Uk Bank Card Refused

[Je-reviens]

Tried to pay for shopping today at our nearest Carrefour, woman on checkout asked what kind of card it was before we put it into the card reader. When told it was a UK bank card, she said it couldn't be used without authorisation, she then phoned someone gave them all our card details & was quickly told it was refused.

When asked why, she gave that Gallic shrug of the shoulders & said she had no idea, but has been told that the authorisation process has to be gone through. We told her we have paid this way many times before & asked for the supervisor, in the end being short of time we used our French card & didn't get to speak to anyone else.

We used the same card in a lot smaller shops the same day & even bought event tickets in Carrefour about an hour previously.

This is a first for us in 18years but thought I'd pass on this info in case anyone gets stuck if its a new Carrefour policy.

Our card is HSBC Debit Card with Maestro sign.

[klyne]

Perhaps you should have left the food in the trolley and walked away! Mind you had my Tesco Card declined last year in Belgium and when I contacted Tesco it was because someone else had tried to use it to buy online and they had put a stop on it. You at least have the advantage of being able to communicate with the cashier, I just whipped out another card and tried to hide the red face!

 

David

[couiza]

**

Edited July 8, 2009 by couiza

[Je-reviens]

Last year I had my French cheque refused in a Champion

 

Not had that pleasure.

 

In the larger towns & cities they always ask for ID when paying by cheque, sometimes two forms of ID if its over a certain ammount, usually indicated at the checkout.

 

In our local town they don't usually ask for ID below €150

[beejay]

Tried to pay for shopping today at our nearest Carrefour, woman on checkout asked what kind of card it was before we put it into the card reader. When told it was a UK bank card, she said it couldn't be used without authorisation, she then phoned someone gave them all our card details & was quickly told it was refused.

When asked why, she gave that Gallic shrug of the shoulders & said she had no idea, but has been told that the authorisation process has to be gone through. We told her we have paid this way many times before & asked for the supervisor, in the end being short of time we used our French card & didn't get to speak to anyone else.

We used the same card in a lot smaller shops the same day & even bought event tickets in Carrefour about an hour previously.

This is a first for us in 18years but thought I'd pass on this info in case anyone gets stuck if its a new Carrefour policy.

Our card is HSBC Debit Card with Maestro sign.

 

 

Did the cashier realise you were not French? Otherwise, why ask before you inserted the card? Surely, if the card had been inserted and rejected there would be a reason to enquire as to it's type or origin? As far as I know if premises display the card logo(s) they should accept a card of that type regardless of it's country of origin. But, the French, like Frank Sinatra, "do it their way".

A card reader rejecting a card is different. I have had my cards rejected a number of times in Europe but trying a second or third time usually gets it accepted. I've also been told that because the card is foreign it won't work, . ....until I show them receipts from the same shop for the previous purchases <_<

Edited March 6, 2009 by beejay

[JonathanM]

We've had occasional card refusals, my wife especially, and at the time she banked with Nat West, whenever she rang them the standard reason was always "computer updates (?)" but the card was working again in no time, so maybe it was just some tech glitch?

[Je-reviens]

Did the cashier realise you were not French?

I would imagine so firstly by our accents & hearing us speaking English while at the till.

 

We don't go to Carrefour that often as its the furthest supermarket from us, but it will be interesting to see if this happens again.

[jaymac]

I've used my nationwide card in Carrefour in France and Spain without any problems so I hope it was just a one off for you, Dave.

[Je-reviens]

Yes me also, it was all the stranger having used it in the same shop an hour earlier. I reckon if we had just put it into the machine it would have worked no problem, we had the funds in the account and did not pass any daily limits etc.

[beejay]

Yes me also, it was all the stranger having used it in the same shop an hour earlier. I reckon if we had just put it into the machine it would have worked no problem, we had the funds in the account and did not pass any daily limits etc.

 

You should have insisted on using it, particularly if you had used it before in the store. If the card is read by the machine ( first display after entering PIN is "card accepted or " PIN accepted" depending on machine) there could be no reason for refusal.

[Vernon]

As you had used it in the same store an hour earlier, the Bank sometimes blocks a card if it is used more than once in an 'alien' (excuse the term!) place, to prevent a possible recently stolen card being used quickly in one store, before you can report it, normally a phone call clears it.

[jan69c]

As you had used it in the same store an hour earlier, the Bank sometimes blocks a card if it is used more than once in an 'alien' (excuse the term!) place, to prevent a possible recently stolen card being used quickly in one store, before you can report it, normally a phone call clears it.

I have had Barclays do that on me with both credit & debit cards. Their fraud department picked up on unusal spending patterns. It can be a bit embarassing, but at least you know that nobody is going on a shopping spree with your card.

[Je-reviens]

Been shopping at Carrefour again, no trouble with card this time, but i didn't wait to be asked about it just put it into machine & paid no problem.

Our bank hadn't been contacted as per info on original post, or decline a payment. No idea who the woman on the till was talking to, she just contacted a number out of a note pad she had.

Just occured to me, good scam if it was one of her mates, as she gave every detail of our card over the phone & to those in the queue.

I have no reason to believe it wasn't anything but a legitimate security check, but stranger things happen, what if one of her mates was in queue behind us recording what she read out.

Anyway off to bed now, they are watching me, there's someone at the door in a white coat.

[colinj09]

Been shopping at Carrefour again, no trouble with card this time, but i didn't wait to be asked about it just put it into machine & paid no problem.

Our bank hadn't been contacted as per info on original post, or decline a payment. No idea who the woman on the till was talking to, she just contacted a number out of a note pad she had.

Just occured to me, good scam if it was one of her mates, as she gave every detail of our card over the phone & to those in the queue.

I have no reason to believe it wasn't anything but a legitimate security check, but stranger things happen, what if one of her mates was in queue behind us recording what she read out.

Anyway off to bed now, they are watching me, there's someone at the door in a white coat.

 

My experience has been much the same. Last week, in Cherbourg, we used both Barclaycard and hsbc without problems. However, when I used the latter, which is paid off automatically each month, to book two separate LD Lines out and back trips, (2 transactions totalling £650) hsbc were on the phone within an hour to ask if the slightly unusual spending was genuine.

 

I normally buy my maps from a company in Paris. I ordered without trouble in January, but a recent order was rejected by the credit card agency. A telephone call was answered with a sort of Gallic shrug and emails are dealt with by an auto response system. Having found the maps £2-00 cheaper in UK, the Paris agent emailed to say that all is now well, so I could reorder. It was. apparently, 'un bug.'

 

The French IT systems are obviously as temperamental as our own, so occasionally suffer from 'des glitches.' I do not think that travellers have much cause for concern about this.