annhig

nochblad - indeed we do suffer from exploitation by the banks, but it would appear that we are not alone in that!

Peter_S_Aus

I think life is too short to worry about the very slight chance that your credit card info might be plundered.

ribeirasacra

****I personally have always worried more about fax transmission. The cleaning team in the hotel can just walk by and pick that puppy up without anyone noticing, especially because of time zone differences.***
The same with a printed off email. or a note from a phone call where you gave your CC details.

Maybe after reading this you should never use your CC over the interweb again. Or order that pizza over the phone!

justineparis

Wow, I have sent my cc details via email( two separate ones but same account) and also used it to book all my holiday hotels via hotel websites and on hotel booking companies etc. , in fact I have only once on last 15-20 years had a hotel not require the cc details tomreserve a room( hotel Diana in Paris) and that made me far more nervous( I worried I would arrive to no reservation)

It has never occurred to me to worry about hotel " cheating" me, first of all, I would not stay or choose a hotel that I felt was not trust worthy ( and I read reviews) and secondly I don't think it's cheating you if they explain card will have a hold put on it( read the reservation conditions) .

kerouac

Some people are not ready for the payment card age.

nochblad

bvlenci - it seems as if you live in a different country to me!

Not all banks require you to have an account before issuing a "carta ricaricabile" although it is preferable as you can generally recharge the card on line. This is a great advantage when travelling.

The Italian Post Office issues such cards (Postepay) and you do not have to open a current account. Their newer type of card even has an IBAN number so you can recharge it from any bank.

There are other which offer such cards - Paypal, Lottomatica etc. These cards can be obtained at the Tabacchi where they are linked to the Sisal system.

kerouac

The <i>tabacs</i> in Paris propose the "compte nickel" -- a bank account without a bank. It takes 5 minutes to open and 20 euros a year to get a Master Card that you load with value as necessary. You can make and receive bank transfers, pay bills with direct debits... basically everything that you do with a bank account.

http://compte-nickel.fr/

AlessandraZoe

Kerouac, The information I have on the "compte nickel" is that it requires an EU passport or French residency.

ribeirasacra: Ironically, my credit card info has never been stolen by hotel reservations (no matter how much I used to worry about those old FAX reservations).

I do not order pizza by phone but I do order other take-outs. I only order take-out from a restaurant where we pay upon pick-up or delivery.

But agencies that HAVE compromised my accounts have been:
Target
TJMAXX/Marshalls (they had registers that could be "read" from the parking lot!)
DSW
Home Depot
and one local Korean restaurant

We are still angry about the restaurant, because it's a problem in the US. Waiters here don't use portable swipe machines, so anyone with table service chances that card being duplicated.

Luckily, when we eat out now, we usually eat at the bar, so we actually see the card put through the system.

But no matter what, I have not been out a cent because of any fraud, so that's something!

elizzie4000

<<We are still angry about the restaurant, because it's a problem in the US. Waiters here don't use portable swipe machines, so anyone with table service chances that card being duplicated.>>

There's no guarantee that having the card swiped at the table ensures security.

2008 - trip to Paris. Once there I used 1 CC the whole time. It never left my sight. Hotel - swiped in front of me. Restaurants - swiped at the table. Shops - swiped in front of me.

Home 2 days and I get a call from my bank. I live in California. The Fraud Dept asked me if I went to Florida after my trip to Paris? No, I came straight home to California!

So, the CC swiped at your table or in front of you is NO guarantee that it won't be subject to Fraud.

wesleymarsh

>>Send the hotel your credit card details. In an email.<<

For a recent hotel reservation I made in Italy, the hotel specifically requested two emails and asked that I split my CC number in two. I offered to send a fax, but they do not have a fax machine.

>>I don't understand why people think a fax is secure. How can you be sure that it won't be printed out and left lying around?<<

I believe there's a legal issue that accompanies a fax signature. Also, the likelihood that some thief somewhere is tapping your fax line and intercepting a fax at precisely the exact time you send it is quite remote.

Many email accounts sit on public servers, so they are more vulnerable to hacking.

If you're the type of person who worries about thief employees in the service sector, then you won't be using a credit card in a restaurant, hotel, spa, health club, Macy's, or anywhere at Disney. Perhaps you won't be using a credit card at all.

DebitNM

All of the above comments about US credit cards being covered in case of fraud are all well and true. HOWEVER - I have had the same card need to be replaced not once but twice due to Target and Home Depot issues. What a PITA! All my automatic payments, direct deposits needed to be changed - twice.

We have 2 cards that I only use for travel and it works well for us. And we have 2 back up cards as well.

We also have 3 different ATM cards as well.

None of our cards carry foreign fees for anything. Makes me feel a bit safer to have backups and it isn't hard to do.

TimFrenklin

it is advice to make the booking on the secure website giving the credit card details there and then discussing the booking specefic's or changes on the phone or via email separately

BobR52

"never book with a third party for flights, always book via third party for hotel."
This is good advice, although I make one modification: never book with a third party for flights, ALMOST always book via third party for hotel.

ribeirasacra

>>I don't understand why people think a fax is secure. How can you be sure that it won't be printed out and left lying around?<<
same if you phone it through to the hotel. Written down by the receptionist until the card can be processed.
If you are sacred of using your CC and then the details stolen then please do not use one.