A “0962-LB MARCHE” charge on your bank or credit card statement is a purchase made at a food or beverage outlet inside Long Beach Airport (LGB) in Long Beach, California. “LB MARCHE” is short for Long Beach Marché, the name of the post-security dining area at the airport, and “0962” is the store or location number the concession operator uses to tag that point of sale. If you or someone with access to your card recently flew through LGB, this charge is almost certainly a meal, coffee, or drink bought before your flight.
Why One Name Covers Different Restaurants
Long Beach Marché is a food-court-style dining area inside the secured concourse, housing several local restaurant concepts rather than a single national chain. Outlets operating there have included Taco Beach Cantina, George’s Greek Cafe, Long Beach Burger Bar, Sweet Jill’s Bakery, Sheldrake Coffee Roasting, 4th Street Vine Wine & Beer Bar, and Boathouse on the Bay.1City of Long Beach. Shop and Dine at Long Beach Airport
The entire food, beverage, and retail program at LGB is run by Paradies Lagardère, one of the largest airport concession companies in North America.2Airport Experience News. Nominees Announced for 2015 ARN Awards Because a single operator processes payments for every restaurant under one merchant account, your statement won’t name the specific spot where you ate. Whether you ordered tacos or coffee, the charge posts under the same “0962-LB MARCHE” descriptor.
How the Charge Appears on Statements
The core descriptor is “0962-LB MARCHE,” but banks format it in a few different ways depending on how the transaction was processed. Common variations include:
- CHKCARD 0962-LB MARCHE
- POS Debit 0962-LB MARCHE
- POS Purchase 0962-LB MARCHE
- PRE-AUTH 0962-LB MARCHE
- PENDING 0962-LB MARCHE
- Visa Check Card 0962-LB MARCHE MC
Consumer reports of this descriptor date back to at least October 2022, and charge-identification databases have flagged it as belonging to Long Beach Airport restaurants.3What’s That Charge. 0962-LB MARCHE The numeric prefix “0962” is a location identifier; payment processors routinely embed these numbers in descriptors to distinguish individual outlets inside a larger merchant operation.
What To Do if You Don’t Recognize the Charge
Start with the simplest question: did you, a joint account holder, or an authorized user pass through Long Beach Airport around the date of the charge? The dollar amount should look like a meal, snack, or drink. A forgotten pre-flight coffee is a common answer.
If no one with legitimate access to your card made the purchase, treat it as potentially unauthorized. Your protections and deadlines depend on whether the card is a credit card or a debit card.
Credit Card Charges
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and many issuers offer zero-liability policies on top of that.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges To preserve your full legal rights, send a written dispute to your issuer at the address listed for billing inquiries within 60 days of the date the statement containing the charge was sent. Include your name, account number, the amount and date of the charge, and why you believe it’s an error. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery.5Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Credit Card Charges
Once the issuer receives your written notice, it must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days. You can withhold payment on the disputed amount during that window, and the issuer cannot report that portion as delinquent.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill
Debit Card Charges
Debit card timelines are tighter and the stakes higher. Under Regulation E, if you notify your bank within two business days of learning of the unauthorized charge, your liability is capped at $50. Report it after two business days but within 60 days of the statement date, and you could be liable for up to $500. Miss the 60-day window, and you risk losing the full amount of any transfers made after that deadline.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation E – Section 1005.6 Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers Your bank cannot require you to file a police report or contact the merchant before it starts investigating.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Electronic Fund Transfers FAQs
If Fraud Is Confirmed
A small unfamiliar charge at an airport restaurant can sometimes be a “test” purchase, used to check whether a stolen card number is still active before larger charges are attempted.9Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Credit Card and Debit Card Fraud If your issuer confirms fraud, consider placing a fraud alert with one of the three major credit bureaus and watching your accounts closely for the next several months. You can report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov, and if your bank or card company won’t resolve the matter, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges