Make sure you have debit/credit cards from more than one bank when travelling

[PrettyandFluffy]

On our travels last year, we found that Apple Pay was the most reliable way to pay - went through first time every time, even at Autoroute tolls. Easy to switch cards within the app and no need to carry a physical card but for emergencies take one that can be pre-loaded (we use Revolut) just in case.

 

[Molly A]

No way will i be using my phone for payments.
I barely use now as a phone.
Now phone camera it's used a fare bit.
And, i leave it at home most of the time, don't wantbto be tracked.

We are in Europe for 8 months of the year and have all our bank accounts linked to our phone wallets. We use mainly our starling Euro accounts and have never had any issues using our phones, even on small greek islands .
If you carry your phone anywhere , you can be tracked, so I guess your camera phone only gets used in your house?
Anyway, given the extensive use of CCTV in towns and shops, number plate recognition ,use of facial recognition technology etc, if you are determined to be a man of mystery, you'd perhaps best sell your van and stay home! (Where if your phone is on, you are still being located)

 

[Mike Hawkins]

We are currently touring. We have 3 Santander debit cards between us. The cards work fine for contactless payments. However, we have only been able to successfully make one chip and PIN payment at the start of our holiday. Since then all attempts at paying by chip and PIN have ended in card declined for all 3 cards. Santander tell us there are no blocks or restrictions on our cards.

I’ve asked Santander why the cards are being declined and they have so far not given an answer. Given that Santander advertise their cards to be used while travelling, I’m disappointed that they don’t seem to be bothered when their cards don’t work. I’ve given up on getting any help from Santander. Quite frankly, they have been useless.

Luckily, we have cards from other banks which are working fine.

The lesson from this is, if travelling, take cards from more than one bank and ideally have a least 1 Visa and 1 MasterCard.

 

[Molly A]

One advantage of using cash is that no company that wants to farm your datta and sell it on for maketing has the data.

Just using the internet, clicking on sites or adverts will result in targeted marketing of some of kind, unless you rigorously reject all uses of your data on the DPR screens

 

[bobnick]

We are in Europe for 8 months of the year and have all our bank accounts linked to our phone wallets. We use mainly our starling Euro accounts and have never had any issues using our phones, even on small greek islands .
If you carry your phone anywhere , you can be tracked, so I guess your camera phone only gets used in your house?
Anyway, given the extensive use of CCTV in towns and shops, number plate recognition ,use of facial recognition technology etc, if you are determined to be a man of mystery, you'd perhaps best sell your van and stay home! (Where if your phone is on, you are still being located)

Van is being sold.
Phone at home, location of phone, home..........me elsewhere.....sometimes with camera, sometimes not.
Bill paying, no idea, HRHs department.
Just been to fill up Titty, DC, and i didn't need to take my phone.
Fully aware they know where we are all at at anytime...i'm not hiding.

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[Molly A]

Van is being sold.
Phone at home, location of phone, home..........me elsewhere.....sometimes with camera, sometimes not.
Bill paying, no idea, HRHs department.
Just been to fill up Titty, DC, and i didn't need to take my phone.
Fully aware they know where we are all at at anytime...i'm not hiding.

Then why worry about being tracked via your phone?
Just filled my car up, didn't need to take my purse or bag.

 

[Tasng4]

We are currently touring. We have 3 Santander debit cards between us. The cards work fine for contactless payments. However, we have only been able to successfully make one chip and PIN payment at the start of our holiday. Since then all attempts at paying by chip and PIN have ended in card declined for all 3 cards. Santander tell us there are no blocks or restrictions on our cards.

I’ve asked Santander why the cards are being declined and they have so far not given an answer. Given that Santander advertise their cards to be used while travelling, I’m disappointed that they don’t seem to be bothered when their cards don’t work. I’ve given up on getting any help from Santander. Quite frankly, they have been useless.

Luckily, we have cards from other banks which are working fine.

The lesson from this is, if travelling, take cards from more than one bank and ideally have a least 1 Visa and 1 MasterCard.

I once had a problem with our French Credit Agricole card (CA are not the best bank), we'd tried to make a largeish purchase with the card which was declined (due to insufficient funds) however the bank 'remembered' this and still had the shops 'hold on funds' registered for a few days meaning we couldn't use it for anything until the hold had been released.

 

[bobnick]

Then why worry about being tracked via your phone?
Just filled my car up, didn't need to take my purse or bag.

Not the least bit worried.
Just don't like phones and what they stand for.
Although certain institution's insist i have one, pins, codes blah blah.

 

[pandas]

Here’s a thought, a total cash world, stop all direct debits - salaries, utilities, toll booths cash only, blimey that would work really well - Not!
30 years ish ago my business needed a bit of kick start so paid everyone in cash for a month so they could actually see what real money was instead of a figure on a statement. That was quite a revelation for everyone including me and sort of worked but really inconvenient for everyone!

 

[Ingwe]

I paid a £9k invoice a couple of weeks ago

Was that for a replacement Carthago water filler cap?

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[nicholsong]

We’re in the Business lounge at Schipol at the moment on our way to Panama for a month. We’ll be travelling around including a week in Mexico. To carry enough cash for that would be a bit of a joke and rather irresponsible in my opinion.

I was taking about cash in a MH context where one's expenditure does not include eating out every day, taxis/car hire etc.

We often have to use a card at pre-pay filling stations, often unattended.

Also where we go a lot of tavernas want cash to pay their staff and suppliers. I also get the impression with establishments who ask 'Cash or card?' before they present the bill that there might be two rates of charge.

 

[nicholsong]

Lets face it, the only reason anyone is running a 'cash only' business is because they are doing something illegal.

Personally I avoid any 'cash only' business, as I don't want to be assisting in whatever scheme they are involved with,
be that money laundering, tax evasion, or because they have some weird belief system.
Whatever the reason, they should not be running a business.

Today most of the beggars on the street can take a card payment, so anyone running even a layby tea stop or a pop up market stall has no excuse (other than tax evasion or money laundering).

Every 'cash only' business costs each and every legitimate tax payer money, directly out of our pockets.

Fishermen at the quay, with additional risk of dropping terminal in the sea?

 

[Tony50]

Happens with a phisical card but not if you use your phone.

Owning a phone and a motorhome I always thought you were rich

 

[Tony50]

We take a MasterCard, what we call a holiday card relatively low credit ,plus a Visa and a small amount of cash.

 

[Molly A]

I was taking about cash in a MH context where one's expenditure does not include eating out every day, taxis/car hire etc.

We often have to use a card at pre-pay filling stations, often unattended.

Also where we go a lot of tavernas want cash to pay their staff and suppliers. I also get the impression with establishments who ask 'Cash or card?' before they present the bill that there might be two rates of charge.

No, tavernas POS systems are linked into the government tax system and even if you pay cash, there is never any variation from the menu prices in my experience . Indeed, if you are not given a bill you are entitled to not pay, as is clearly displayed in tavernas , mind you, how that would go down in practice I would be interested to see. I spend 6 months a year in Greece and even on the small islands cash only appears to be longer a thing . The greek government is really cracking down on businesses who insist on cash and I have not experienced tavernas or other businesses doing a cheaper rate for cash since the aftermath of the near Grexit situation. I'm sure that it still exists in some places and businesses, but taxation for the self employed in Greece is pretty onerous, according to some of my friends so there is little leeway for dodgy deals.

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[LaurenceM]

We are currently touring. We have 3 Santander debit cards between us. The cards work fine for contactless payments. However, we have only been able to successfully make one chip and PIN payment at the start of our holiday. Since then all attempts at paying by chip and PIN have ended in card declined for all 3 cards. Santander tell us there are no blocks or restrictions on our cards.

I’ve asked Santander why the cards are being declined and they have so far not given an answer. Given that Santander advertise their cards to be used while travelling, I’m disappointed that they don’t seem to be bothered when their cards don’t work. I’ve given up on getting any help from Santander. Quite frankly, they have been useless.

Luckily, we have cards from other banks which are working fine.

The lesson from this is, if travelling, take cards from more than one bank and ideally have a least 1 Visa and 1 MasterCard.

Bear in mind - when you have a new card you have to use a chip and pin at least once before contactless spending will be approved. And they also require chip and pin from time to time as a security check. A bit like the airport security checks - sometimes you get beeped for a scan at random so the staff can’t be sure of letting their mates thru…

 

[Jerrywh]

They are the most secure way to pay, unless someone knows my passcode or has my face, they can’t use it.

Or a photograph of your face...

 

[Jerrywh]

Cash:
There are now 31 parliamentary constituencies without a single bank
(That is well over 2.2m voters, which is over 5% of the population)
The banks are closing at least a branch every day.

My local bank branch has shut but the post office will cash cheques and allow pay in.

 

[pandas]

Or a photograph of your face...

Don’t think that would work

 

[Jerrywh]

I once had a problem with our French Credit Agricole card (CA are not the best bank), we'd tried to make a largeish purchase with the card which was declined (due to insufficient funds) however the bank 'remembered' this and still had the shops 'hold on funds' registered for a few days meaning we couldn't use it for anything until the hold had been released.

Like most French banks, CA quite happy to inconvenience customers if they think it's in their interest..

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[Jerrywh]

Don’t think that would work

Many Android Phones Can Be Unlocked With A Photo

Many phones that can be unlocked using facial recognition can be fooled by a photograph, research has found.

www.forbes.com

 

[chris McKenny]

I do not have any of these problems with cash - try it.

Unfortunatly not always practical , some aires on continent are card only ,as are tolls in places ,away for a long time , I don’t think so.

 

[Brains]

My local bank branch has shut but the post office will cash cheques and allow pay in.

Limited pay in.

You can not turn up at a Post Office with a grand in cash and pay it into an account.

 

[Jerrywh]

Limited pay in.

You can not turn up at a Post Office with a grand in cash and pay it into an account.

Ha, highly unlikely to do that anyway. But it does take the local shops' takings apparently

 

[Tonks]

When I started travelling internationally for work about thirty years ago the advice even THEN was to carry at least two cards from different banks and ideally one MC and one Visa.
And always with enough funds above the trip needs to be able to book emergency (ie not low cost booked in advance) travel to get home.
Since having an ‘interesting’ time some years ago when on business in the Caribbean immediately after a hurricane had gone through, rendering most electronic kit u/s or unreliable including payment machines, electronic keys and holes in the wall I have always also carried SOME cash. Not huge sums but enough to manage a couple of days costs if necessary.

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[pandas]

Tried using French Franc’s and they wouldn’t accept them! Odd.

 

[pandas]

Many Android Phones Can Be Unlocked With A Photo

Many phones that can be unlocked using facial recognition can be fooled by a photograph, research has found.

www.forbes.com

Sorry my bad. iPhone every time then.

 

[gus-lopez]

There's always a queue and they're packed out the next few in the queue will gladly buy the beer! It would seem no one else shares your fears.

Fear? Nothing to do with fear but practicalities & principals.
What are you going to use to pay when ,hopefully as soon as possible, it all kicks off & we can sort the russians out once & for all? hardly likely to be internet & gps facilities as they will be the first to go/be turned off?
As I said in the previous post ,here in spain,where we have the highest bank charges for everything,the only thing that is free is paying in & drawing out cash & in unlimited amounts.

 

[Brains]

When I started travelling internationally for work about thirty years ago the advice even THEN was to carry at least two cards from different banks and ideally one MC and one Visa.
And always with enough funds above the trip needs to be able to book emergency (ie not low cost booked in advance) travel to get home.
Since having an ‘interesting’ time some years ago when on business in the Caribbean immediately after a hurricane had gone through, rendering most electronic kit u/s or unreliable including payment machines, electronic keys and holes in the wall I have always also carried SOME cash. Not huge sums but enough to manage a couple of days costs if necessary.

I did a LOT of business travel from the late 80's to the early 2000's.
(It took my wife 8 years before we spent 30 consecutive days together and 11 years before we did Christmas together)

I always had some local cash.
I also typically had some other currencies in my bag.
I always had $1,000 in traveller cheques and at least £100 in cash
I usually had a company card (usually VISA)
(The company AMEX experiment lasted about 3 months, as they were unusable outside north America)
I also had two personal cards as backup.

 

[Brains]

I did get caught out occasionally.

A hotel in Switzerland that only took cash, which we found out on checkout over a bank holiday.
He let us go without paying, it turned out he had known all along exactly who were were as he had worked for one of our clients, and was happy to be paid by head office a few days later!

A hotel in Czech rep, cash only, I paid in a mixture of Korunas, Euros, Pounds and Dollars.

A hotel in China, would only accept a Credit Card on entry.
I did not have a company CC and I've never had a personal CC
A call to my boss in the UK (luckily he was awake) , we paid with his card.
When I got back, I had a company CC awaiting on my desk!

There were a few more in places such as Greece, Morocco, Mexico, Bolivia, South Africa, India, Venezuela etc, where it involved going to the local market and negotiating with the (usually illegal) money changers.

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