Lesson #2 of travelling: the credit card

[seldear]

Lesson #2 of travelling: don't forget your pin number, enter the wrong one three times, and have your VISA card chewed up while you're in a foreign country.

DO. NOT. DO. THIS.

I can't emphasise just how important it is that you avoid this situation!! Because let me tell you that fixing up emergency VISA cards is a complete and utter bitch.

Last night, about midnight US EST, I called my bank/Visacard company to report that the card had been chewed, and they advised me to get an emergency Visa, issued by VISA itself. They cancelled the card, gave me the number for VISA international, and said that they'd approve the issue of a new card.

I called VISA international, I reported the situation, I handed out the details my family history and they said they'd wait for the bank's approval to be sent through. Time: 1:00am.

At 6:40am (after going to bed at 3am), I get a call. The bank has refused the approval for issue of a new card. It is presently close to midnight in Australia and when I call reverse-charge (with great difficulty, I might add) the assistant can say that the emergency card application has been refused (which I already knew) but not why.

And I will have to call customer service in Australian work hours to get a response. Australian work hours will probably be around 6pm US EST. And then, even if they decide to approve it, I still have to get back to VISA international.

I have a spare card, but I don't know just how much of that one I've spent. And the one that got chewed had lower interest rates anyway.

I should have stayed home. I so should have stayed home.
ETA: Okay, so that's wrong. I've had a great time and met up with many many wonderful friends so far, and this is the first big snag I've had. But if you allow for maybe three hours of sleep and an instinct for grandstanding, then the turn of phrase can be viewed in a slightly more reasonable light.

And I will take this opportunity to add that the US phone carrier system sucks serious marbles. It took me ages to get operator, directory assistance, and all that stuff. I think I owe gwemegil and hubby money for futzing around with the damn phonenumbers for the last half-hour.

*grr*

Comments

[sarajael.livejournal.com]

Yargh. What a nightmare. Hope it gets sorted out soon.

Do you have travel insurance that you can get to sort you out in the meantime or something?

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

I have travel insurance and a spare VISA card.

If I lose this card, then I'm really screwed. I'm just hoping that we'll get it sorted out before the end of the working week.

Hopefully.

[meeshy.livejournal.com]

Ack. It's bad enough when that happens in your own country, let alone abroad *hugs* Hope you get it sorted soon.

[sleekuk.livejournal.com]

Ouch that's not good :P

[suds-from-aus.livejournal.com]

*Hugs* for such a horrible bit of bad luck.

Seriously hope you manage to get it all sorted!

[mtgat]

Ouch. Good luck. :/

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

What are you doing up? Isn't it past midnight or something?

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Uhuh. Not any more. :)

[cailetr.livejournal.com]

dude that sucks! But the phone is incredibly easy, I don't understand how you had trouble getting an operator on the us system, unless you meant the trouble you had with Australia. You dial 0 and voila, the operator is there. pretty darn easy.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Technically, it's simple. But then I discovered that 0 gets an automated response for operator, and when you get to the menu and selected 'collect call' then it goes straight into the 'please dial the number' without telling you if you need an IDD code before the country, region, and phone number.

Then I discovered that 0 gets you national collect, but international collect is 00. And then I discovered that the carrier didn't make international collect calls.

So it was actually a lot more complex than expected and not assisted by the fact that it was laaaaaate at night.

*falls asleep*

[angst-angel.livejournal.com]

*hugs* :(

[dannylurks.livejournal.com]

{{hugs}} Hope you get it all sorted out soon. Credit card companies can be hell to deal with when you're in your own country - being in a foreign country must make it so much worse!

[pixiesio.livejournal.com]

Ack! {{huggles}} *sends my kitty over for a nice cuddle session*

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Kitty!

[pandora-576.livejournal.com]

((HUGS))

That sucks! Hope it all works out.

[aunty-pasta.livejournal.com]

look on the bright side my dear sel, at least no one stole your credit card :)

[aunty-pasta.livejournal.com]

oh, and ps, if it makes you feel any better, whilst i was at sydney earlier this month, i managed to lock my wallet, mobile AND keycard inside the room of my hostel overnight and had to stay outside from 2200h to 0500 on king street in newtown until the cleaning lady came by *mutter* i hate keycards...scratch that...i hate sydney @ night! :D

ah well :)


many hugs dear selly!

[sjshipper.livejournal.com]

This made me gasp in sadness and dismay for you. What an icky think to have to handle on a trip. *pets*

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thanks. It's mostly sorted out now, but was a great inconvenience when it happened. :-/