Bank cards and shopping cards

Yorky

Yorky

RIP 21/01/2024
Joined
3 Oct 2016
Local time
11:16 AM
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Mod.Edit: posts moved to new topic (MG)

CookieMonster said:
please stop using a debit card.
use a credit card.

your 'protection' using a debit card is at the whim of the bank.
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Obtaining a credit card here as a foreigner is a somewhat tortuous process. First you need to open a bank account specifically aligned to the card. However much you deposit into that account determines the extent of your credit.
 
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Most credit cards are owned by banks here in Portugal. There are smaller credit companies that provide credit cards (like Wizink or Cofidis) but they're not as large or resourceful as a bank and I personally don't trust them. Most people who have a credit card have their credit card on the same bank as their debit card. Anyway I'd rather stay away from credit. I've never bought anything I didn't readily have money for, the only exception will be the day when I finally get to buy a house.
 
LissaC said:
Most credit cards are owned by banks here in Portugal. There are smaller credit companies that provide credit cards (like Wizink or Cofidis) but they're not as large or resourceful as a bank and I personally don't trust them. Most people who have a credit card have their credit card on the same bank as their debit card. Anyway I'd rather stay away from credit. I've never bought anything I didn't readily have money for, the only exception will be the day when I finally get to buy a house.
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I also only use a debit card. It keeps things simple.
 
LissaC said:
........the only exception will be the day when I finally get to buy a house.
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That was (and still is) me. I bought two houses on mortgages and the debt is now settled.

The last house I built myself and paid cash.

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Morning Glory said:
I also only use a debit card. It keeps things simple.
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When I worked in Perth (W.A.) in 2008, I was required to settle the ancillary hotel charges from my "per diem" allowance. I offered my debit card and it was refused. Discussing the refusal in the bar that evening (I was going to draw cash from an ATM the next day), the bartender suggested that I tell the front desk that it was a credit card. The next morning I did that and the card was accepted.

Go figure.
 
Let me just add that my debit card can be used pretty much the same as a credit card, I can use it for online shopping (when I use it on online purchases I get a text message on my cellphone with a code that I need to use to authorize the online purchase) and I can use it on most foreign countries. I do have a Revolut card that I only top up when I need to, and that I prefer to use abroad or shopping in online stores that don't feel 100% safe to me (like Aliexpress). I just don't want to find myself buying stuff with a credit card and having to pay for it later with interest.
 
LissaC said:
Let me just add that my debit card can be used pretty much the same as a credit card, I can use it for online shopping (when I use it on online purchases I get a text message on my cellphone with a code that I need to use to authorize the online purchase) and I can use it on most foreign countries. I do have a Revolut card that I only top up when I need to, and that I prefer to use abroad or shopping in online stores that don't feel 100% safe to me (like Aliexpress). I just don't want to find myself buying stuff with a credit card and having to pay for it later with interest.
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One time I had a credit card as such, it was a UK issued Barclaycard back in the late 90s. I received a bill for A$5,000.00 (I was in Malaysia) which was apparently a purchase in Sydney, Australia (it was about 7 years since I'd been to Sydney). Obviously I reported the fraudulent use to Barclaycard and they (eventually) sent me the receipt. I responded asking why they had covered a purchase which had a squiggle that was nowhere near my signature. It took three months at least to sort out and I received confirmation that the purchase was indeed fraudulent.

Believe it or not I subsequently received a bill from Barclaycard but only for the interest that had accrued during the intervening period. The response I received to my next telephone call was "Sorry, it's difficult to get decent staff these days!"

I cancelled the card after that.

And a few years later I cancelled my American Express card after they cocked up my account.

I've not had another credit card since.
 
Yorky said:
One time I had a credit card as such, it was a UK issued Barclaycard back in the late 90s. I received a bill for A$5,000.00 (I was in Malaysia) which was apparently a purchase in Sydney, Australia (it was about 7 years since I'd been to Sydney). Obviously I reported the fraudulent use to Barclaycard and they (eventually) sent me the receipt. I responded asking why they had covered a purchase which had a squiggle that was nowhere near my signature. It took three months at least to sort out and I received confirmation that the purchase was indeed fraudulent.

Believe it or not I subsequently received a bill from Barclaycard but only for the interest that had accrued during the intervening period. The response I received to my next telephone call was "Sorry, it's difficult to get decent staff these days!"

I cancelled the card after that.

And a few years later I cancelled my American Express card after they cocked up my account.

I've not had another credit card since.
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I've heard terrible stories about people having their cards cloned abroad, it happened to two coworkers of mine. Which is why I decided to have a Revolut card instead of a proper credit card, the Revolut is top up only, the pop ups from my bank account are authorized with an SMS code I receive on my cellphone, and I only top up the Revolut when I know I will need money so even if that card is stolen or cloned, they won't be stealing a lot of money from me.
 
I've a few other stories about cock-ups with credit/debit cards. Perhaps Morning Glory would consider opening a new thread?
 
LissaC said:
I've heard terrible stories about people having their cards cloned abroad, it happened to two coworkers of mine. Which is why I decided to have a Revolut card instead of a proper credit card, the Revolut is top up only, the pop ups from my bank account are authorized with an SMS code I receive on my cellphone, and I only top up the Revolut when I know I will need money so even if that card is stolen or cloned, they won't be stealing a lot of money from me.
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I use what is called a "Shopping Card" issued by my Thai bank. It isn't a card as such, just a number. I generally keep the limit to ฿2,000.00 (about US$65.00) and only increase this if I want to purchase something in excess of this amount (amending the limit is virtually instantaneous after I've entered a OTP sent to me via may handphone). After the purchase, I re-amend the limit back to ฿2,000.00.
 
Yorky said:
I use what is called a "Shopping Card" issued by my Thai bank. It isn't a card as such, just a number. I generally keep the limit to ฿2,000.00 (about US$65.00) and only increase this if I want to purchase something in excess of this amount (amending the limit is virtually instantaneous after I've entered a OTP sent to me via may handphone). After the purchase, I re-amend the limit back to ฿2,000.00.
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Yes we have that option here too, it's called a virtual credit card I believe. You can either create a virtual card with a set expiry date that you use how may times you want, or a virtual card to use on one specific purchase, and you set the limit amount you'd like to spend with that card.

We also have something pretty cool called Mbway - a phone app that connects to your bank and which you can use for payments or to transfer money to and from people. The app is connected to your phone number and works like a virtual card, and every transaction needs to be authorized with your fingerprint on the smartphone. The biggest advantages is that these transactions can be free of charge (depending on your bank) and the money you send or receive is instantly available on your bank account. Some Portuguese online stores are already accepting this payment method, and now with Covid some physical stores are accepting it as well.
 
Visa is basically the "brand" of the card. I have a Visa electron and regular Visa, both debit. I wish my Revolut was a Mastercard, that would have been so useful in the Netherlands, for some reason a lot places don't accept Visa there!

By the way, out of curiosity, most places in Portugal don't accept American Express which is a popular card brand with my American colleagues.
 
I did a credit check today with Equifax, and the summary showed that I had no credit cards, which is wrong, and that there was a problem with my mortgage. Huh?

So I called them. Apparently, my mortgage company said my house was "affected" recently by a natural disaster. Really? That's news to me. They also said that I used to have an American Express card that I closed years ago, but that's all -- no sign of the two cards I have right now. I never had an AMEX card -- ever. The customer service person told me that I opened it in 1971. WTF? I told her that in 1971, I was ten years old! :facepalm:

Equifax is sending me a detailed credit report, so I can find out what else they have wrong. I've already entered disputes on the mortgage thing and the AMEX card they think I got when I was ten. :facepalm::facepalm:

The lesson. CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT!!!

CD
 
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