Feeling aggrieved about a bank process is a bummer, eh? Particularly when YOU have done everything right and according to the rules.
The way that these things work, Padraigb, are:
a) The purchaser enters their card details onto the system
b) The system sends the transaction request to the payment gateway, which then queries the bank.
c) A reply comes back to the system. It is either YES, or NO (often with a reason) or MAYBE.
d) The Maybe result is usually a request for a telephone verification - a random check made occasionally for anti-fraud purposes. In an online scenario, the Maybe result means that the transaction is then declined (as the system can not ring the bank).
e) The NO result sometimes sends back a reason which can be interpreted by the system or the system operators. Sometimes it's not able to be correctly interpreted.
The important thing to note is that if your transaction is declined because of a Maybe result, the card will be restricted for at least another 24 hours on that system. Some systems may never unblock the card - and it sounds as though the Prize Bond system has very stringent anti-fraud policies built in, which do not lift the restriction.
I can understand why their systems would be so stringent, given the nature of what they are selling.
The second important thing to note, Padraigb, is that these procedures are FOR YOUR SECURITY AND PROTECTION. The banks operate them to ensure that YOUR MONEY is not misappropriated. In the same way that they sometimes don't let you put money into your account when you want to, they sometimes don't let you spend your money when you want to, just because it just might be someone else trying to put money into your account or spend your money.
Bummer, eh?