[Solved] Credit card declined in Colombia

My ANZ Visa kept getting rejected. I had roaming, activated international use, everything. Called ANZ support, and turns out they had a soft fraud block due to Colombia being flagged “high-risk.” They lifted it after re-verifying my location over the phone. Now I always inform my bank before entering Colombia seems to help. Also: try using the card for a small supermarket purchase first to “wake it up.”

My Revolut Visa didn’t work at Servibanca or Davivienda, even with funds and all settings enabled. I called Revolut and they confirmed some Colombian banks flag fintech cards or reject them automatically. Worked fine at Scotiabank Colpatria and BBVA. So yeah sometimes it’s the bank’s ATM software, not your card. Bring a backup Mastercard or traditional bank card if possible.

My Monzo card failed 4 times in Cartagena ATMs and stores. Then I realized I had magstripe disabled in the app and offline payments restricted. Many Colombian POS machines are still old-school and need offline PIN fallback or magstripe. Once I turned both on, it started working again at places like Exito and Falabella. Also: always decline currency conversion if prompted that can cause issues too.

I had the same issue. My Chase card was fine everywhere else, but at BanColombia ATMs and POS terminals, it kept getting declined with no error. Support said it was an issue with how the merchant/ATM was coded, not my card. Switched to BBVA ATM worked instantly. Also had better luck with Davivienda. Try different banks, some just don’t play nice with foreign cards.

Servibanca ATM worked just fine. Accepted Visa, Plus, and Mastercard cards - no issues.

Falabella ATM at Mallplaza in Colombia worked with my Master Debit card. Good location in the mall.

Withdrew 1.5 million COP using my Sparkasse debit card at Banco de Bogota. No issues.

Banco de Bogota didnt accept my Niyo card from India, but Fi Money (India) and Revolut (UK) worked well.