabetes can be detected through a comprehensive eye examination. People with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk for developing eye diseases including glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, one of the most serious sight-threatening complications of diabetes. Those with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by damage to the optic nerve resulting in gradual peripheral vision loss. Many people without diabetes will get cataracts, but those with the disease are 60 percent more likely to develop this eye condition. People with diabetes also tend to get cataracts at a younger age and have them progress faster. With cataracts, the eye’s clear lens clouds, blocking light and interfering with normal vision. Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that causes progressive damage to the retina. Damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina causes swelling of retinal tissue and clouding of vision. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy may lead to blindness. Since early warning signs of diabetic eye and vision disorders are often subtle or undetected, the AOA recommends that high-risk individuals look for initial signs and contact a doctor of optometry if any of the following symptoms are present: • Sudden blurred or double vision • Trouble reading or focusing on near-work • Eye pain or pressure • A noticeable aura or dark ring around lights or illuminated objects • Visible dark spots in vision or images of flashing lights In addition to having a yearly, comprehensive eye exam, the AOA offers the following tips to help prevent or slow the development of diabetic eye disease: • Take prescribed medication as directed • Keep glycohemoglobin test results consistently under 7 percent • Stick to a healthy diet that includes omega 3s, fresh fruits and vegetables • Exercise regularly • Control high blood pressure • Avoid alcohol and smoking For additional information visit www.aoa.org/ diabetic-retinopathy.xml. • so learn your issuer’s policy before attempting one. Other common triggers for credit card denials include: Outdated or incorrect personal information – for example, when you’re asked to enter your zip code at a gas station. Always alert your card issuer whenever you move. Also, make sure you don’t mistype your credit card number, expiration date, security code, address or other identifying information. Expired card. Always check the card’s expiration date. You should receive a replacement card several weeks beforehand. It’s often mailed in a plain envelope, so be careful what you toss. If the new card doesn’t arrive, contact the issuer to ensure it hasn’t been stolen. You’ve reached your credit limit. For the sake of your credit score, try to keep your overall and individual card credit utilization ratios (credit available divided by amount used) as low as possible – ideally below 50, or even 30, percent. A temporary hold has been placed on your card – say for a rental car or hotel reservation – that puts you over your credit limit. Always ask whether a hold will be placed, how much and for how long, and factor that into your remaining balance calculations. You miss a monthly payment. Card issuers may let this slide once or twice, depending on your history with them, but eventually if you don’t make at least the minimum payment due, your card will probably be frozen. The primary cardholder made changes on the account and forgot to tell other authorized users – for example, reporting his or her card stolen, lowering credit limits or removing you from the account. On last thought: If your card is denied, don’t shoot the messenger – he’s only following instructions. Rather, call the card issuer and find out what happened. Embarrassment aside, it’s nice to know that someone is trying to ensure your card isn’t being used fraudulently. • ∫ ∫ Looking Up Cassini Sees Saturn and Its Moons in Holiday Dress By Bob Eklund This holiday season, feast your eyes on images of Saturn and two of its most fascinating moons, Titan and Enceladus, in a care package from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. All three bodies are dressed and dazzling in this special package assembled by Cassini’s imaging team. The new images are available online: • http://www.nasa.gov/cassini • http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov • http://ciclops.org “During this, our 10th holiday season at Saturn, we hope that these images from Cassini remind everyone the world over of the significance of our discoveries in exploring such a remote and beautiful planetary system,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader, based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “Happy holidays from all of us on Cassini.” Two views of Enceladus are included in the package and highlight the many fissures, fractures and ridges that decorate the icy moon’s surface. Enceladus is a white, glittering snowball of a moon, now famous for the nearly 100 geysers that are spread across its south polar region and spout tiny icy particles into space. Most of these particles fall back to the surface as snow. Some small fraction escapes the gravity of Enceladus and makes its way into orbit around Saturn, forming the planet’s extensive and diffuse E ring. Because scientists believe these geysers are directly connected to a subsurface, salty, organic-rich, liquid-water reservoir, Enceladus is home to one of the most accessible extraterrestrial habitable zones in the solar system. Packaged along with Saturn and Enceladus is a group of natural-color images of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, highlighting two of Titan’s most outstanding features. Peering through the moon’s hazy, orange atmosphere, the Cassini narrow-angle camera spots dark, splotchy fea- tures in the polar regions of the moon. These features are the lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane for which the moon is renowned. Titan is the only other place in the solar system that we know has stable liquids on its surface, though in Titan’s case, the liquids are ethane and methane rather than water. At Titan’s south pole, a swirling high-altitude vortex stands out distinctly against the darkness of the moon’s un-illuminated atmosphere. Titan’s hazy atmosphere and surface environment are believed to be similar in certain respects to the early atmosphere of Earth. But the planet that towers over these moons is a celestial wonder itself. The north and south poles of Saturn are highlighted and appear drastically different from each other, as seen in new natural-color views. The globe of Saturn resembles a holiday ornament in a wide-angle image overlooking its north pole, bringing into view the hexagonal jet stream and rapidly spinning polar vortex that reside there. And the planet’s south pole, now in winter, looking very different than the springtime north, displays brilliant blue hues, reminiscent of a frosty winter wonderland. “Until Cassini arrived at Saturn, we didn’t know about the hydrocarbon lakes of Titan, the active drama of Enceladus’ jets and the intricate patterns at Saturn’s poles,” said Linda Spilker, the Cassini project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “Spectacular images like these highlight that Cassini has given us the gift of knowledge, which we have been so excited to share with everyone.” Launched in 1997, Cassini has explored the Saturn system for more than nine years. NASA plans to continue the mission through 2017, with the anticipation of much more groundbreaking science and imagery to come. •
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