Yeah, I suspect that he's more pissed off about the fact he can't use the old "Oh, that? Had it for months, didn't you notice it?" excuse when she turns up....

Seriously - I have had almost exactly the same experience with a Lloyds VISA at the head of a lengthy queue of impatient people with over 500 pounds of spare parts lying on the counter, only two hours away from a flight to NL. It was refused, and they were told to withhold the card. When I spoke on the phone to the bloke at the VISA office, I was told the same thing - "Untypical spending". Apparently, me spending money at a parts counter that I use all the time, with more than enough to cover the amount in the account, was "Untypical". This, in spite of the fact that the signature matched, that I had provided the asked for identification (driver's license with photo).While I applaud their attempts to be alert and pre-emptive, asking for the card to be withheld by the guy serving me (who is a personal friend, for God's sakes, and authenticated me over the phone) was what utterly ticked me off.