Am thinking of booking a D-Day tour with Overlord in Bayeux, France, but I'm bothered that I can't pay in a secure method on their website. In e-mail correspondence they suggested I send my credit card information broken into four separate e-mails. This concerns me. Has anyone had issues or experience with this sort of thing?

if you don't want to use their on-line booking, then sure, breaking it up into a couple of separate e-mails is an option.

I personally wouldn't worry about the unsecured link. Heck, your cc info is more likely to be compromised in one of your local restaurants --- or at Target

Send my number in 2 emails all the time...never had a problem.
Why don't you just call them and give them the number if you are concerned?

That's what I'd do actually. Phone them - then you won't have to worry about anything.

I often send CC info split between two emails. Four sounds a bit like overkill!

(I got lucky with Target - I bought there two days after the end of the danger period. Would like to think it would lead to chip-and-pin but doubt it.)

We had no problem booking their D-Day tour online last year. As noted, you're more likely to have your credit card compromised at a local restaurant than online. Also, your emails can be sent encrypted (Infoencrypt, SafeGmail,etc.).

Many small businesses don't use secure payment method. I have dealt with hotels and local tour companies by sending cc info outside the secure payment method. I split the cc info into different media: some by email and some by FAX. For email, I include mostly the info often used in the email stream anyway, such as last 4 digits, to minimize what I send over the unencrypted channel. I usually send the FAX part first, wait until I make sure that the intended party received the partial info by requesting an email confirmation of the receipt, and only then I send in the remaining part by FAX or by email. It it ever went somewhere else, that info alone is not sufficient to make fraudulent transactions.
None of the businesses I dealt with accepted cc info by voice. They all insisted in written form. No one objected splitting the info. They told me they do this all the time.

I doubt this fiasco alone would lead to increased Chip-and-PIN offerings. The TJ Maxx fiasco, which was an even larger problem than Target leading to law suits by the bankers lead to little change. I see that the analysts mention the lack of EMV on US cards as a general contributing factor to high and growing US fraud problem. But I doubt many people would make a connection and demand a more secure technology already deployed in other countries with demonstrated reduction, if not elimination, of counterfeits. What is interesting is Wal-mart deploying EMV capable POS terminals. They openly talk about the security issue with the non EMV cards. If the Target, and regrettably many other problems, lead to sudden EMV demand, Wal-Mart will reap the benefit immediately while the others, like Target, will be left in the dust to do catch-ups.

Right about Target & security risks in general. On a related topic, what do you guys & gals do with hotels & tours that require cash? On our Bayeux leg of our trip, the hotel & some tours require cash, meaning the need to have several hundred euros in pocket, which I'd rather avoid. Are ATM machines standard in hotels?

No, ATM machines are not standard at hotels, though some large ones may have them. They are standard at banks, which are all over the place. I use ATMs associated with banks exclusively for getting cash.

I could look this up...but surely there will be an appropriate bank in Bayeux so we don't have to load up in Paris?

Why would you think there is no bank in Bayeux? This is Europe, not Antarctica.

Bayeux is a large enough town that it has quite a few banks and ATMs, at least 6 or more. There are several on rue St Malo (which runs beside the Tourist Office) and rue or place St Patrice.

I've paid various small companies or even hotels by sending my CC number in two parts in 2 emails, I don't find that worrisome at all. I think the liklihood someone will find your CC number through an intercepted random email when it is in the text is so unlikely as to not even concern me.

I used a different company for my D-Day tours, Normandy Sightseeing Tours. I did have to give them my CC number by regular email, and I just did it in 2 parts.

Maybe a password protected file (zip or PDF) would work? Then send the password seperately? My work does this all time as we deal with confidential information.

There are at least 10 distributeurs in Bayeux. You'll hardly be ale to swing a cat without hitting one. It's true all over France, pretty much all over Europe.

Hi ZC,

I break it into 2 emls.

In addition, so what?

If your card is compromised you can't be charged more than $50, even if it is your fault.

Finally, someone at the other end of your correspondence is more likely to steal your cc number than someone in cyberspace.

Thursdays, you are aware that typing Antarctica into the country of origin on s n c f keeps it from redirecting to rail Europe? Do Europeans have toilet paper or will I need to bring some? Of course there will be banks. I just wasn't sure what a smaller town like Bayeux would have as far as easy access.

Putting that French vocab for a t m in my repertoire. Thanks saint c. My kindle is auto correcting every other word so I must type strangely. Thanks to all.

>>Are ATM machines standard in hotels?<<

Never (ever) use a cash machine in a hotel. Almost invariably they are commercial ones and not affiliated w/ a bank (like the ones in mini marts and casinos in the States). They charge fees.

Stick to banks ATMs - and Bayeux isn't a tiny village - more than 15,000 population (and a LOT of tourists). You will find lots of ATMs.

Thanks Janisj. Good advice and I will definitely take it to heart.