An Indian traveller has gone viral after claiming he was left stranded in Germany when his credit card suddenly stopped working despite showing no outstanding dues. Taking to X, the user who goes by @IdiotsRoads on the microblogging platform, said that he was relying on a single credit card during his trip when transactions started getting declined without warning.
In a detailed post, the traveller claimed that the card had worked for a few days before abruptly refusing payments. According to him, the bank’s mobile app showed “Total Amount Due: 0.00” and “Payment Status: All Dues Paid”, yet transactions continued to fail.
Sharing his frustration, he wrote, “The error in the SMS says ‘TRANSACTION DECLINED DUE TO LOW FUNDS’. Whose low funds, the bank’s???”
The traveller also posted a screenshot from the banking app, which appeared to show that there were no pending dues on the card. He said that the calls to customer support did not resolve the issue. “I called the Hdfc helpline. Guy on the line coolly said we can’t do anything about it. There is no outstanding. There is no payment pending for me to make. YET there is nothing that can be done and I cannot make payments! Just amazing,” he wrote.
The traveller further claimed that attempts to seek help from his relationship manager were equally unsuccessful, leaving him without access to his only credit card while overseas.
{{/usCountry}}The traveller further claimed that attempts to seek help from his relationship manager were equally unsuccessful, leaving him without access to his only credit card while overseas.
{{/usCountry}}“So here I am, in Germany without access to my only credit card that I am carrying and relying on, stuck without being able to make very essential payments,” he said, adding that the experience had made him rethink his banking relationship.
(Also Read: Indian woman in Germany reveals the European habit she wishes India had: ‘Life slows down after 6 pm’)
Social media reactions
The post quickly gained traction online, with many users sharing stories of card-related issues during international travel.
One user wrote, “HDFC RMs are useless. They only call you to pitch a new service or to pitch a loan. When you actually need help with something related to banking, they lose interest. They get busy or go on a vacation or are simply unavailable.”
“Can feel it. Fortunately I always Carry Backup of Backup cards. 1st lesson learned in Singapore,” commented another.
“all cards are same. Happened with me when I was in Singapore. Apparently we need to inform them before we board that flight so they'll keep the card active. Learnt it hard way,” wrote a third user.
“These banks have the shittiest systems. This is probably a false “suspicious transaction” flag against your international transaction. I’ve been locked out of Kotak twice in different countries. Both times on my DEBIT card! Helpline only accessible via registered phone,” shared another.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)