Credit Card solution?

March 9, 2007 1:03 PM

Getting ready to go to Europe, I saw this morning on Consumerist.com a post revealing very poor service from the issuing bank following the person getting his credit card stolen.

And it seems that 1-800 numbers do not work from overseas. Is this true? Does anyone know a source for bank numbers that DO work internationally? Tips? Cautions? Website would of course be wonderful. Thanks in advance.

posted by Freedomboy to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Yep, it's true, some places here in Europe do give bad service! Shock horror ;)

Does anyone know a source for bank numbers that DO work internationally?

You would need to ask your specific bank (sorry, can't google for you as I don't know what it is) for an international number. They may even have an international or local helpline. They will also be able to give you a few tips on what to do if your card gets nicked.

Enjoy your trip!
posted by different at 1:10 PM on March 9, 2007

At the risk of stating the obvious, have you looked at the back of your credit cards? My cards, from Citibank, have a normal, non-1-800 number that they say I can call collect. I have had to do this before on occasion and it's worked fine.
posted by veggieboy at 1:11 PM on March 9, 2007

Every card I have has a non-800 US customer service number on the back for use outside North America; most suggest calling collect.
posted by backupjesus at 1:11 PM on March 9, 2007

I'd call my bank and credit card company before going abroad to find out about any international help numbers and to make sure that I can use my cards abroad.
posted by hobbes at 1:18 PM on March 9, 2007

I call 877 numbers (toll free) from Europe all the time. I don't know about 800 numbers, as I don't tend to have any to call.
posted by wackybrit at 1:38 PM on March 9, 2007

wackybrit: North American 877 and 800 numbers work identically; they ran out of room in the 800 area code. But whether or not those receive calls from outside their home country is up to the company that pays for the number.
posted by mendel at 1:47 PM on March 9, 2007

To sort of echo what hobbes said, it's a good idea to call all your card companies before you go to let them know you'll be in Europe on these dates so their fraud software doesn't think your card's stolen and shut you off. That also gives you an opportunity to get the Europe-specific numbers, if there are any.
posted by Atom12 at 1:52 PM on March 9, 2007

Visa International has county-specific numbers to report lost and stolen cards. So does MasterCard. From a brief glance, they look toll-free. From personal experience, they're pretty good.
posted by holgate at 2:45 PM on March 9, 2007

Definitely call your bank first to get contact numbers and let them know what country you'll be in. Also, Visa and Mastercard have numbers you call internationally, aside from the international numbers your bank certainly has.
posted by logic vs love at 2:46 PM on March 9, 2007

Also, ask if there is any foreign transaction fee. Avoid using a card that charges such a fee, usually 1-2% in addition to whatever the exchange rate is.
posted by kindall at 7:25 PM on March 9, 2007