In the letter “Winging It to Estonia…” (Aug. ‘16, pg. 12), a reader wrote that his credit and ATM cards wouldn’t work in Estonia because he hadn’t notified his bank about his last-minute itinerary change to Estonia.
I had a similar experience on a Rhine and Moselle river cruise aboard the River Navigator with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/514-1845, www.vantagetravel.com) in May 2015.
I read the subscribers’ letters on the subject “Travel Insurance Claim Denied” (July ’16. pg. 37 & Aug. ’16, pg. 36) and noted some situations in which travelers’ credit cards could have covered them when purchased insurance travel plans did not.
Traveling home from the British Virgin Islands to Burlington, Vermont, in February 2016, my husband and I encountered a flight cancellation due to weather, and it required an overnight stay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. American Airlines was not responsible for any reimbursement, as the cancellation/delay was due to weather.
The first US-based credit card able to be used in Cuba was released on June 14 by Stonegate Bank (Pompano Beach, FL; 954/315-5500, www.stonegate bank.com). The Stonegate Platinum, World and World Elite MasterCards are the chip-and-PIN type and can be used at any point-of-sale (POS) terminal in Cuba.
To apply for a card online, visit www.stonegatebank.com/credit_cards.htm and, from the red “Online Applications” menu, select “Consumer credit card.”
During a business trip to Mumbai, India, on Dec. 5, 2015, I took advantage of a free day to shop in the Colaba area of South Mumbai, where the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Gateway of India are located.
Two blocks north of the hotel, I discovered an arts, crafts and jewelry store with marked prices that were fair (a rarity there). I purchased a box and three figurines of carved camel bone, charging them to my MasterCard.
I was greatly impressed with David Selley’s letter “Tips on Exchanging Currency” (Feb. ’15, pg. 14). I’ve never read such a clear, easy-to-follow and accurate “summing up” of the subject as this letter.
The list of available sources of chip-and-PIN cards in the editor’s note following the letter “Tips on Exchanging Currency” (Feb. ’15, pg. 14) was a welcome sight.
I have a Barclaycard Arrival Plus (877/523-0478 [and press “0”], www.barclaycardus.com), which is a chip-and-PIN-and-signature card. To enable the PIN when outside the US, you need only to sign the first charge, and thereafter the PIN kicks in. (This card has some of the best and most flexible rewards available, plus you can sign up to use Apple Pay.)
In an article about Shanghai, a traveler reported that a restaurant did not accept Visa, MasterCard or American Express (Feb. ’15, pg. 11). There’s a simple solution: use a Discover card.
Discover (800/347-2683, www.discover.com) has a relationship with China UnionPay,* a banking network and bank card provider in China. You should be able to use a Discover card wherever the China UnionPay logo is displayed (it’s in English).
After reading the letter “Forgot My PIN. Now What?”(Jan. ’15, pg. 26), about someone forgetting his ATM PIN while on a trip, I thought I might share my solution for this same concern.
When preparing for a trip, I fill out a page with addresses and emails of family and friends. Also on the page, usually at the top by my name, I print my PINs. I do NOT identify them, so only I know the meaning of each set of four numbers.
When paying by credit card in a foreign country, especially in the UK and some other European countries, you may be asked if you would like to be charged directly in US dollars (or Canadian, as the case may be). You should always refuse because this “service” comes with a hefty fee: about 3% of the transaction amount, in my experience.
