Credit card for spending abroad!

sam1970

For many years I have been using Halifax clarity card without a problem. Last year I was picking up my hire car in Spain and the car agency will not accept my Clarity card for the excess deposit as it did not have my full name (only initial and surname). They said the only option is to pay for their rediculousley expensive insurance or to cancel the booking and lose my money. Thankfully I had also a Barclay reward card with my full name printed so they accepted that.

Apparently many travellers are facing this issue , of the full name on the card, and there are many stories of cancelled car hire booking because of it.

I would like to apply for another card to use abroad but how to tell in advance if my full name will be printed on the card? As my Barclay card is on Visa I would like another card on the mastercard network to ensure contingency if one network fail (another reason for me to ditch Clarity as it moved to Visa).

flaneurs_lobster

My Chase CC has my full FirstName LastName on it and it's Mastercard.

Don't know if it will run up against any other stupid made-up-just-to-fleece-the-tourist rules though

No embossed details (seen this one too)

No number/expiry dt/CSC shown on the card

HillStreetBlues

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679219/credit-card-for-spending-abroad

My Halifax clarity credit card has my full name on it, my Barclaycard reward just has my initial and surname total opposite of how yours are.

JGB1955

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82096611#Comment_82096611

Likewise - Barclaycard has initials, Halifax has full name and marital status.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679219/credit-card-for-spending-abroad

Did you ask Halifax if you can have your full name on the card? Appreciate you're now looking for a Mastercard though…

sausage_time

If I recall in the early days Barclaycard and maybe Visa policy was just initial for first name (and no title). If a retailer called for authorisation for a transaction the issuer would ask if the cardholder was male or female as a crude security feature. Different times.

Maegi

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82096602#Comment_82096602

Chase give various name format options on account signup and on card replacement if damaged/lost. I opted for to use initial and surname (the same as my former Barclaycard actually) but never had an issue with car rental in the US and Canada.

It's almost like the Spanish locals don't want British tourists - car rental scams, protests, graffiti and skooching tourists with water pistols.

flaneurs_lobster

It's almost like the Spanish locals don't want British tourists - car rental scams, protests, graffiti and skooching tourists with water pistols.

There's a big dollop of misdirected self-importance.

Some Spanish residents in some tourism hotspots (Barcelona, San Sebastian, Malaga, the Balearics and Canaries) have protested for years against overtourism, not just by Brits.

Driven by a lack of housing opportunities for permanent residents since the rise of Airbnb and its ilk (bits of Barca have had the permanent housing stock reduced by 50%).

Lens

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679219/credit-card-for-spending-abroad

I recently discovered a slightly different pitfall when using my Barclaycard for car hire deposit abroad. I've used the same card for car hire deposit abroad for many years without issues. Normally the car rental company will pre authorise the deposit amount on the card (not actually charge it but just reduce the available balance). However on my trip this year I hadn't realised they had actually charged the amount to the card, and then refunded it when I returned the car at the end of my trip. This wouldn't have been an issue if I had used a travel credit card, but as the card I used was not, this caused me to incur the 'non sterling transaction fee' twice. Annoying but even if I had realised that what they were doing I would have no other option (except for pay the extortionate insurance) as the only other card I had was a travel debit card, which I don't think would be accepted for this deposit. Just through I would mention this for anyone reading this thread.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82101577#Comment_82101577

One assumption too many? I wouldn't make any charge to a card overseas (purchase or a holding deposit) unless that card offered no-fee. Have to assume that any deposit might be converted to a purchase/charge otherwise what's the point?

Lens

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82101590#Comment_82101590

Yes just been doing it that way for many years, since well before I was aware of the need and benefits to being money savvy. Since then I now use a travel debit card for spending abroad, which saves a lot, but for car hire deposit just let that slip through the net with old habits.