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lunes

Jun 12, 2004, 1:32 PM

Post #1 of 17 (1151 views)

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Don't leave home without it ......

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I find that the Discover Credit Card is in a lot of retail outlets here in the U.S. But is not accepted everywhere.

I will be traveling to PV soon and am wondering ......

In your experience, Is the Discover Card
a) Widely accepted
b) So-so
c) Hardly anywhere

I would appreciate more than one response. Please take time to repy, even if your position has already been stated. I am looking for enough responses to form an opinion. I do not want to be carrying sixty-eleven credit cards. (smile)

Thanks in advance.

mrchuck

Jun 12, 2004, 3:17 PM

Post #2 of 17 (1114 views)

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Re: [lunes] Don't leave home without it ......

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If Discover is the only credit card you have, "then don't leave home"!

This is a play on words, but is also exact.

Mexico spins on the Visa card.

Master card not accepted sometimes.

Visa credit card and Visa debit card are the only ones you need.

However, if you have a "Costco issued American Express Card", then bring it too.
Costco will accept it as equal to cash, a 2 1/2% discount on your purchases.

Also, many people carry an extra Visa card, like the wife's, etc, because sometimes a card gets eaten up by the machine for no apparent purpose.

Having a spare solves the delay awaiting a replacement.

Saludos, mc

jardinero viejo

Jun 12, 2004, 3:44 PM

Post #3 of 17 (1102 views)

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Re: [lunes] Don't leave home without it ......

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We notice that in and around PV, American Express is accepted as well. Never really noticed whether Discover is or not.
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pathall

Jun 12, 2004, 10:39 PM

Post #4 of 17 (1050 views)

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Re: [lunes] Don't leave home without it ......

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Hve never seen a sign in Mexico that says they accept Discovery.

kirkswig

Jun 13, 2004, 8:21 AM

Post #5 of 17 (1009 views)

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Re: [mrchuck] Don't leave home without it ......

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Hmmm... my debit card is Mastercard, will I still be able to get cash? I thought they all were connected to the same system, but maybe that's different in Mexico?

I'm bringing VISA and Mastercard credit cards as backup, but then, I can't get cash with those (well, I can, but I forgot the danged PIN numbers for those cards since I always use the debit card for cash.)

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

bournemouth

Jun 13, 2004, 9:05 AM

Post #6 of 17 (997 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Don't leave home without it ......

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It's not so much whether it's a Mastercard or Visa card for debit purposes but which system your bank uses. The system name is usually stated somewhere on the card - i.e: Cirrus, Star, Plus etc. I have a debit card on the Star system, which is also a Visa card, on a bank which does not charge ATM fees. Using this card at Banamex machines I have never yet paid a fee to withdraw cash.

esperanza

Jun 13, 2004, 10:11 AM

Post #7 of 17 (987 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Don't leave home without it ......

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The original post was asking for information about using a credit card for retail purchases, not a debit card for ATM withdrawals. Kinda like apples and oranges, no?

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

bournemouth

Jun 13, 2004, 10:30 AM

Post #8 of 17 (978 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Don't leave home without it ......

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True - but my reply was attached to "Kirk's" message about possibly not being able to use his debit card as it is a Mastercard - is that o.k.? Or should Kirk have started a new thread?

Marlene

Jun 13, 2004, 10:39 AM

Post #9 of 17 (976 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Don't leave home without it ......

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My Banamex debit card has a Mastercard symbol on the face of it.

kirkswig

Jun 13, 2004, 12:01 PM

Post #10 of 17 (956 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Don't leave home without it ......

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OK, my debit card is a member of NYCE, Pulse, Cirrus and Maestro. But not Star.

No problemo though. I'm bringing my laptop, and I'm sure everybody accepts PayPal, right? :)

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Ed and Fran

Jun 13, 2004, 4:41 PM

Post #11 of 17 (921 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Don't leave home without it ......

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"I'm sure everybody accepts PayPal, right?"

Only if you're registered on their Mexican website with a verified Mexican address.

E

N2Futur

Jun 15, 2004, 8:24 AM

Post #12 of 17 (827 views)

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Re: [lunes] Don't leave home without it ......

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The only place we were able to use our Discover card was at Sam's in Guadalajara. The first Walmart we went to rejected our Mastercards, claiming we had not called our bank to have purchases authorized in Mexico. The second Walmart we went to accepted my husbands Mastercard with no problem, and so did Home Depot. Sears rejected my MasterCard for a w/d purchase and unfortunately I brought an expired Sears card, so I ended up paying cash. When we returned to the US, we had a letter from the fraud department of our bank, stating they had blocked the account for further purchases until we could confirm that the Mexico purchases we made were legit. Lesson learned - call your bank before you make larger purchases in Mexico and make sure that they get authorized.

Elke
___________________________
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to pick the one I never tried before." - Mae West

mkdutch

Jun 17, 2004, 12:12 PM

Post #13 of 17 (756 views)

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Re: [N2Futur] Don't leave home without it ......

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We have been coming to Lakeside every summer since 1999. We have never found anyplace that would accept a Discover Card. I am glad to know that we can now use it at Sam's Club.

As for master card, we haven't used it this year, but last year, we used one at Wal-Mart, with no problem, and then went to Home Mart (now Home Depot, I think), where the same card was rejected. We used another Master Card we had, and that worked fine. So it seemed to us, you can use the card once, and then you need to call your credit card company, and convince them, over the phone, that the card has not been stolen. Then they will re-activate it.

Kay

jennifer rose

Jun 17, 2004, 1:34 PM

Post #14 of 17 (739 views)

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Re: [mkdutch] Don't leave home without it ......

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Read carefully the terms of your cardholder agreement. Buried therein will be an explanation that the credit card issuer may withhold authorization if the card's use is not consistent with the cardholder's usual spending patterns. Spending patterns can include frequency of use, the kinds of establishments were the card is presented (electronics and jewelry are always suspect), and use outside of the cardholder's usual stomping grounds and billing address. Even though the cardholder may believe that he or she has a $35,000 credit limit, the cardholder should understand that the bank may impose credit limits below that as an anti-fraud mechanism.

When your card's been rejected, it's an easy matter to call up the issuer, who usually has a few questions to verify that you're the intended user. Providing the correct answers to questions about your mother's maiden name, your billing address or even naming the last purchaes on the card and the approximate amounts charged generally do the trick.

gpk

Jun 18, 2004, 11:36 AM

Post #15 of 17 (662 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Don't leave home without it ......

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My card was "frozen" once before I moved to Mexico full time, so I started calling my credit card companies before I left the US and telling them I would be in Mexico. They would then "flag" my account and I never had any more problems.

Judy in Ags

Jun 25, 2004, 6:28 PM

Post #16 of 17 (580 views)

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Re: [gpk] Don't leave home without it ......

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Good idea, Jennifer. It would also be a good idea to do it when traveling the other direction. Because we have a Mexico address and use our credit cards only in the U.S., we have problems unless we call them (even when making purchases on E-Bay, etc.) and let them know that we are making purchases in the U.S. Not all cards are that fraud-consicious, but it can really hold you up when trying to buy something if you can't call ahead.

jerezano

Jun 29, 2004, 8:24 PM

Post #17 of 17 (421 views)

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Re: [lunes] Don't leave home without it ......

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Hi, Debit Cards? Credit Cards?

Perhaps some others have run into this problem with Debit cards.

A friend purchased airline tickets here in Mexico just about a year ago,to return to the United States using a Chase Manhattan Debit Card. The ticket agency doublecharged him. In working with Chase Manhattan to get the double charge charged back, they refused to help him. He was not able to get his refund. He changed banks immediately. He also decided never to use a Debit card again except in ATM's.

This does not happen with a Credit Card. As most of us know, Visa or Master charge will make an automatic charge-back while the problem is worked out. And they will work actively to resolve the problem.

So, I never use a debit card unless I am using an ATM, and even then only with an ATM that does not swallow cards. A swipe type is OK.

I would suggest that you do NOT use a Debit card for any other purpose here in Mexico. Or, at least find out from your Bank their policy on aiding you for resolving complaints.

And yes, be careful of the ATM's. Many of them do swallow cards, and the bank officials usually say the card has been destroyed which means you need to get a replacement. Yep, the idea of another card in a safe place just in case is a good one.

Good luck to all. Jerezano.