I have a card in Australia that includes my middle initial on it - does this change anything when making payments on the internet? Do I need to input my first name followed by the initial or do I disregard it altogether and just input my first+last name?

I'm annoyed because I specifically filled out the field regarding what was to appear on the card (where I wrote just my first and last name) but they still managed to squeeze in my middle initial.

Input the name as written on the card. My middle initial is wrong on my cc, I just type it as it's on the card as it's their mistake.

If you didn't want your middle name or initial to appear on anything with the bank, why did you give it to them in the first place? My middle name doesn't appear on bank accounts, driving licences, or passports.

This.

My debit card has Mrs and my middle initial, so when I fill in the 'name on the card' bit then I put it exactly as it is shown on the card.

Thanks guys, I recall that most of my transactions actually had a single field for inputting the name on the card in which case this wouldn't be a problem, I guess the issue would only arise when first and last names were required in separate fields...

I had a card with the ANZ for some years and they had my surname spelt wrong!
It was never any trouble though

A middle initial should create no problems. I am sure they never actually check it

This is not nearly as annoying as all the computerised systems which assume everyone has a middle initial - so if (like me) you don't have one they assign you a dummy one! I fought this with a previous employer and won - I refused to have an arbitrary Z inserted between my first and second initials! And the trouble I had getting a Philippine driving licence, because EVERYONE has 3 initials over there.

And what about the guy I was at college with who was RTHMW? Which ones do they leave out?

I don't have a middle name either (always felt hard done by as a child), I don't think I have ever been assigned a dummy one though.

Talking of middle names....

TheOriginalMrDreamy was born just after his paternal grandfather died, so his middle name was given after him... Herbert.

He never used it on anything, not on any paperwork apart from that which officially required it. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have a middle name.

When we got married, the vicar told him he had to read his name out in full as it was on his birth certificate, but not to worry, he'd do it quick, no one would even notice.

Come the ceremony, the vicar said 'Do you, TheOriginal Herbert :ause for laughter:he said that bit) MrDreamy take.....'

He didn't pause for laughter long enough...

MrOriginalDreamy eventually saw the funny side. Until the wedding video came out....

My middle initial is on my credit card but I never use it on anything. I just recently booked flights on 4 different airlines, hotels in 3 cities a rental car and cooking school all without ever using the middle initial.

My card says 'Mrs Ima H Ottie' but wheneveer I fill in the cardholder name section online I always just put 'Ima Ottie'. Never had a problem with paying for anything that way.

That's what I'll be doing then. Just skipping over the middle initial entirely.

Murphy's Law says, however unlikely, that one day you will come across a customer service person that goes by the book and may reject it.

Sod's law, actually.