Nightlife Woes: What to Do If You Leave Your Credit Card at the Club?

May 27, 2009 11:24 AM
by Salvatore Fazio

Picture this: You’re driving or taking a cab home after an exhausting night of partying. As you’re compiling a list of the night’s 10 best and worst dressed people in your head, you realize you forgot to close the tab, leaving your beloved credit card at the mercy of Mephistopheles. What do you do?

The truth is, you’re probably not the only one who left the club without closing a tab. On average, a mid-size club deals with tens of abandoned cards.

Your course of action should depend on the point in time in which you realize your card is missing.

Turn Around

If you happen to be within 10 miles of the club where you left your card, simply head to the club, close your tab, and get your card back. Your hangover should be the only headache you have to deal with in the morning.

If you are already sleeping at home, and leaving your card comes in a dream revelation, it would be wisest to wait until the next day.

Call The Club

Abandoned cards are usually taken to the house safe and held there until redeemed by their owners. This service comes at an extra 10-30 % of your check. Call the club the very next day and tell them you would like to come in and pick up your card, and do it during their office hours. Managers are usually less busy at that time, and will be able to assist you more easily.

If you call in and find out your card has been given to someone else by mistake, you may still able to have your charges reimbursed, but only if you do as we say.

Call The Card Issuer

The first thing you need to do is call your credit card issuer. According to the Fair Credit Billing Act, “Your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50. If you report the loss before your credit cards are used illegally, the FCBA says the card issuer cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized charges. If a thief uses your cards before you report them missing, the most you will owe for unauthorized charges is $50 per card. Also, if the loss involves your credit card number, but not the card itself, you have no liability for unauthorized use.”
Some home insurance companies also cover lost or stolen credit cards, so if you own a home, you should check to see if you are covered.

Losing Your Debit Card at the Club

If you lose your Debit Card, the card issuer cannot hold you liable for unauthorized use if you report the card missing before the unauthorized charges were made.
According to the EFTA (Electronic Fund Transfer Act) “if you report the loss within two business days after you realize your card is missing, you will not be responsible for more than $50 for unauthorized use. However, if you don't report the loss within two business days after you discover the loss, you could lose up to $500 because of an unauthorized transfer. You also risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your bank statement containing unauthorized use is mailed to you.”

The sooner you call in, the better the chance that you will have your charges reimbursed.

Most importantly, don’t let the incident discourage you. Chances are that if you forgot to close your tab you had better things in mind. That’s what we like to think, anyway.