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Ok, So I am going to USA for 5 weeks. I have a master card debit card. I was wondering do they have Chip & Pin over there? My card is Chip & pin so maybe it won't work?
Are you charged every time you purchase goods and if so is there a way of going past the charge?
Almost NO merchants in the US use Chip&Pin. Just about all of them are Swipe Card, and pin Pad.
Does your Card have the MagStrip on the back?
Also Tell your bank you are going to the US, so fraud alert does not kick in and shutdown your card.
Its against MasterCard/Visa Merchant agreement for them to charge you a Fee to use the card. They can impose minimum debit/charge amounts for you to use you card. Most are around $5-10USD.
Honesty if you are buying something less then $5-10USD you should use cash.
Yes, but they will charge an international exchange fee each time you use the card. Often, the best thing is to stop at an ATM, withdraw the maximum you are allowed, and use cash for most purchases. You'll also get the best exchange rate by using the ATM.
My bank says i'm charged a transaction fee of £2.35 and then 2.75 percent of each transaction.
Hmmm thats not what I want. Think I will just use the card for emergencies. Rip off
We shouldn't be charged anything.
That's nonsense, but I still say the most cost effective thing is to withdraw the max from the US ATM, then pay cash. Some banks do not charge the transaction fee - maybe you need to change banks. Yours does seem to be charging a high percentage of each transaction fee.
Will you be staying in hotels? If so, do you have a credit card to use against incidentals? If you give them a debit card when you check in, the hotel will "freeze" a certain amount of cash as a deposit (usually a portion of your whole stay, or the cost of 1-2 nights) and it usually takes a few days for the funds to be released back to you after checking out.
Much better to use a credit card for this, even if you pay the actual hotel bill with the debit card (or even in cash).
The O/P is 18, he is staying with his parents in FL on a holiday (They will be paying for the hotel/major food) .
He looking to use his debit card for Incidentals.
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