it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Is this true? That most US shops can't take a Canadian debit card? What happened to the Global Economy????

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...om-county.html

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

What's a debit card?

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

In Canada we don't use the Visa/MC payment system, the banks were compelled by the govt. to get together to form their own system called: "InterAC". The logic behind it was to stop Visa and MC ripping off merchants, because there was concern about that happening back then.

It is pretty antiquated, because you can't easily use it for on-line purchases (there is a way of registering but it's awkward).

However the US system is also antiquated because we now have chip + PIN and they still don't, so that causes another problem, even though an InterAC card is part of the Cirrus system. If you accept as a retailer a Canadian card and use the strip instead of the chip, then the liability falls on you, not on the bank, if the card is fraudulent. Which in the US is impossible, I think this is what the article is on about, sounds like they're getting InterAC compliant terminals.

CIBC offer a card that is an InterAC card and a Visa/MC card abroad, but really the solution is to either use a credit card or get a US bank account.

http://www.interac.ca/about.php

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

That worked out well...I was in a Pizza Hut last week that charged a $1.25 service charge to pay via Interac because of excessive costs the banks were laying onto the business for the service. So much for that then:)

My regular supermarket no longer accepts Visa as an option, they say due to the higher service charges.

Its a mess, what can I say.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

I'll be keeping my US bank account. That is TOO weird!
Not having a chip or pin for my US card has rarely been a problem in the UK. The card just gets swiped. I never dreamed anything like this was in store for me...(pun intended)

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

A card you have to use because even when you have plenty of money you can't get a credit card. So annoying!

It took us 2 months to get a credit card when we got here - from HSBC that we bank with - crazy - they have access to our accounts - they can see what's in there! :blink:

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Make sure if you are moving to Canada to have an up-to-date W-8BEN on file with the US bank saying you are covered by the US-Canada tax treaty. (If they're any good they should ask you when you put in for a change of address).

Yet another bureaucratic hassle I keep getting, oh you've sent me a 1099, it should be a 1042-S, well it wasn't my fault you can't read a W-8, blah, blah.

I suspect with US banks near Blaine they deal with this more often than most banks so they're probably more switched on to it.

Sometimes they'll actually print off the W-8BEN in front of you and tell you everything is okay and half the boxes are blank because they're idiots.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Glad its not just mine OH who had his cards refused on his recent business trip to U.S. Is it worth getting an AMEX? Or would that be useless too?:confused:

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

By my reckoning because Canada is 25 years behind the times it is still 1987.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Amex is a bit hit and miss in its acceptance.

If you have one in the UK its worth transfering over here as it will certainly help establish Cdn credit history, and if you have a cdn mastercard or visa, interac usage in the US is no longer a factor.

The other thing against interac is many cdn banks charge for each transaction, or else charge for monthly plans with a finite number of "free" transactions.

Charge everything to your mastercard and pay the bill and thats only one transaction, plus you get cashback or loyalty points too. I seldom use my debit card nowadays, there is no incentive to. Its worth shopping around for currency conversion rates on cards too, my Visa card has a lower rate then my usual mastercard, so I use that for mail order and US trips.

Most people with PR are able to get a mastercard secured to money left with the bank in a GIC. Even people on TWPs have reported sucess with that, although I personally had no joy with it until I was a PR.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

It works for me. Where is it not accepted?

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Thanks for that info, I will look into getting a MasterCard. We are on TWP but did manage to get Visa through TD withing 2 weeks of arriving. Might even see if we can upgrade the cards now as the limits are only $1000 (I realise its much better than some other people get but not enough when you are trying to buy stuff for the house):o

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

If you've already got a Visa CC, you don't need to bother with a MasterCard as well. Up to you.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Interac works at most grocery stores I've tried in the US, and you can often get cashback which is a cheaper way of withdrawing US$. It works at some other retailers as well - I successfully used it at Ross.

My girlfriend has a CIBC Visa Debit card which is accepted pretty much everywhere in the US.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Its not a bad idea to have both, some places wont accept one or the other.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

It has higher charges to the retailer, its far from universally accepted. Mostly its smaller mom and pop places that dont want to eat the costs. Its more common to have problems with it in Canada though than the states.


Mind you, its been a while since I had a corporate Amex, I chose not to pay for the "privilege" of having a personal one.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

My amex is free. The only places i can't use it is in a Superstore or at a few shitty little gas stations or the tiny private stores.

Most places are fine though. I have a mastercard as back up.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

I also have a Corporate Amex but I only use it for <gasp> corporate expenses. It's a bit annoying because our finance department is a bit slow in reimbursing, so more than once I've been dinged with late payment charges.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

We got a Global Payment Card from our bank. Issued by MasterCard, but works like a Debit Card in that the purchases are taken straight from our chequing account (we checked this once while away: sure enough, the money was straight out from our account). And it has never been refused in the US (or anywhere else, for that matter!)

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

the only problem I had in the US with M/card was getting petrol(read gas) from the pump as some require you to enter a zip code...........and apparently 90210 doesnt cut it

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

I have one but stopped using it in favour of a personal credit card that collects aeroplan points for me. It's a handy back up in emergencies but the only place I've had to use it in the last year was a small restaurant in rural Netherlands. Everywhere else takes visa & I've been able to use my interac card in most places during my travels down south.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

That's exactly why I refuse to get an Amex for work expenses, and just use my own mastercard that I pay off manually.

I get nasty emails and a gentle prod off my boss every now and then, but I point blank refuse and state that I'm not putting my credit history in the hands of the company.

They say they will never pay late, but this is coming from the company who claimed my expenses had been paid but nothing had landed in my bank account. I called finance which had been centralised to India and the call centre guy said: "it was paid last Wednesday into the account with sort code, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, and account number zero, zero, zero ..."

"let me stop you there" I said "do you see the problem?"

Sadly/worryingly he didn't. Company policy or not, no Amex for me.

Plus at one point a few years ago, there was a mass move away from Amex by retailers in the UK because of the high charges for the transaction (unless Amex have changed tack and reduced them).

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

You're right. AMEX isn't a popular card in the UK. I wouldn't want to rely on one. What they are doing now is piggy backing existing VISA accounts eg. I'm with MBNA and have 2 credit cards for the same account, one VISA, one AMEX. The AMEX offers better cashback but can only be used in certain stores and websites due to their higher fees.
When booking a flight online for example, you need to be aware on the payment page that if you pick AMEX rather than VISA, the price may increase.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

I have a corporate Amex card. I only use it for flights, hotels and computer stuff. I don't care if the bill is paid late. I never see the bill.

I have in the past found Amex to be very good at replacing lost/stolen cards in a matter of hours. Their security also seems pretty good. They noticed immediately when "I" bought a mattress in NYC (where I have never been) and petrol in Michigan (I don't drive).

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

If the card isn't in your name then you need not worry, but if it is in your name I would worry about late payments as they will damage your credit rating.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

Yep - I've run into that problem. For example, Tim Hortons accepted Mastercard but not VISA until just recently.

Re: it IS 2012, isn't it?
 

It's usually OK but problems are becoming more common. I tried using a US swipe credit card at a restaurant in the UK but the young cashier didn't know how to process a swiped transaction (she actually told me they could only accept chip & PIN cards). I ended up paying by cash. I found out later that they could process swiped transactions - she just didn't know how to do it!

Although retailers in Europe in general are supposed to process credit card transactions that are not chip & PIN (through an agreement with the credit card companies), this doesn't help you if you are dealing with a machine that only accepts chip & PIN cards (e.g. an automated ticket machine at a train station). I've heard stories of US travellers missing early morning trains in Europe as they wait for the ticket windows to open so they can buy a ticket from a ticket agent.

Chip & PIN is now coming to the US - but slowly. VISA and Mastercard have given US retailers a deadline in which to switch to the more secure chip & PIN technology. Once the deadline passes, liability for fraudulent swiped transactions switches from the credit card company to the retailer.

Some US credit card companies have begun offering chip & PIN cards to select customers and to those willing to pay a hefty annual fee. However, I found a US credit union (AFCU) that offers one for free. I joined to get their chip & PIN VISA card (it can also be swiped so will continue to work in the US). I'll be trying it out on my next trip to Canada or Europe. My 2 oldest daughters are also taking one to Europe shortly.

The US is well behind on this issue. US credit card companies are hearing an increasing number of complaints from US travellers who are experiencing problems using their credit cards abroad.