<p>DS went to the company’s London office Friday evening with a few hundred dollars in cash and his credit and debit cards. He called and said that he couldn’t use plastic in many places like cabs and smaller street shops, and his cards (like Chase) weren’t accepted in a few of the ATMs he tried, like Barclays. He’s also due to spend a few days on the mainland and was uncertain how widely accepted his plastics would be. I’ve told him to check with his coworkers on options, but do any of you have suggestions on how he can access his accounts here or for us to temporarily ship him some funds - he’ll only be there till the latter part of next week.</p>
<p>Can you wire him some money and he can pay you back?</p>
<p>Did you notify his credit card company that he would be abroad before he left?</p>
<p>My kid did a semester in London and had no trouble using his Bank of America card anywhere…and they had some relationship with Barclays so no ATM fees were charged. When we visited him, we also had no difficulty. We do not have B of A.</p>
<p>We traveled to Africa and Europe three years ago and had absolutely no trouble using our Chase Visa card there…at all. Anywhere.</p>
<p>DD just got back from Southeast Asia…and she also had no credit card difficulties…although some folks prefer cash. </p>
<p>Are you authorized to talk to his bank on his behalf? Maybe give them a call. </p>
<p>ETA…you can probably wire him money. We did that with our son for a purchase he made. I don’t remember the procedure.</p>
<p>@thumper, the cc is working, and there isn’t a problem in his hotel or in a mall; it’s just over the weekend, in many places he went to, they only took cash.
@Teriwtt, he’s just staying temporarily in a hotel and doesn’t have any accounts in London. Can you still wire cash in a case like this? I’ve typically only sent money to an account.</p>
<p>I thought you could wire it to a location where you know he would be able to go pick it up. I remember doing it many years ago.</p>
<p>I checked western union, and they seem to have such a service. I’ll wait for him to check with his London office colleagues if there’s a better way be can do it there, and if not, I’ll have him check how close he is to one of their agents. Thanks for the suggestion.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why he is having a problem using his debit cards in ATMs. I have used my US debit card all over Europe with no problem whatsoever. Tell him to call his debit card company and ask why. It will probably be cheaper than the cost of wiring money.</p>
<p>D2 has been in London since Sep and she takes money out of different ATM machines with no problem. We also have Chase. </p>
<p>Does your son have more than 4 numbers as his pin number? Most foreign ATM machines only take 4.</p>
<p>Supposedly at one point some European ATM’s had a problem with a PIN containing a 0. I was reassured by Wells Fargo that this is no longer the case. But…who knows.</p>
<p>When I moved from one state to another state in US, initially my credit card company would not allow me to use money above a certain amount. After I called the company, this problem was resolved.</p>
<p>Also, at one time, DS used our shared credit card (which he had never used before) to rent a car, he could not until we called the company to authorize it (or to reply to an alert text message or email
from the credit card company.</p>
<p>Now we know that whenever one of us need to use the card at a new location, we need to call first.</p>
<p>Thanks - I’ll forward your comment to him; I’m hoping that on Monday he can work it out with the cards he has since more places will be open.</p>
<p>Did he manage to get this straightened out?</p>
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<p>I know. Mine worked in every ATM I encountered (and there were quite a few).</p>
<p>He emailed me that he was able to go to the London branch of his employer and get enough cash at work and got it settled. Thanks you all.</p>
<p>As long as he got something worked out, it doesn’t matter what it took. Our kids can become very resourceful when we’re not there to fix everything for them, right?</p>
<p>Glad the problem has been solved.</p>
<p>However, I think the key to the OP’s credit card problem was the description of the stores: “cabs and smaller street shops”. Remember, most of the rest of the civilized world uses “chip” cards - typically “chip and PIN”. While US-style magnetic swipe cards can be used, some non-touristy places might not know how to process these cards. US cards typcially can’t be used without human intervention, so automated gas pumps etc. - so be prepared. </p>
<p>The good news is US is finally catching up to the rest of the world. Some issuers are already including chips in their new cards. The chip, especially with a required PIN, substantially reduces the chance of fraud.</p>
<p>I was going to mention the chip and pin problem. All credit/debit cards in UK are chip and pin. Most in the US aren’t. Sometimes, you can swipe and sign, but most restaurants and small shops are reluctant to do so. Some point-of-sale machines won’t take non-chip and pin cards at all (London underground). And many cabs won’t take credit/debit cards (even some of the ones who say they do). But most US cards will work in ATMs, which is the best way to get cash. </p>