9031 Vodafone & English Credit Cards

We have had similar problems using in Italy Spanish and Australian Credit Cards. They kept on asking us for pin numbers which you do not normally need, unless you are withdrawing cash from an ATM. With these cards, you simply have to sign. No problems in the UK with the same credit cards. I think that they have their systems organised for Direct Debit, only. Which is a pain.

Why not try getting an Italian bancomat card from your bank, its just the same as switch in the yUK.........

I have been trying for a week and am now down to 90 cents credit, I tried two cards both had funds available.
I think the problem is that when they have the online deals too many people cash in (as you would expect) and at the moment they are advertising 20 percent extra, which is pretty good if you put 50 or 100 euro on. so maybe they block it if lots of people have taken advantage of the offer.

[quote=herealready;85189]I have been trying for a week and am now down to 90 cents credit, I tried two cards both had funds available.
I think the problem is that when they have the online deals too many people cash in (as you would expect) and at the moment they are advertising 20 percent extra, which is pretty good if you put 50 or 100 euro on. so maybe they block it if lots of people have taken advantage of the offer.[/quote]

Hi
Have you tried using the bancamat to top it up, or your local tabacci ?

Bancomats ..... Well let me tell you of the awful experience of friends fairly recently trying to withdraw cash in Italy using Lloyds TSB VISA debit card. They got the message on the screen that their card wasn't an International one and to get in touch with their bank. ie niente cash. They had been using it before with no problems and were able to use it okay in shops.

After trying laboriously to get hold of the right people to speak with, they were told by them there is now a £30, yes you read right, for International ATM withdrawals because of card fraud. However they could increase it upon request. UK withdrawals remain the usual amount,

Maybe there is a correlation with the above???

[quote=deborahandricky;85155]Why not try getting an Italian bancomat card from your bank, its just the same as switch in the yUK.........[/quote]

I have a bancomat from my bank, but it is not visa like an English debit card and has only 6 digit number. Not acceptable either.

KarenR Perhaps I am dim but are you simply trying to top up your mobile phone, Vodafone being your Italian network provider?
If yes all you have to do is (as someon else has said) is take it to a shop providing top ups and pay them to top up your phone using real money! Are you having a problem getting soldi?
This site has alerted us to how we can save on astronomical bank charges but we must wait until we have an ATM machine within easy driving distance! There may have been a merger of two major banks but things take time to function in Italy.

[quote=KarenR;85147]Along with Enel and Telecom Italia, Vodafone also seem to be having problems with English Credit Cards. Have tried both Visa and Mastercard but no longer being accepted. Anyone else had this problem?

I have avoided getting Italian CC as I have heard we have to pay tax on those like the bank accounts. Begrudge paying even more tax!! Beginning to think this is a plot to make sure we can't use our "free" English cards. Paranoia setting in.[/quote]
Hi KarenR, I have had all of these problems for months now, ENEL and TELECOM ITALIA being the main ofenders, VODAFONE much more recently. Have put in teens of telephone calls with their Client Service lines and to no avail. We (English) are having all our cards blocked and though they say it's temporary, its been months and they dont say why. I have also tried 5 or 6 different cards and types without success. Just yesterday I had a call back from Telecom Italia (its been 5 weeks waiting for that call back!), they dont have a solution just suggest we either pay cash at post office or set up a foreign bank to bank transfer every bimestre ( at £20 + each time !). Seems they all know its a wider problem than me but as always with their system, they dont seem interested and have no real solution. In my own view, this only started when verified by visa started...has any one else found this ?
I opened BANCA POSTA online account and I have to say it works like a dream. Muddling through the various green numbers when you need help is always frustrating but B Posta are great, fully recommend... and all bills that arrive by email can be paid wherever you are in the World at the time!!
Would love to know if anyone has more knowledge of the blocked foregn c/cards ???

I opened BANCA POSTA online account and I have to say it works like a dream. Muddling through the various green numbers when you need help is always frustrating but B Posta are great, fully recommend... and all bills that arrive by email can be paid wherever you are in the World at the time!!
Would love to know if anyone has more knowledge of the blocked foregn c/cards Note: ???[/QUOTE]

This information may answer a lot of questions being asked on this Forum.

I may be dim sorry, but may I clarify, one, are you now paying your Italian bills by using your Italian Post Office bank account, Online, having previously left enough money in the account to clear these debts? And two, did you have to pay the money in when in Italy or did you do it electronically from your UK bank?

Note: We have found in Umbria that English Credit cards are refused at train station ticket offices and also online, so we cannot book tickets in advance unless we go to a large station with our Bancomat card or the filthy lucre!

Hello Noble, sorry, to clarify : I am paying IT bills on line via Banco Posta. Always ensuring money available. I can view on line, pay anythng on line but cannot transfer electronically from UK internet bank to Banco Posta. It regards overseas funding as International and as such must be managed as an international money transfer (cost approc £15 from UK). Its not perfect but it has solved these immediate issues and only cost 31 euros a year max for the account. I do withdraw money regulalry from the bancomats with my Nationwide card (no charge for this with Nationwide in any machine) and pay it into Banco P. This just gets tiresome after a while as the maximum daily limit now is 350 euros (dropped from 400 since terrible xchge rate) - hope this helps.
Maria

I now have a euro off shore acc with Lloyds tsb and they wont take that card either, so dont know whats happening, and yes you can go into shops to do it but when topping up vodafone they do deals online and it saves a lot of time and money (or it did when it worked!)

Sounds to me as though something very major has gone wrong within the banking authorisation system. I get failed authorisation messages but wehn my bank (LLoyds and Nationwide mainly) trace these so called failed transactions, it seems nothing has ever arrived at my bank in the first place. The problem then; the bank have no information to progress it. What a nightmare, something really needs to be done on a major scale.
Maria

I tried a contract with TIM last year using an international VISA .- after 6 months they tried to charge me 1200 euros for my terminating the contract. Italian companies are incapable of accepting VISA/MASTERCARD from other countries. They cannot process the domiciliazione of the card, because it isnt necessary and doesnt exist in other countries. Dont even attempt it, it really isnt worth the hassle. The same is true of Vodafone and Wind.... all nightmares!