The Great "Using plastic abroad" Hunt

zoescrims

I was just about to apply for a Halifax clarity card

to take to the USA.I was reading the requirements and it states:

You must
NOT have a credit card with us already :eek:


I have a halifax mastercard (basic) which i kept meaning to cancel.


Do you think if i cancel this i can apply? as i dont know what other options i am left with.


Thanks in advance

Zoe

liz545

Just back from a fortnight in Holland; no problems using debit cards in ATMs but many restaurants and bars don't take credit or debit cards, and the checkouts at Albert Heijn supermarkets don't like foreign debit cards either (even chip & pin), which I found surprising. Paying by cash seemed to be the norm, much less card usage than in other European countries. Thankfully there are usually ATMs all over the place.

WTFH

slbhill wrote: »

About 5 years ago we were passing through Belgium on our way to the ferry back home on a bank holiday weekend, and needed fuel. Stopped at a petrol station - the kiosk was shut but they had pay-at-pump... except we couldn't get it to accept any of our cards. Fortunately we were rescued by a passing motorcyclist who paid for our fuel with his card, in exchange for cash. He explained that the machines only take the chain's prepaid cards, not anything else (credit card, debit card, cash). Not much use for travellers! I really hope it's changed now.

Long time reader, first time poster...
I noticed on today's email that the above post was linked to as a piece of advice for Belgium.
I live in the UK, but spend at least 1 week a month working in Belgium. About 5-10 years ago the Belgian petrol pumps were like the French ones - they wouldn't accept UK credit cards. In the last 5 years I have never had a problem with my credit card being accepted at a pump in France or Belgium, but I'd recommend not filling up in Belgium if you can help it - the prices are higher than neighbouring countries.
A bit late for summer holidays, but if you're taking your car to the continent and heading from Calais/Eurotunnel towards Belgium or Lille, then take junction 54 (Grande-Synthe) of the A16/E40 autoroute and follow the signs for Centre Commercial. There's a large Auchan supermarket and it has it's own petrol station. Last week the diesel (gazole) was €1.34.

juliamarsh

andrar wrote: »

Anyone know how good South Africa are at accepting cards? I'm heading there for a few weeks over xmas and new year (doing a wee tour from Durban to Cape Town) and was going to load up a FairFX card to take with me rather than cash, anyone know if this will be ok and accepted at atms there?

Haven't been to S. Africa for a while but never had any problem withdrawing cash from ATMs there or paying by credit card.

juliamarsh

The ATMs in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands are very temperamental and I and everybody else had a lot of problems withdrawing cash on a debit card. Best advice I can give is just keep trying different ones and one will eventually pay up, sometimes I had to try 4 different ones before one would cough up! Also sometimes they have a maximum $200 transaction limit so if you need more than that do 2 separate transactions. First time I have ever had a problem using my debit card anywhere in the world and it gave me quite a panic!

gt94sss2

cjt105 wrote: »

Foreign cardholders can now use ATMs in 7eleven stores in Japan, which you'll find on every street corner and open 24-7. Most other ATMs won't work, but it's really not an issue.

You can only use international Visa and Amex cards in 7eleven stores. International Mastercards are not accepted. Until April, it was the other way around with Mastercards working but not Visa.

Japanese Post Office ATMs will accept both types of card as will Citibank ATMs.

Regards
Sunil

Bri1

zoescrims wrote: »

I was just about to apply for a Halifax clarity card

to take to the USA.I was reading the requirements and it states:

You must
NOT have a credit card with us already :eek:


I have a halifax mastercard (basic) which i kept meaning to cancel.


Do you think if i cancel this i can apply? as i dont know what other options i am left with.


Thanks in advance

Zoe

I had a standard Halifax card, I applied for a clarity with no problems, never come across the info you have had though

c-m

I tour on my motorcycle quite a lot and found that French pay at the pump petrol stations don't like British debit cards, and certainly not pre-paid cards. In fact my pre-paid master card was also useless in my hotel in St Germain.

Belgium pay at the pump places don't work with pre-paid cards.

In Austria, pay at the pump places didn't work with UK Visa cards.

Similar situation in Italy.

This can be a massive problem as most petrol stations are closed on Sunday and Monday in both Italy and France.

John_Pierpoint

juliamarsh wrote: »

The ATMs in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands are very temperamental and I and everybody else had a lot of problems withdrawing cash on a debit card. Best advice I can give is just keep trying different ones and one will eventually pay up, sometimes I had to try 4 different ones before one would cough up! Also sometimes they have a maximum $200 transaction limit so if you need more than that do 2 separate transactions. First time I have ever had a problem using my debit card anywhere in the world and it gave me quite a panic!

Ecuador was the first country to fall over in the gathering global economic crisis, kind of gross economic mismanagement given that it is an oil exporting country.

One of the reasons the Beagle was visiting the far flung extinct volcanoes that made up the habitable islands in the back of beyond, was to eye them up as a possible swap for the debt defaults....plus ca change...............

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Beagle
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1212826.stm

2008 December - President Correa says Ecuador will officially default on billions of dollars of "illegitimate" foreign debt.