Using your credit cards at the pump

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Eventually you'll have the Chip and PIN system we use here in the UK and Europe - almost all credit card transactions need a personal PIN - just like Debit Card transactions in the USA.  We've found only a few merchants in the US (more in Canada) which have card chip-readers.  Signatures are rarely used here nowadays and id is unnecessary.

I'm constantly faced with going into the office in the USA to get the pump authorised as my UK card has no associated zip code.  Daft things is, though, that I am rarely asked for ID when I go to sign the transaction slip - so what is the point? 

Maybe the counter clerks can just straightway see I'm a regular, honest guy? :D
 
Buddy Tott said:
  I have no idea why the card companies require signatures on the card.  It makes no sense to me.   I see no valid reason, other to compare that signature with some other form of identification or against the 'transaction' signature.   However the latter can be accomplished by comparing with a  DL or ID card.   If any signature is required to approve the use of the card, surely it should be the one given on the initial application for, agreeing to all the term etc. ......................
What was the reason given when you fought the CC Co. and lost?

BT   
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Buddy

I have no knowledge of the reasoning, it was never given to me (bureaucratic ignorance), but would assume that by signing the card you acknowledge receipt and use of that specific piece of plastic.
 
I would like to see the PIN system used on credit cards  Would cut way down on fraud (But not totaly eliminate it)

Science fiction writers envision a DNA reader... And in truth I see it as a coming thing.. That (in theory)should eliminate all fraud

I have read articles on companies investigating biometrics.. It is possible to encode, for example, a finger print and unless you give it the finger... No access to the account.

In fact..That is one of the ways to access the accounts on this computer..  Give the the old finger and you don't need to give it a password..... Unless.. Of course.... Your fingerprints are different than mine (Very evil grin) since the finger prints in it's data bank are mine
 
Most credit card fraud does not involve charges where the card was present. It's stuff done through mail order, via the internet, etc., where the vendor doesn't have the card in their hand. In those cases, a microchip does no good.
 
The need to use a PIN has helped significantly to reduce fraud this side of the pond.  It's far from eliminated it but I guess the banks are pleased to see even a reduction.

'Customer not present' and online shopping can not - as has been pointed out - be carried out in conjunction with a PIN and can readily be carried out by using a cloned card.  More and more merchants, however, also require the 3 digit number from the back of the card..... 

When I was genning up about travel in the US I distinctly remember that a US bank was trialing a system for online transactions whereby a unique code, linked to a card account, was generated solely for the transaction.  Once used the code became useless and the actual card account number was never divulged to the merchant. 

I don't remember which bank it was and assumed it would be adopted by others but I've never heard anything more about it.  Has anyone else?
 
All of the major credit cards offer virtual, one time use, card numbers for online purchases.
 
Entering the ZIP in conjunction with a credit card swipe is a security measure which matches the ZIP to the billing address of the card.  And there is no work around for Canadian credit cards since alpha-numeric entries are not linked to Canadian credit card issuers.

The solution is to get a U.S. based credit card for anyone living in the U.S. any more than a few months.

However, I would caution against swiping a credit card at a fuel pump, especially in Florida where credit cards are frequently cloned by readers installed in pumps.

When in Florida, I always pay with my card inside, where I never lose sight of my card.

My card was cloned at a Circle K in Florida, but fortunately my bank advised me as soon as the first fraudulant charge was made...a charge which was out of my purchasing pattern.
 
Steve said:
Entering the ZIP in conjunction with a credit card swipe is a security measure which matches the ZIP to the billing address of the card.  And there is no work around for Canadian credit cards since alpha-numeric entries are not linked to Canadian credit card issuers.

The solution is to get a U.S. based credit card for anyone living in the U.S. any more than a few months.

However, I would caution against swiping a credit card at a fuel pump, especially in Florida where credit cards are frequently cloned by readers installed in pumps.

When in Florida, I always pay with my card inside, where I never lose sight of my card.

My card was cloned at a Circle K in Florida, but fortunately my bank advised me as soon as the first fraudulant charge was made...a charge which was out of my purchasing pattern.
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"The solution is to get a U.S. based credit card for anyone living in the U.S. any more than a few months."  As I recall from trying this, my lack of credit history in the US - although I have a perfect credit rating in the UK - militated against my getting one. 

No credit history, no credit card...no credit history without a SSN, unavailable now for aliens like me, hence getting started is difficult. 

Easier just to use my 'home' cards I use regularly in the US....
 
Ned said:
All of the major credit cards offer virtual, one time use, card numbers for online purchases.
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Interesting.  I don't think we have any such thing over here. 

Surely these effectively minimise fraudulent use online?  Or is it not so simple as that.....
 
macmac said:
Surely these effectively minimise fraudulent use online?  Or is it not so simple as that.....
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It should eliminate any possibility of fraud as the virtual number is good for just the one transaction.
 
As I recall from trying this, my lack of credit history in the US - although I have a perfect credit rating in the UK - militated against my getting one. 
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One option is to open an account with a bank for your routine transcations.  Often if an account is maintained with a reasonable balance, and a proven track record, the branch manager can arrange for that bank's credit card being issued.

Another option is to apply for a credit card issued through an organization such as AARP.  The application should be made by telephone, speaking to a live representative, explaining your situation.

The above scenarios should provide snowbird residents with a credit card, if you have a permanent U.S. address.
 
I know other Canadians who have set up RBC Centura accounts and Visa Cards.  Since they are a division of the Royal Bank, they will use your Canadian information and credit bureau, and that would be ok if we bought a permanent location, but that defeats the reason for needing the card, to gas up the Coach.  ???
 
Most places in the US still accept cash without a pin number or ID.
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LOL Ken. Unfortunately, for people like Steve and Keith who spend 6 months at a time here, the U.S. has a strict reporting requirement for amounts greater than $10,000 brought or transferred into or out of the country.
 
We have several friends (Germans, Italians, Australians, and Canadians) who all spend time every year in the U.S. All have U.S. checking accounts with an attached credit card. I don't know how it works but they all do it.

Wendy
 
Canadians who have set up RBC Centura accounts and Visa Cards.
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I would expect that Bank of Montreal and Harris would make the same accomodation, if you happened to be near a Harris branck (the only one in Florida is in West Palm Beach.    TD is looking at acquiring a U.S. bank I've read.

the U.S. has a strict reporting requirement for amounts greater than $10,000 brought or transferred into or out of the country.
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Since non-citizens are not covered under FDIC, it would probably be unwise to keep large amounts on deposit in the U.S.  Transfering funds as needed would be a more prudent strategy, IMO..especially these days.

All have U.S. checking accounts with an attached credit card.
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Using the approach I suggested is what works, as I have seen in numerous cases.  It requires a permament address, an established hisory with a local bank, and a person to person conversation with the branch manager, rather than competing a form and mailing it in.

 
wendycoke said:
We have several friends (Germans, Italians, Australians, and Canadians) who all spend time every year in the U.S. All have U.S. checking accounts with an attached credit card. I don't know how it works but they all do it.

Wendy
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We have a Wells Fargo checking account, held for the past four years, which has an associated DEBIT card. 

In fairness I haven't asked for a credit card since we arrived and it really hasn't been that important over the years.  If we were to have problems with our UK credit cards it would be easy enough to then use our US debit card.  Less convenient as we'd have to transfer cash from the UK to the US on a regular basis - but doable.
 
.... we'd have to transfer cash from the UK to the US on a regular basis - but doable.
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We did that for a year or two, back in the days when the transfers were handled manually. The gal at the bank would call and say "I've got another transfer for you", and I'd tell her which account to put it in. One month she called and said "This one is a bit more than you normally transfer - it's $250,000".

Since this was 30 years ago and $250K was worth a lot more in relative terms, I might have been tempted to head south of the border. But, being the honest guy I am (was?), I explained it was a mistake.
 
I think it may have been Lloyds Bank (UK) who were recently advertising 'International/Global' Banking, without addional fees or restrictions.  i.e. open an account in the U.S. and have the same banking abilities as if you were in the U.K. or any of their branches in Europe and vice versa.  On the downside, whichever bank it was, their US branches were few and far between as I recall.

I have a UK bank account,  with a debit card attached, which allows me to use any ATM showing the Cirrus logo to get cash or make deposits.  There is, however a small fee but significantly better than making wire transfers.  I assume a similar service is permitted for UK  and other foreign visitors using their own bank card to access cash at ATMs?

BT
 
Ah yes, good old Lloyds. Had an account there from the early 60's, but we closed it many years ago due to the sparsity of US branches and their inability to operate as a single company. Employees at US branches couldn't understand they were part of the same company as Lloyds of London, and transfers were both painful and expensive. Concurrently, Midland Bank had a good relationship with a US bank which was subsequently bought by Wells Fargo, and that worked well. It worked especially well when they erroneously transferred that $250K into our account  ;D

Physical location of branches is much less of an issue nowadays, given all the electronic banking options. I had one of our grandkids open up a Schwab account in the UK, and everything is seamless between Schwab here and there. Any time we have any questions, employees at both ends are continually falling over themselves to be helpful, and Schwab offers virtually the same banking and card features as other financial institutions.
 
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