Chip In or Else

These days, you don't need a chip on your shoulder to travel, but you had better have one in your wallet when visiting many countries. When we were in Cambodia in 2008, we went to a lovely restaurant that took credit cards. 

After an outstanding, but still relatively inexpensive meal, I whipped out my credit card to pay the bill. I had not visited an ATM, so we were cash poor at the moment, but credit rich. The server took the credit card only to return moments later to say the card would not work. Assuming the company did not read the memo that we were traveling, I just handed over another card. Without leaving the table, the server said "This card will not work either." Not sure if we had met a Cambodian fortuneteller or what the story was, I asked innocently "How do you know this?" 

It seems Cambodia, back in 2008, had changed over the credit card system to the microchip embedded cards. Their machine was only capable of reading the chip. Swiping the card was not an option. 

Having read about this issue occurring in Europe, the thought that it would happen in Cambodia never surfaced in my wildest dreams. Still, what I had read was to tell the creditor to call in for authorization. There was no getting around this issue; the restaurant people were not willing to comprise on our using our credit card. When they finally accepted the fact that we did not have enough cash between us, they suggested we return the next day with the full amount owed. Refusing even partial payment, they sent us on our way.

The next day, we arrived around noon to pay our debt; we had to get to the airport. They were closed, even with the hours showing a lunch service was possible. We left the money with the business next door, hoping for the best. 

Now in 2014, I just read the article Don’t be a chip-and-pinhead! by Christopher Elliott where he had problems on a motorway when approaching the Europabrücke or Europe Bridge. When he went to pay the toll, the machine would not accept his non-chip US credit card.

This made me check my credit cards. I have a Citibank Visa, CapitolOne MC, and 3 different Amex cards, but the only card with a chip is the Diners Club/Mastercard. I never leave home without it, because it gives me access to Diners Club lounges in airports around the world. There are some really unexpected places where they have fabulous lounges. The $95 membership fee pays for itself, plus I get airline miles for any purchases. When we are at home, I keep it for emergencies. 

Check for chips before leaving home. More and more places here are using the chip cards and much of the rest of Europe is too.

Pin It Now!

You Want to Transfer Money? Don't Bank On It Part 1

As I shared yesterday, we signed the paperwork for the new apartment last night. I had wanted to make the bank transfers online while we were still in the realtor's office; once the password was typed in of course I welcomed a gaggle of witnesses looking over my shoulder. But no... first our realtor chimed in and said wait until tomorrow, but our lawyer seconded the motion. I knew this was a mistake, yet you follow advice when doubly offered. 

This morning, we were up early, booting up the computer and logging into our XYZ Bank account. We had made the seller a new payee yesterday, so it was all systems go. Type in the log in information, select the account, the payee, the day of transfer, and then the amount. Click on "Are you sure you want to make this transfer?" I hate getting these automated services when they question my judgement. It is like my mother's voice calling from the grave whining "Are you sure that is wise? Remember the last time..." With a stiff finger showing stoic intent, we hit the CONTINUE button with a sense of relief and disregard to mom's admonition. All is well with the world, the sun is shining, the full deposit has been made, we can let out our held breathes...

So much for false security. Red letters flashed across the screen "This amount exceeds your daily limit of 2 million HUF a day." Now what? We remember and revert to the Hungarian saying, "If you cannot get through the large gate, there is always a little gate next to it that you can usually get through." Well, it's worth a try, but we are both big guys and this is a big amount. That is one heck of a lot of squeezing through small gates.

We sign out of Ron's account number and sign back in with mine. We are able to confuse the system enough to allow us to send another 2 million, but that is where the bank has put its virtual foot down. No more! Okay, now what? I had to go to the doctor, so Ron went to the bank to try to fix this. Rather than their helping him there, they sent him home with a phone number to call. To their benefit, he didn't have all the information needed for their copious forms that needed to be completed and it would have taken longer to fill out the forms, get them into their computer and finally to be processed than it would have been to return to the US, get the cash and carry it over by hand.

When he returned home, I had returned from the ENT doctor. Finally, someone has diagnosed my sinus problems. There are three areas of sinuses that are chronically infected. The end result is surgery, but the doctor said to wait on this. After Ron and I exchanged our day's survival bits, he called Citibank to arrange for the rest of the money to be transferred to the seller, per the instructions they sent him home with. After thirty minutes on the phone, they had accumulated all of the data needed to check our dental records, know the last ten people we had relations with from the prior 4 decades, and oh, yea the reason for our call, to transfer our money. 

Just when we thought we were through, there was a catch. Someone else from the bank will be calling back to confirm our identity or that of Ron Schmitz and confirm the transfer. Okay, fine, but we had lunch plans with Árpád my former student and with Dan and Ellen, a Fulbrighter and his wife. Ron was going to leave us early for a tour at the museum he was to lead. He gave me his ATM card, this pin number and all of the codes the bank gave him for the confirmation call, and his phone. 

Giving that extra spice to being an ex-pat, last night we didn't have any water in the kitchen. There was water in both bathrooms, but none where the dirty dinner dishes were sitting. At lunch, we asked Árpád to call the building manger, an outside company. Turns out a pipe had been replaced, but the residents were warned yesterday. The joys of ex-pat living. No one came to our door. "Forget them, they are Americans; they will probably not notice."
 
All in all, I was prepared for the Citibank call allowing Ron to go do his tour of duty without interruptions... or so we thought... to be continued.

Related articles

• Nose Sprays: A Bit of Relief for Sinus Problems (everydayhealth.com)
• How Smoking Harms Your Sinuses (everydayhealth.com)
• The Scoop on Neti Pots (everydayhealth.com)
• CITIBANK-Arrests people from the street and force them inside the bank: This after 25 people are arrested for closing their bank accounts: Where is the Main stream Media Reporting? (euzicasa.wordpress.com)

Pin It Now!

It's About Time Hungary Caught Up

After living here in Hungary for almost ten years now, my credit card numbers have been stolen 9 times. Let me repeat that. The credit card numbers have been stolen 9 times. However, all 9 times, they have been 'borrowed' within the borders of the United States. Take notice: I have not set foot on U.S. soil since January 2003. Were these hints that I have been missed. "Wish you were here so we could do worse to you."


In addition to my identity theft through plastic, someone had the audacity to forge one of our California B of A checks, not an original, but a copy. They made it out for $2,000, signed Ron's name, but not even closely resembling Ron's signature, and then they cashed it at a B of A in Georgia. The bank cashing the check never asked for ID it turns out, but B of A took 3 months for their 'investigation' before returning our money.


Never, ever, ever have we had problems outside of the U.S. until yesterday. Ron tried logging into our Citibank account here in Budapest to pay bills. He could not access the system. After multiple tries, he called the bank. They verbally pummeled him with security questions. What is your account number? How many names on the account? What is your mother's paternal grandmother's middle name? What was your foot size at birth? How many words could you speak by the age of 4 years old?


When I came home and looked at him, I had thought he had been mugged by feral animals without claws. All of that talking drained him of his strength. He needed to be recharged. It turned out that his ATM card number was stolen. The ATM card that he has only used 4 times in 9+ years and it was stolen. When they asked if he withdrew 2 million Huf, I choked and laughed. If we had that kind of money, we would be on vacation right now. 


It looks like Hungary may just be starting to catch up with the U.S. on these types of fraud. Just like Hungary to be late for everything.

Related articles

• Notorious 84-Year-Old Burglar Caught in Hungary (cbsnews.com)
• Hungary launches dollar bonds worth $3.75 bln-IFR (reuters.com)
• Suggested place - Budapest, Hungary (travelpod.com)

Pin It Now!