Problems with Mastercard in France

[virginia.c]

Ever since I arrived in France this summer I have had lots of problems with my mastercard. It has been rejected in various places, from garages to restaurants. There's no logic either to where and when it is rejected. I can use it one morning to pay for petrol, only to find it then gets rejected by the next store I go to on the same day. It happens regardless of the amount. Because both my credit cards are mastercards it is starting to cause a real problem. I have a French bank account but prefer to use this for bills and direct debits as many do. I've just got off the phone from talking to one of the card providers. Apparently there is a problem in Europe (particularly in France) at the moment, where cards are being rejected and there is apparently nothing which can be done about it. According to the card provider they are approving the purchase when it comes through to them (via the electronic thingy) but it is then being rejected by the French Bank who are allied to the particular business one is trying to pay for goods/services here in France.

I will have to reactivate an old Visa credit card now, although, untl I do, I won't know if this issue is one which affects Visa cards. Interestingly, the Master card provider asked me if I had a visa card with me which I could use!!

Has anyone else had similar problems?

[britgirl]

I've also had the same problems with my Mastercards, and have had them re-instated.  I am expecting problems with them again next week when I return to France. Interestingly my Maestro card worked in the cash machine for me to pay by cash. All 3 cards are with the same bank.[8-)]

[virginia.c]

Interesting. Do you have a Visa credit card you can bring with you? If you have, it might be as well if you do. What did you mean by getting them reinstated by the way?

[Théière]

As you are almost certainly being charged a foreign use transaction card fee, why not open a Nationwide account you can use the visa service at very good rates and no fee for using it abroad and cash withdrawl from bank machines at better rates than most.

[La_Panthère_Rose]

I know that this doesn't necessarily help resolve your immediate problem but I've had several mastercards myself both for my business and personal use (I still hold one for my current bank account) but have never had any problem with any of them.

I've held a mastercard for over 14 years now in France and use it both for cash, in shops and on the internet without problem. So I was just wondering if perhaps it was more to do with your bank (perhaps considering that you are over your withdrawal limit for that week for example, which happened to my son the other day!)

You do say in your posting tho that the bank have admitted that there is a current problem in Europe with cards being rejected, but having admitted that there is a problem do they say why? I guess if the problem is widespread that's going to be a rather big motivation to get it sorted as it must be costing them millions in lost revenue!

Kev

[britgirl]

Hi virginia.c,

Short answer is I don't have a visa card. I rang Mastercard (telephone number on the back of the card) this morning, and explained the problems I had last week. They needed confirmation of the transactions I had tried  to make before the 'stop' on the cards were removed. Having just been shopping all's well

La Panthere Rose,

Due to change in personal circumstances I've only had my cards for a short time, and have used them frequently in the U.K. for large amonuts. I've never had them rejected before. I always pay off the full amont owing every month, so there was never any question of being over the agreed limit. At the time I phoned, I was unaware that others were also having problems.

I suppose it is re-assuring that they are keeping an eye on the transactions, even if it can be embarrassing.[geek]

[virginia.c]

Both the mastercards I have are via store cards, don't want to name them but just think a very, very annoyng femail voiceover ad on TV and "it's not just food" etc. And I can't think how to describe the other one! Anyhow, they are large concerns both. I have good limits on them and have always paid both off on a monthly basis. When I spoke to one of them today, she said that the problem was with the French banks, ie she could see the transaction that I had tried to make today - they had approved it but it had then been rejected by the French bank allied to the French retailer I was attempting to purchase from. According to her there was nothing they could do but they hoped the problem wouldn't last too much longer! Whether this is true or not I have no way of knowing. Like you Britgirl I have never either card rejected before. And I take the point re the Nationwide from the previous poster - thank you. I did though search out my old Barclaycard and I've ordered a new pin number so, hopefully by next week the problem should be sorted although I will not be able to collect points for irritating food for a while! On the positive side, the store let me have the bed and sidetable as they understand the problem and I've bought a fair bit from them before. Come next week mind you, they may well want it back!!

[NormanH]

There have been recent problems with my Crédit Agricole Gold Mastercard too:

here is my exchange of emails with the bank

"Il y a manifestement un problème avec le système de paiement

électronique de Crédit Agricole.

J'ai essayé 3 fois à payer par Internet aujourd'hui et chaque fois cela

n'a pas marché.

Veuillez trouver ci-jointe  des photos du rapport d'erreur.

Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'il a des problèmes avec les paiements

par Internet. (Jamais par téléphone)

Je suis venu à l'agence pour en discuter et j'ai failli de me disputer

avec la personne au guichet qui m'avait dit que j'aurais fait une

mauvaise manipulation.

J'accepte cette possibilité en principe, mais il me paraît très bizarre

que c'est toujours avec ma Carte Gold que cela arrive, jamais avec les

autres, ni avec ma carte bancaire britannique.

Je suis assez rodé sur les achats sur Internet et pas du tout le vieux

c*n que la guichetière a insinué ...

Est ce qu'il y a une raison évidente pour ces inconvénients?

Vous restez à mon entière disposition pour tout autre renseignement,

je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'assurance de ma sincère

considération.

The explanation was

Pour des raisons de sécurité (risque de fraude) votre carte a

été bloquée. Nous avons fait le nécessaire, à partir de demain, elle

fonctionnera de nouveau.

 

Merci. Bonne fin de journée.

 

Cordialement

 

WxxxxxXXXXX

Chargée de Clientèle Particuliers

Crédit Agricole du Languedoc

[Chancer]

Sounds like your guichetiére went to the same charm school as our ones, except they dont insinuate it, they say it.

Yesterday after waiting patiently in the queue for the 15.00 opening which finally happened at 15.15 the guichetiére verbally abused a customer in front of me who then grabbed her by the throat, luckily his wife managed to seperate them before the G-men arrived.

All very amusing but it made me think of one of the bank adverts that said "there must be a better way", by comparison the way my Nationwide branch copes with the full gamut of banking demands and queries on a busy Saturday morning without ever sending people away to wait a week for an appointment makes my CL branch look shambolic.

[virginia.c]

I wish I'd seen the neck lock - and the faces of the other customers! Nothing so exciting goes on at my CL. They are unfailingly charming and helpful - exactly the same as my local (and v small) branch of Barclays.

[ColinE]

Hi

Had the same problem, went to a cafe one day had no problem, went back there a couple of days later, we tried 7 cards between the 4 of us before one was accepted.

Following day went to another place close by, first card went straight through, I am sure its the machines they are using, we went back to the first place later in the week, card went striaght through, when we mentioned the incident early in the week, we were told yes they had change the machine.

Another time in a super market, I filled the car with petrol, paid with a card no problem, went in and did some shopping, you guess it would not except our card the same one I had just used for the petrol, the girl did not know what to do, a second girl on the next till saw what was happening, came over, and tried the card on three tills and found one that took it.

Regards  Colin

 

[virginia.c]

Amazing isn't it? Credit cards took the place of travellers cheques year's ago and have been 100% pretty much for travellers ever since. Whatever the explanation the card companies give us, it means that we are really exposed in Europe at the moment. I now carry around an amount of cash with me that will cover a full tank of fuel plus a meal etc. I don't like carrying even this around to be honest. I wonder what the credit card companies are doing about this? Just on today's posting there are clearly a number of people with whom this issue resonates - and, if nothing else, it is very embarrassing when it happens. I was very lucky that the first time it happened - after I had filled my tank full - we had enough cash on us. Do I understand everyone correctly that even a Visa card makes no difference?

[Dog]

If I was you I would get a Credit Agricole Britline online account and a garlic flavoured visa card they go down much better in France especially at automatic petrol stations.

[just john]

I have used my nationwide (visa) card last week but found it on stop when trying to spend again; despite having successfully used it before for several days. I found it disconcerting to be advised by the garage to call the bank and then to be jauntily told, ''ah well it will be alright if you use it now, we have to carry out sporadic checks''
I was using it in an area where I frequently spend and had already used it before so it does make you wonder, why they couldn't phone me, to be more helpful, rather than just blanking a transaction.[blink]

[Chancer]

I gave back my French carte bleue a couple of years ago after I decided that it was a very expensive chocolate teapot, having a weekly plafond on spending regardless of the account balance.

I now use exclusively my Nationwide card and touch wood, apart from having to educate a few merchants to release their frantic grip on the keypad so I could select the language before it timed out I have never (touch wood again) had a problem.

I had some interesting financial experiences while backpacking around the world which makes France seem relatively comfortable, the worst being the amount of money that I lost on my emergency travellers cheques, I still had about $1600 out of $2000 when I returned but the dollar had bombed and what with the commission free buy back rate I got royally Rogered.

[Judith]

Sometimes even the French cards cause them problems - recently my CA card would not work in the machine, but I had seen him have trouble with the previous customer (French) and he blamed their Bank (SG I think)., so when he said, did I have another card I said no (I do have my NW with me always in case), because I was pretty sure it was his machine.  He kept treying to no avial, and finally the manager brought a hand held machine which worked perfectly.  So - the machines tell lies, it is certainly not always your card at fault.