"Jay Honeck" wrote

And if someone can't get a pre-approval for a $67.15 charge, that's often
a good sign that a person is in way over their head. Either way, they
can't get a reservation when they're denied, precisely for that reason.
\
Don't be positive that someone being denied for a little charge means that
they are over their head.

Although I don't recall the exact reasons and circumstances, MasterCard once
denied approval at a gas station, for me, once. I was briefly ****ed, then
pulled out my emergency Visa, and vowed I would get to the bottom of it when
I got home.

The reason was something like that "MasterCard had detected a suspicious
spending (charge) pattern," and had put a lock on my account. I recall
something about us being on the road that day, and had put a couple medium
sized purchases on it, many miles apart, if a short time period.

I thanked them for their vigilance, but said that it was a bit over the top,
and please attempt to contact me via cell phone, before they pulled that
crap again.

Oh, I still had an odd thirty thousand plus credit line left on the card, at
that time.
--
Jim in NC