Selling gold - taxes

[mistitikimikis]

I used about ten years a card without any problems in Europe, SE-Asia and South-Africa. After expirement the bank, Catalunya Caixa (previous Caixa de Catalunya) sent me a new one but now with a chip which seems to be standard nowadays in Spain.

I received separate the PIN.

I have tried to use this new card several times in Thailand but, even before being asked / able to put my PIN, the card has been refused in the machine (I'm not talking about an ATM!) which shows the message in Thai "not alowed". As I was never able to use the PIN there is no issue that I ever made a mistake with putting the PIN.

The bank stated already several times that the card hasn't been blocked, so must be usable. The bank-balance is sufficient.

They seem not to be able to clear this issue for me, even after several clear messages in English and in Spanish, and to-day the only answer was that they shall send a new PIN with which I cannot do anything because of the first-step refusal in the machine already.

Has (had) anybody the same problem with a chip-Visa card? Can this be a Thai issue concerning the financial European problems, especially in Spain nowadays??

Thanks on forehand for an answer.

Edited July 6, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[Darrel]

Chip and PIN cards should work fine here. If they dont work in the reader then just get the merchant to swipe the card and you can sign the docket (the merchant should know this). Both ways of using the card are completely valid.

It may be that your new card needs to be used once in an ATM belonging to the issuing bank in order to be activated though.

I'm not aware that there are issues with any cards from specific countries due to the current global financial situation. Visa and MC handle all that anyway, and it has nothing to do with merchants or banks here.

[meatboy]

i thought you had to contact the issueing bank that you have recieved both card and pin for them to activate it.

[mistitikimikis]

Thanks Lym!

I'll start again with more tenacity. The premises where I used the card are even not mum and dad-stores but Home "Pro", a hotel, a hospital, Big C...................

The card has been activated / unblocked through the Net, so that cannot be the issue.

Anyway I'll start pushing the reluctant staff (TIT) a bit more concerning supplying me with the docket for signing as there is no way to get the reader to accept the card.

Thanks again!

[daxbr]

Probably data on magnetic strip is corrupted. Have them send you new card.

[mistitikimikis]

i thought you had to contact the issueing bank that you have recieved both card and pin for them to activate it.

Yeah, and that's all arranged! The whole lot activated! I'll start trying now to ask a local bank who is accepting ServiRed in their ATM what the problem can be.

[mistitikimikis]

Probably data on magnetic strip is corrupted. Have them send you new card.

I can check that at a local bank from which I am more sure about their knowledge than an uninterested cashier of a shop: "go and collect money at the ATM".

I'm always very careful with these strips / chips, especially concerning keeping mobile telephones far away from it.................

[Darrel]

If the card is activated and you get an immediate error message in all machines as soon as the chip is read then the chip is probably faulty. The PIN is neither here nor there as of course you haven't even entered it at this point.

In itself this should not prevent them swiping the card and using the magnetic data, but of course that could be faulty also.

Have you actually tried it in an ATM to see if it likes the card? You dont have to actually withdraw anything as you can just cancel before the transaction completes. If an ATM rejects it immediately also then you can be pretty sure that you need a new card.

[mistitikimikis]

Yeah Darell, I'll do that and / or I go to an associated bank, but it is unbelievable that the issuing bank sticks to their PIN-issue in spite of my several messages...............

I'm fed-up now!

Thanks all for your tributes!

[mistitikimikis]

To continue the story:

to-day I tried the card in an ATM of the SCB (the Bank of Ayudhya don't accepts VisaRed) and without any problem the card, including my (Spanish) pin-code, was accepted, but of course, I couldn't try it out without withdrawing money which was completed, after warning of the Thai bank rip-off of 150 Baht, in seconds.

So, electronically the card is OK and rest the question why a hotel, hospital, BigC and Home-"Pro" aren't accepting the card...................

I only can try to pressurize the cassiers now with the help of a Thai-speaking person to figure-out why. As such there must be more people with a chip-card having this problem in LOS.

[Darrel]

So, electronically the card is OK and rest the question why a hotel, hospital, BigC and Home-"Pro" aren't accepting the card...................

Odd. I would get the shops to swipe the card rather than use the chip-reader.

[mistitikimikis]

So, electronically the card is OK and rest the question why a hotel, hospital, BigC and Home-"Pro" aren't accepting the card...................

Odd. I would get the shops to swipe the card rather than use the chip-reader.

Yeah, how to get the staff that far without Thai speaking "pressure"?? In Home-"Pro" they said already that they are instructed by the management to use the reader with this kind of cards.

Very odd indeed..............................

[besth]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

[mistitikimikis]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

I'm baffled...........

It shows a black rectangular of 18x11 mm. with the name "ServiRed" and a tiny circle of 6 mm. diam. with four arrows in it pointing at an even more tiny circle inside.....................

What a useful info! Back to the (Spanish) bank again.............

THANKS for your exeptional info but I'm highly wondered why nobody-else is / was suffering under this s#$t-system!

Top-class info!

(WHY isn't my bank able to supply me with this info............................ )

Edited July 10, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[Darrel]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

That's something I've never heard of before.

[mistitikimikis]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

That's something I've never heard of before.

Just sent a mail to the (Spanish) bank and wait for their answer.

[mistitikimikis]

Just read a mail from the Spanish bank that they need my passport-number, not more, not less content

[besth]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

I'm baffled...........

It shows a black rectangular of 18x11 mm. with the name "ServiRed" and a tiny circle of 6 mm. diam. with four arrows in it pointing at an even more tiny circle inside.....................

What a useful info! Back to the (Spanish) bank again.............

THANKS for your exeptional info but I'm highly wondered why nobody-else is / was suffering under this s#$t-system!

Top-class info!

(WHY isn't my bank able to supply me with this info............................ )

It isn't a normal situation. My case, I received a card that I had hardly used for a long time, also a long time existing card, so the bank renewed it, but for whatever reason they put that "security" feature on it.

My last renewal was Nov/11. I got frustrated/upset trying to use it a few times until a clever and obviously on commission staff person at a shop where I was trying to make a 21.000 Baht purchase took the time to get to VISA (not the bank) and they explained that outside the EU I could only use that card in ATMs. Not relevant, but I went to the ATM, got the money and made the purchase.

After that, I called the bank. THREE levels of "customer service" people had no idea what I was talking about.

Don't get upset with people in shops, even if they run it manually as Darrel suggested using logic (Spain is probably the Thailand of Europe when it comes to logic) they can't get it to work if your card has the same "security" as the one I have.

If you talk/email to your bank again, mention this and see if they can/want/care to do something about it. I would bet 25 satang that most of the staff doesn't even know about this. It seems to be relatively recent and very rare.

I did try to get it activated for purchases, after a few emails and phone calls with answers that could be best summarized as "uh?" I gave up. I don't use that card any more. I know it is there if I need cash some time.

In a way, it is good. You know you can get cash out of it and if you lose it nobody can go shopping with it

[mistitikimikis]

A very good shop Besth! Yours is more or less my experience and indeed one cannot expect lots of invention of the staff.

As I have a local bank-account no problem for the ATM-use, the VISA-card is for unexpected expenses before my monthly (state)-pension has topped up my local account.

But the contact with the Spanish bank was very frustrating as I expected too much from them after a long(er) stay in LOS! But, indeed, Spain is Spain (ouch, sorry, Catalonia...............) and our "sabai sabai" is there "mañana mañana".............

"I did try to get it activated for purchases, after a few emails and phone calls with answers that could be best summarized as "uh?" I gave up. I don't use that card any more." I'm really very curious about which country you are speaking, indeed very frustrating; hardly believable..................

Anyway, I keep my followers in here updated.

Thanks so much for your tribute!

Edited July 10, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[mistitikimikis]

By the way Besth, cannot you get any help from the side of VISA-Europe??

[Darrel]

I just checked my cards and none have the symbol mentioned. Not that I've ever attempted to use them in shops outside the EU.

[mistitikimikis]

I just checked my cards and none have the symbol mentioned. Not that I've ever attempted to use them in shops outside the EU.

Lucky you!

My "ServiRed" embleme seems to be local Spanish........................... (Ah, it seems that in the case of a continuing problem I have to deal with them and not with Visa...........)

Edited July 10, 2012 by mistitikimikis

[mistitikimikis]

Check if your card has a small black circle with a lock inside on the right hand bottom corner, back side of the card. If so, that card is set up so that it can't be used in shops outside the EU (or so I was told in a similar situation). It still can be used in ATMs, as you have already seen.

I'm baffled...........

It shows a black rectangular of 18x11 mm. with the name "ServiRed" and a tiny circle of 6 mm. diam. with four arrows in it pointing at an even more tiny circle inside.....................

What a useful info! Back to the (Spanish) bank again.............

THANKS for your exeptional info but I'm highly wondered why nobody-else is / was suffering under this s#$t-system!

Top-class info!

(WHY isn't my bank able to supply me with this info............................ )

It isn't a normal situation. My case, I received a card that I had hardly used for a long time, also a long time existing card, so the bank renewed it, but for whatever reason they put that "security" feature on it.

My last renewal was Nov/11. I got frustrated/upset trying to use it a few times until a clever and obviously on commission staff person at a shop where I was trying to make a 21.000 Baht purchase took the time to get to VISA (not the bank) and they explained that outside the EU I could only use that card in ATMs. Not relevant, but I went to the ATM, got the money and made the purchase.

After that, I called the bank. THREE levels of "customer service" people had no idea what I was talking about.

Don't get upset with people in shops, even if they run it manually as Darrel suggested using logic (Spain is probably the Thailand of Europe when it comes to logic) they can't get it to work if your card has the same "security" as the one I have.

If you talk/email to your bank again, mention this and see if they can/want/care to do something about it. I would bet 25 satang that most of the staff doesn't even know about this. It seems to be relatively recent and very rare.

I did try to get it activated for purchases, after a few emails and phone calls with answers that could be best summarized as "uh?" I gave up. I don't use that card any more. I know it is there if I need cash some time.

In a way, it is good. You know you can get cash out of it and if you lose it nobody can go shopping with it

"I would bet 25 satang"

[besth]

I would bet more but not fair

My card is from "La Caixa". Very low limit and very little money in the account. Seems to work that way. If you want to empty the account you can do it through ATM, it costs whatever with every withdrawal. I didn't bother to go through visa europe for any more information.

[mistitikimikis]

I would bet more but not fair

My card is from "La Caixa". Very low limit and very little money in the account. Seems to work that way. If you want to empty the account you can do it through ATM, it costs whatever with every withdrawal. I didn't bother to go through visa europe for any more information.

OK, now I understand your knowledge of the local behaviour! You made me really curious!

25 Satang accepted! Finally una pela es una pela no?

Thanks for your reaction!

[mistitikimikis]

Well, everything at the bank solved with this answer:

"We spoke with the Department central CatalunyaCaixa and told us that there is no difference between Europe and the rest of the world to use the card."

So, when I want to have full use of the card I have to phone VisaRed or ask a friend who works for another local bank (competitor) to see what is happening...........

In Internet-traffic the card can be used without problems.............

Getting bua mak mak....................