sorensen Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Anybody knows what the difference is between a VISA Electron and a "normal" VISA card? The VISA Electron does not have the raised writing on it and is says "Electronic use only" on the card. Now, after a few failing attempts to use my VISA Electron card online, I called my (Thai) bank and they told me that the VISA Electron can't be used for online shopping! What is it then good for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorensen Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Stupid Card and I already put a scissor to it! Found the answer at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Electron Visa Electron is a debit or credit card available across most of the world, with the exception of Canada, Australia, and the United States. The card was introduced by VISA in the 1980s and is a sister card to the Visa Debit card. The difference between Visa Electron and Visa Debit is that payments with Visa Electron require that all the funds be available at the time of the transfer (i.e., Visa Electron card accounts cannot be overdrawn). As a comparison, Visa Debit cards allow transfers of unavailable funds below a certain limit. As a result, some online stores and all offline terminals (e.g., onboard trains or planes) do not support Visa Electron because their systems cannot check for the availability of funds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominique355 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 My bank gave me the VISA Electron as an ATM Card with additional advantages. Besides using it for cash withdrawal (or transfer of funds), I use this card like a normal credit card and in fact it has been accepted so far by all shops and restaurants throughout Thailand. Never any problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 As said above - it can be used anywhere there is an online point of sale reader - which is just about everywhere these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardog Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Absolute rubbish! All the card is good for are Thai purchases & for thieves to rack up a bill on a lost or stolen card. Try to use it online & when you try to enter the expiration date it kicks back as there is no such 10-20 year expiration on any real credit card in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 (edited) My visa Electron Debit card wonderfully work online, thanks to VBV (verified By Visa) service (I guess in Thailand only with Bangkok Bank Be1st card) Bought electronic, airplane tickets, etc Edited May 16, 2009 by angiud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardog Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Angiud, Try your home country with your card- you wont be able to enter the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorensen Posted May 17, 2009 Author Share Posted May 17, 2009 I think it is safe to conclude that the VISA Electron is good as an ATM card and selected online transactions within Thailand, but totally useless for online shopping outside Thailand. Now, how hard is it to get a real VISA card for my Thai account? Has anybody done it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Texas Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I think it is safe to conclude that the VISA Electron is good as an ATM card and selected online transactions within Thailand, but totally useless for online shopping outside Thailand.Now, how hard is it to get a real VISA card for my Thai account? Has anybody done it? I just went down this road.......it is only good inside Thailand. You can't use it to pay online for anything outside of Thailand (e.g., a tax bill to the IRS). You can use it to withdraw money from select ATM machines outside of Thailand (at least in Cambodia, for sure). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I use my card to withdraw money in Italy, Singapore, Indonesia, China. I also use my card to buy in shops with electronic service. I just bought an Ebook reader from BH Photovideo (USA) and I got My tickets from Singapore Airlines website. But, i repeat, you can do web transactions only with Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card Visa Electron. With my SCB or KTB card just ATM and shops (Thailand and overseas) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuijim Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Will a hotel accept a Bangkok Bank Be1 Visa ATM card to charge first night stay if I provide them the card number, exp date and code number on the back. Can they just enter the number in on the credit card machine ? I do not want to provide a regular credit card in my email after a problem happened with overcharging after my stay....I did get the incorrect charges returned to my account thanks to PayPal but it was a real problem. I only keep a couple of thousand baht in my Bangkok Bank account to be safe. And yes I asked this hotel about this and they had no idea about was I was talking about....thanks samuijim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I have an Electronic Mastercard, no embossed writing It works fine at the supermarket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autan Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Visa Electron cards are actually being phased out, in favor of Visa Debit cards. Most UK retailers (including yours truly) no longer accept them as payment, however you will find a few international retailers still take them, it all depends on who issues the card (your bank) and the merchant (their bank) Mastercard debit cards are a different system altogether and can be used anywhere, except CO-OP bank ATM cash machines in the UK, because CO-OPERATIVE BANK have an exclusive agreement with Visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4evermaat Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Absolute rubbish!All the card is good for are Thai purchases & for thieves to rack up a bill on a lost or stolen card. Try to use it online & when you try to enter the expiration date it kicks back as there is no such 10-20 year expiration on any real credit card in the world. The order forms that have drop down list for exp date have 10 years from present year. I like the 5-10 year expiration dates Ive used the bkb debit card at quite a few non-thai internet shops with no problem. "2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from ThaiVisa app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMA_FARANG Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 My case: 1. "Debit cards can't be used on-line" Absolutely not true. I've used my debit card on-line many times. It was issued by my U.S. bank and is MasterCard affiliated. You can use it anywhere in the world, including Thailand, where there is an on-line scanner available to scan and verify the card and the account balance. I've used it before in hotels in Thailand. 2. Thai bank ATM cards can only be used in Thailand. Not true. My Bangkok Bank card can be used in all S,E, Asian countries. I have used it myself in Malaysia and Singapore with no problems. 3. Debit cards can't be used in ATM machines for cash. Again not true. I've used mine in many countries around the world. Of course, there are FEES to be paid for that privaledge, and the conversion rate may be shi3e...but if you need cash, you just have to accept that fact. I try not to use my debit card if i don't need to in an ATM machine for cash just for that reason. 4. No ATM or debit card can be good for 10 or 15 years without expiring. Well, don't tell my U.S. bank that, please. I can't remember exactly when my ATM/debit card was issued...but it was somewhere between 1995 and 1997. It expires in 2012...which it says quite clearly on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bbcd5 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for this post guys I was going through the same thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelmann Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 probably a multimillion pound marketing dept Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbrock Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Absolute rubbish!All the card is good for are Thai purchases & for thieves to rack up a bill on a lost or stolen card. Try to use it online & when you try to enter the expiration date it kicks back as there is no such 10-20 year expiration on any real credit card in the world. The order forms that have drop down list for exp date have 10 years from present year. I like the 5-10 year expiration dates Ive used the bkb debit card at quite a few non-thai internet shops with no problem. "2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from ThaiVisa app. I don't see this being the fault of the card itself, but the online transaction portal that the retailer is using. That being said, the Visa Debit card and the Visa Electron card are two completely distinct products. Even though the Bangkok Bank Be1st Visa Debit card is 'electronic use only', it is still a Visa Debit card not a Visa Electron. Technically, the only transactions that these cards can not be used for are offline transactions with the old, rarely seen nowadays, paper imprinting machines. In practice though, there will still be transaction portals that can not process Visa Electron cards, and some that do not allow for the longer expiry date the Thai Visa Debit cards are given. Like many others, I have used my Bangkok Bank Be1st Visa Debit online many times without a problem - even buying from the US, UK, and Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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