I had some international travel recently and had issues several times with my card not working. The point of sale system seemed to reject both the chip and the strip.

I called the bank and they said they aren’t seeing a charge request come through.

So the store is saying the card doesn’t work and the bank is saying something wrong at the store. The card has been working at hotels thank goodness. But having issues at stores and restaurants.

Ia this typical? What’s the issue?

Did you call the card fraud department before you traveled and tell them where you were going to be? I have to do this even with CONUS travel. It got so bad at one point my card would trigger a fraud alert if I used it in Maryland....I live just outside DC, Maryland is literally 30 miles away...my kids have soccer. Swim And basketball there all the time


As far as it not registering as a sale request I got nothing except maybe if the fraud department rejects it Outright it doesn’t show as a requested charge....that or there is a time gap because you are overseas

Good luck and travel safe!

My local credit union always shutdown my card even if I did travel notices. Pissed me off I switched to the Borg Chase Amazon and they have never shut me down.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Ia this typical? What’s the issue?

I had an issue with that a number of years ago in Germany. I was very grateful to the hotel staff for being so patient and helpful in resolving the problem.

It was similar to your description -- we had the bank on the phone while the hotel ran the card, and nothing showed up on the bank end. After a series of calls back and forth, we got it solved -- I never knew the root of the problem -- but I was sweating it for a bit, thinking I'd be held up to the point of missing my flight out.

Happy and safe travels to you!

I flagged online that I would be traveling. And when the card was declined, I called and they said they saw that I indicated I would be traveling. The said that they aren’t seeing a charge request being submitted.

Sounds like the POS system at the stores aren’t even asking for approval.

10 years ago, never had any problems. These new chip cards are maybe too smart for traveling.

Sounds like it’s a problem in the foreign country card reader or local system. Otherwise, then maybe the bank or Visa. Just can’t figure out why it would work at the hotel but not at the restaurant just 5 minutes away.

Happened to me in Spain. I went to a bank, gave them the card and got a few hundred Euros, spent the rest paying in cash. It was a minor inconvenience.

A couple of years ago I had the same problem when traveling to some of the more out of the norm places...and of course my cell phone did not have a signal.

When I got back to the US I called the CC company and explained that I intend to do a lot of foreign travel and they need to authorize the transactions or I’m getting a new card. I agreed to pre notify them and I’m happy to say on my recent trip to Namibia where I didn’t have any cell service I had zero problems.

It used to be that AmEx was very good about foreign transactions but I am finding fewer places accepting them lately.

I always travel with at least 3 major credit cards. If one is declined, try another.

We lived in Mexico for a year and this was a regular occurrence. No big deal, just hand them another.

We also saw a higher incidence of compromise there as well. You card company will simply shut it off and fedex a new set of cards.

Mike

Did you set up a pin number for the card? They use chip and pin over there and your card may not have been set up to use a pin number.

Only thing I could think of.

What’s chip and pin? How do I know if I have such a card? The card is working sometimes (hotel) but its not working in some shops / restaurants. Weird that it works sometimes but not others.

I’ve had it happen. I just pull out a second card.

It’s happened in the states too.

Currently the US is on the chip and signature system while the EU uses chip and pin. You insert the chip into the machine then authorize payment using a pin code. If you never set up a pin code on the card maybe the POS system doesn't even bother trying the transaction. It may still work at hotels because they see a higher percentage of international travelers and their POS system may be programmed different to push the transaction to the bank either way.

But I may be totally off base.

ETA: I should also add that some US credit cards will allow you to set up the card with a pin number so you can use it in Europe without issue. Just call up the CC company and ask about it.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
Currently the US is on the chip and signature system while the EU uses chip and pin.

This got me a few years ago in Iceland at a gas station in the middle no nothing else. I had no idea what my credit card pin was. Luckily I was able to pay inside.

Chase has always been good about international travel at least for me. They have never shut down my card for that.

I had an issue in Mexico where they couldn't get the chip reader to work. I'm sure it was on their end and not mine or the credit card.

Kevbo that sound nuts on your credit card companies part. I'm in MD and routinely use my card in VA and DC without issue and many people I know do.

Never a problem but I do let the credit union and AMEX know what countries I’m traveling to and when including transferring airports.

Just got back from a European trip through 4 countries. Had zero issues using any of my cards. Just to be safe I’d request a new card in case the chip or the magnetic strip is somehow flawed.

Watch your credit statement. It's not uncommon to be told that the card didn't work, get you to pay cash, and then the card gets charged after the fact. That happened to me at the airport in Kuwait recently.

When you travel, especially for food and incidentals, cash is king. You'll get the best exchange rate through an ATM, direct withdrawl, so long as your bank doesn't hack you an arm and a leg for using the foreign ATM. If you'll be traveling very much, it's a good idea to carry cash for each location you'll be going. I carry a coupon folder that has cash from all around the globe, so that when I get into Santiago and don't want to go find an ATM, I have cash handy. If Hong Kong is next, I have cash for there, too.

You can prep for the trip by doing a cash exchange before you go, to eliminate problems by cards that aren't approved, and you have the benefit that there's less opporunity to steal your card data.

It pays to carry several cards from different sources, when abroad.

In July I will be taking a cruise from Spain, France, and Italy. I guess I should contact the CC company of the card I use the most. I was thinking of buying Euros when we land in Spain. Everything on the ship is already paid for and aside from a meal in town I don't think I will be buying much.

Was in Spain last month and the only issues I had was withdrawing cash from bank ATM's. Most of my purchases are using a credit card now, however cash is handy to have for small purchases, for some reason only the non-bank affiliated ATM's were dispensing cash on my debit card. Even BofA overseas partner ATM's gave me the no-go...gonna switch soon.

Sounds like the retailer that told you your card was declined was either their POS system is weak (auto decline foreign/US cards) or, your credit card's aren't set-up for travel. By setting up for travel, those cards that aren't geared for travel such as certain credit union cards, shopping loyalty cards etc. When traveling, I usually carry 3-cards, with my Chase Sapphire Reserve as my primary used card.

When chip n'pin first came out, I would have to punch in my PIN number; issued when you get your card or, your can customize it. The last three trips to Europe, I haven't had to punch in my PIN, perhaps Euro banks recognizing US cards are bypassing that step. Simply insert card, ask for receipt and sign. Hopefully you're able to solve this issue and you're able to enjoy your trip.

Okay - Bank of America Visa continued to be hit/miss throughout the recent trip. It worked at hotels. But was hit/miss (mostly miss) at stores and restaurants, especially non-chain.

At these same stores, usually my Citi Costco card would work. The Costco card always worked, although interestingly it had a hiccup at Costco in Japan where they had to specify the issuing country first.

I only have one other card (Amazon) - I never carry it.

I'm looking to get one more credit card that I know will always work in Japan, Taiwan, Korea. That way I'll carry two cards that should always work - Citi and <new>.

Does anyone have any recommendations with first hand experience on a card that always works in these regions? Not just hotels but smaller stores and restaurants. Should I just get another Chase or Citi card - Citi works but on the other hand, if I'm somewhere where Citi doesn't work, I have no redundancy if both cards are Citi.

Chase is good to me. I never tell them when I travel. One time I did call, just because someone kept insisting there’d be dire consequences otherwise. Chase said it wasn’t necessary as they know I travel. If they become concerned they phone or text. That was appreciated when they called asking if I was at a hotel front desk in Lagos, Nigeria trying to rent an entire floor.

The chip and pin thing gave me problems only once, in a small food store in the UK.