# Holiday in US with no credit card - help!



## twister (Sep 2, 2008)

Hey, 

Only have my cirrus maestro (first direct) card stupidly and so does my better half. They are debit cards not visa. Can see this becoming a problem.

Yes I know it's stupid.

We both have Visas at home (somewhere). Mine is a visa debit (barclays) which I never use) and hers is a visa from first direct. You reckon there's any way of getting a visa card issued over here from the UK via HSBC/F.Direct or Barclays? - or are we just going to have to wing it with cash? 

Help appreciated.

Will phone my bank and see if there's anything they can do anyway.. people LOSE cards on hols all the time, has to be nearly the same thing - just need a new card.

Thanks all,

t


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## Vintage Paw (Sep 2, 2008)

Traveller's cheques.

T'is the only way.













(sorry I'm no help)


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## internetstalker (Sep 2, 2008)

twister said:


> Hey,
> 
> Only have my cirrus maestro (first direct) card stupidly and so does my better half. They are debit cards not visa. Can see this becoming a problem.
> 
> ...




IIRC
you can get an immediate replacement card anywhere in the world, ring up your credit crad company and seee what they'll do for you


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## Kanda (Sep 2, 2008)

Why do you need a visa card?

I've never had to have one in the US


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## twister (Sep 3, 2008)

Kanda said:


> Why do you need a visa card?
> 
> I've never had to have one in the US



reserving hotels, hiring cars, etc etc. 

The latter of which being the biggest problem atm. Can't see them letting us hire a car with a $100 cash deposit.

My maestro debit card is like an alien language over here. What? - a card that takes the money straight from your account that you actually have?? - we'll have none of that please! 

had trouble phoning 0845 numbers from the US. have been on saynoto0870.com and have now got alternate numbers for both my banks.

Wish me luck.


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## 1927 (Sep 3, 2008)

There is no way you will be able to rent a car without a credit card.


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## D (Sep 3, 2008)

The debit card should be fine as long as it has some kind of credit card symbol (isn't that what a maestro debit card has - looks like a mastercard?).

So if you overdraw, you have a line of credit, right?


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## D (Sep 3, 2008)

People use debit cards in the States too.


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## Looby (Sep 4, 2008)

I don't think maestro is accepted though. Even paying for things online from the states I have to use a credit card. I think if it's a Visa debit it's ok but there is never an option for Maestro.


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## Kanda (Sep 4, 2008)

Ah, mines a Visa Debit. That explains it.


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## twister (Sep 8, 2008)

we're muddling through with cash withdrawn from ATMs OK. The only thing that it has stopped us doing is hiring a car. Hotels have been ok with cash deposit and payment up front.

I just find the whole situation a bit odd. The card I have is a debit card which takes the money straight from my account and you can't accept it here, but you will happily accept a credit card - where the money is in fact not mine..\

annnnyway....


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## jonead (Sep 8, 2008)

twister said:


> we're muddling through with cash withdrawn from ATMs OK. The only thing that it has stopped us doing is hiring a car. Hotels have been ok with cash deposit and payment up front.
> 
> I just find the whole situation a bit odd. The card I have is a debit card which takes the money straight from my account and you can't accept it here, but you will happily accept a credit card - where the money is in fact not mine..\
> 
> annnnyway....



debit vs. credit ...

debit cards are nothing lika as popular in the US as they are here now (introduced ~2001/2), and are occasioanlly treated as some dark magick.

also - mor eimportantly from the veiw of car hire companies - there is a merchant facility to 'reserve' some cash on your cc without actually taking it (in practice, core systems will reduce your hidden limit by that amount).  hotels/car hire/anywhere where you might run/need to hold a deposit use this frequently.  in fact hotels typically do this 5-7 times a day while you stay there, silently adjusting - usually down - how much the merchant can take from your card if you do a runner.  there's no way of reserving this on a dc, since it's the $$ in your current account which are at question here.


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## jonead (Sep 8, 2008)

sparklefish said:


> I don't think maestro is accepted though. Even paying for things online from the states I have to use a credit card. I think if it's a Visa debit it's ok but there is never an option for Maestro.



meastro _is_ accepted quite widely (tho' not as widely as we'd wish) and often goes by the Cirrus name in the US

Cirrus & Maestro are both mastercard products btw


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## Gavin Bl (Sep 8, 2008)

yeah maestro is accepted, I used it to pay for subway tickets in DC about 5 years ago.

If a firm are going to let you take away a car worth many thousands of pounds, then they need something that will keep you liable for thousands of pounds - a credit card.

I would ring your bank to see about an emergency replacement.


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## twister (Sep 9, 2008)

Gavin Bl said:


> If a firm are going to let you take away a car worth many thousands of pounds, then they need something that will keep you liable for thousands of pounds - a credit card.
> 
> I would ring your bank to see about an emergency replacement.



i understand the logic. doesn't stop me not having a visa card tho.

i phoned my bank and First Direct were no real help (wife has a visa which she could have had reissued and sent - if we agreed to the risk - but would have taken 7-10 days). Barclays (which i have a visa debit with) I couldn't get through to anyone without my card number!? god i hate those fuckers.


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## 1927 (Sep 9, 2008)

twister said:


> i phoned my bank and First Direct were no real help (wife has a visa which she could have had reissued and sent - if we agreed to the risk - but would have taken 7-10 days). Barclays (which i have a visa debit with) I couldn't get through to anyone without my card number!? god i hate those fuckers.



Why slag off the banks in this case tho it wasnt their fault you didnt have ya card details ready or were unwilling to take "the risk".


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## MullahNasrudin (Sep 9, 2008)

Surely you need a pre-paid Visa card?

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/reloadable_prepaid_card.html


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## Gavin Bl (Sep 9, 2008)

If its one of the big boys like Avis or Hertz, why not try ringing their UK numbers, and see if there is an alternative way round, or if a specific pick up can be arranged through the UK office. When i have hired in the US before, the booking has always been made first in the UK.


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