Credit Cards
 

On Mar 28, 2:05*am, MIG wrote:
On Mar 27, 10:09*pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:





On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:43:15 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T

wrote:
One of the attractions of credit cards is that problems such as
fraudulent use can be sorted out easier using a credit card as opposed
to a debit card - and if your current account is cleaned out it will
likely cause you more grief *to get things sorted out than if it was
just your credit card that was fraudulently used. Credit cards also
offer extra legal protection for purchases of goods or services that
cost =A3100+.

This is exactly what I use a credit card for, and is exactly why I
avoid the use of a debit card where possible. *It always gets paid off
at the end of the month, and I have not yet omitted to do this, thus
the convenience comes to me free of charge[1].

I noticed that TheTrainLine now charges for credit cards but not debit
cards.

That's a good reason not to use TheTrainLine I suppose, because I
always used my credit card in the way described above.

Would they actually know if you quoted a Debit Card number in place of
a Credit Card one?

Adrian

Credit Cards
 

On 28 Mar, 15:59, Adrian wrote:

On Mar 28, 2:05 am, MIG wrote:

On Mar 27, 10:09 pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:43:15 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T

wrote:
One of the attractions of credit cards is that problems such as
fraudulent use can be sorted out easier using a credit card as opposed
to a debit card - and if your current account is cleaned out it will
likely cause you more grief to get things sorted out than if it was
just your credit card that was fraudulently used. Credit cards also
offer extra legal protection for purchases of goods or services that
cost =A3100+.

This is exactly what I use a credit card for, and is exactly why I
avoid the use of a debit card where possible. It always gets paid off
at the end of the month, and I have not yet omitted to do this, thus
the convenience comes to me free of charge[1].

I noticed that TheTrainLine now charges for credit cards but not debit
cards.

That's a good reason not to use TheTrainLine I suppose, because I
always used my credit card in the way described above.

Would they actually know if you quoted a Debit Card number in place of
a Credit Card one?


Yes. AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

Several companies (in the UK and elsewhere in Europe at least) either
charge a premium for using a credit card (notionally to cover the
extra costs), such as TheTrainline, easyJet and Ikea, or don't accept
them at all, such as the discount supermarket Aldi (and Wikipedia
states that this is the case for Aldi stores in the US as well [1]).
Until only a few years ago Marks and Spencer didn't accept credit
cards.

-----
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi

Credit Cards
 

Yes. AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world. Prior to that it wasn't possible to use a UK-issued debit card
for online transactions processed abroad as foreign systems wouldn't
accept our account numbers.

Credit Cards
 

In message
Adrian wrote:

On Mar 28, 2:05*am, MIG wrote:
On Mar 27, 10:09*pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:





On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:43:15 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T

wrote:
One of the attractions of credit cards is that problems such as
fraudulent use can be sorted out easier using a credit card as opposed
to a debit card - and if your current account is cleaned out it will
likely cause you more grief *to get things sorted out than if it was
just your credit card that was fraudulently used. Credit cards also
offer extra legal protection for purchases of goods or services that
cost =A3100+.

This is exactly what I use a credit card for, and is exactly why I
avoid the use of a debit card where possible. *It always gets paid off
at the end of the month, and I have not yet omitted to do this, thus
the convenience comes to me free of charge[1].

I noticed that TheTrainLine now charges for credit cards but not debit
cards.

That's a good reason not to use TheTrainLine I suppose, because I
always used my credit card in the way described above.

Would they actually know if you quoted a Debit Card number in place of
a Credit Card one?


Yes, from the number series.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

Credit Cards
 

On 28 Mar, 16:29, Mizter T wrote:
On 28 Mar, 15:59, Adrian wrote:





On Mar 28, 2:05 am, MIG wrote:

On Mar 27, 10:09 pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:43:15 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T

wrote:
One of the attractions of credit cards is that problems such as
fraudulent use can be sorted out easier using a credit card as opposed
to a debit card - and if your current account is cleaned out it will
likely cause you more grief *to get things sorted out than if it was
just your credit card that was fraudulently used. Credit cards also
offer extra legal protection for purchases of goods or services that
cost =A3100+.

This is exactly what I use a credit card for, and is exactly why I
avoid the use of a debit card where possible. *It always gets paid off
at the end of the month, and I have not yet omitted to do this, thus
the convenience comes to me free of charge[1].

I noticed that TheTrainLine now charges for credit cards but not debit
cards.

That's a good reason not to use TheTrainLine I suppose, because I
always used my credit card in the way described above.

Would they actually know if you quoted a Debit Card number in place of
a Credit Card one?

Yes. AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

Several companies (in the UK and elsewhere in Europe at least) either
charge a premium for using a credit card (notionally to cover the
extra costs), such as TheTrainline, easyJet and Ikea, or don't accept
them at all, such as the discount supermarket Aldi (and Wikipedia
states that this is the case for Aldi stores in the US as well [1]).
Until only a few years ago Marks and Spencer didn't accept credit
cards.

The number range must also be referred to by supermarket (and pub)
tills when it comes to allowing "cashback" or not.

Credit Cards
 

In message
, at
09:29:38 on Fri, 28 Mar 2008, Mizter T remarked:
AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

I would be astonished to discover that there wasn't a standard ecommerce
plug-in that identified the kind of card (along with the one that
everyone uses to ensure the checksum is OK). Even if the seller doesn't
deploy one, their merchant services must, so they can tell who to send
the charge to.
--
Roland Perry

Credit Cards
 

On 28 Mar, 17:15, MIG wrote:
On 28 Mar, 16:29, Mizter T wrote:





On 28 Mar, 15:59, Adrian wrote:

On Mar 28, 2:05 am, MIG wrote:

On Mar 27, 10:09 pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:43:15 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T


The number range must also be referred to by supermarket (and pub)
tills when it comes to allowing "cashback" or not.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There is a summary at

http://www.barclaycardbusiness.co.uk/docs/binranges.pdf

Credit Cards
 

On 28 Mar, 16:36, Ianigsy wrote:

Yes. AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world. Prior to that it wasn't possible to use a UK-issued debit card
for online transactions processed abroad as foreign systems wouldn't
accept our account numbers.


I think the issue you're referring to on concerns Switch debit cards,
which have now been rebranded Maestro, which used a different
numbering system but I believe are now 'switching over' to the
worldwide standard (16 principal digits).

Visa debit cards (aka Visa delta) have always complied with the global
standard, as have their online authorisation only sibling Visa
Electron.

I'm not quite sure what the story is with regards to Switch's online
authorisation only sibling the Solo card and their compliance or
otherwise with regards to the worldwide standard.

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world. Prior to that it wasn't possible to use a UK-issued debit card
for online transactions processed abroad as foreign systems wouldn't
accept our account numbers.

I think the issue you're referring to on concerns Switch debit cards,
which have now been rebranded Maestro, which used a different numbering
system but I believe are now 'switching over' to the worldwide standard
(16 principal digits).

It's going to be a while yet until that's complete...
looks at own Maestro (not Switch) card
Expires late 2010, 18 digits.

The long digit, in my card's case at least, is just the four-digit issuer
prefix, then the sort code and account number...

Trivia time - it's easy to identify a card type by the first digit.
3-Amex/Diners/JCB, 4-Visa, 5-Mastercard, 6-Maestro.

Credit Cards
 

On 28 Mar, 17:26, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
09:29:38 on Fri, 28 Mar 2008, Mizter T remarked:

AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

I would be astonished to discover that there wasn't a standard ecommerce
plug-in that identified the kind of card (along with the one that
everyone uses to ensure the checksum is OK). Even if the seller doesn't
deploy one, their merchant services must, so they can tell who to send
the charge to.


One would think that likely for big ecommerce companies, but perhaps
not elsewhere.

I've certainly heard about people using some of the basic debit cards
- Visa Electron and Solo (i.e. the one's that need online
authorisation) - with companies and retailers that notionally
disallowed them, and I'm not just talking about railway booking
offices or ticket machines either. This led me to think that sometimes
perhaps the card number range filtering is implemented badly (or not
at all) by some retailers.

Additionally if retailers are not using online EPOS systems (i.e. if
the details all get sent in batches every so often - or even if the
card is processed manually, old-school style) then the merchant
service provider's systems won't necessarily get a chance to reject
inappropriate cards (if the EPOS machine doesn't already have an
appropriate filter installed).

I'm sure I'm using all the wrong terminology but you catch my drift!

Credit Cards
 

On Mar 28, 11:10*am, Mizter T wrote:
On 28 Mar, 16:36, Ianigsy wrote:

Yes. AIUI debit cards use a different number range to credit cards.
Whether companies elsewhere in the world would be able to instantly
tell the difference between a UK issued debit and credit card is
another question.

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world. *Prior to that it wasn't possible to use a UK-issued debit card
for online transactions processed abroad as foreign systems wouldn't
accept our account numbers.

I think the issue you're referring to on concerns Switch debit cards,
which have now been rebranded Maestro, which used a different
numbering system but I believe are now 'switching over' to the
worldwide standard (16 principal digits).

Visa debit cards (aka Visa delta) have always complied with the global
standard, as have their online authorisation only sibling Visa
Electron.

I'm not quite sure what the story is with regards to Switch's online
authorisation only sibling the Solo card and their compliance or
otherwise with regards to the worldwide standard.

Thank you for the interesting responses. Most of my cards are with US
institutions, others are with UK banks. I had been using Credit and
Debit cards for similar transactions, both domestically and
internationally, without problems.

Adrian

Credit Cards
 

On Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:27:01 +0000 (UTC), Adrian
wrote this gibberish:

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world. Prior to that it wasn't possible to use a UK-issued debit card
for online transactions processed abroad as foreign systems wouldn't
accept our account numbers.

I think the issue you're referring to on concerns Switch debit cards,
which have now been rebranded Maestro, which used a different numbering
system but I believe are now 'switching over' to the worldwide standard
(16 principal digits).

It's going to be a while yet until that's complete...
looks at own Maestro (not Switch) card
Expires late 2010, 18 digits.

The long digit, in my card's case at least, is just the four-digit issuer
prefix, then the sort code and account number...

Trivia time - it's easy to identify a card type by the first digit.
3-Amex/Diners/JCB, 4-Visa, 5-Mastercard, 6-Maestro.

hmm, I have a savings account card which starts with a 5, I wonder if
it'll work paying for stuff...

--
Mark.
www.MarkVarleyPhoto.co.uk
www.TwistedPhotography.co.uk
www.TwistedArts.co.uk
www.BeautifulBondage.net

Credit Cards
 

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 09:36:05AM -0700, Ianigsy wrote:

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world.

Uhh, the only card I've ever had that didn't have 16 digits was ... a
visa credit card (Barclays, 13 digits), many years ago.

Methinks you misunderstood something.

--
David Cantrell | Nth greatest programmer in the world

You can't spell "slaughter" without "laughter"

Credit Cards
 

On 1 Apr, 12:47, David Cantrell wrote:

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 09:36:05AM -0700, Ianigsy wrote:
Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world.

Uhh, the only card I've ever had that didn't have 16 digits was ... a
visa credit card (Barclays, 13 digits), many years ago.

Methinks you misunderstood something.


I strongly suspect he is referring to UK Switch (now branded Maestro)
cards which until very recently were issued with (I think) a 19 digit
principal number. UK issued Maestro cards are now being switched over
to the 16 digit standard.

I can't remember the details but this has caused a number of problems
- I think it was that holders of the old-standard UK Maestro cards
could run into trouble using them abroad.

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

I strongly suspect he is referring to UK Switch (now branded Maestro)
cards which until very recently were issued with (I think) a 19 digit
principal number. UK issued Maestro cards are now being switched over to
the 16 digit standard.

My UK Maestro-branded debit card (expires late 2010, issued last year
IIRC) is on 19 digits.

I can't remember the details but this has caused a number of problems -
I think it was that holders of the old-standard UK Maestro cards could
run into trouble using them abroad.

I know I have in the past, but it's not exactly a Maestro-standard thing.
We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa card over
Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol pumps... groan

Credit Cards
 

On 1 Apr, 13:51, Adrian wrote:

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

I strongly suspect he is referring to UK Switch (now branded Maestro)
cards which until very recently were issued with (I think) a 19 digit
principal number. UK issued Maestro cards are now being switched over to
the 16 digit standard.

My UK Maestro-branded debit card (expires late 2010, issued last year
IIRC) is on 19 digits.

I can't remember the details but this has caused a number of problems -
I think it was that holders of the old-standard UK Maestro cards could
run into trouble using them abroad.

I know I have in the past, but it's not exactly a Maestro-standard thing.
We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa card over
Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol pumps... groan


I really can't see what was wrong with using a UK Visa card there -
was it a debit or credit card? I certainly can't recalls Carrefour
being one of these retailers that only accepts debit cards (and not
credit cards), nor do I think they impose a credit card surcharge.

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

I can't remember the details but this has caused a number of problems
- I think it was that holders of the old-standard UK Maestro cards
could run into trouble using them abroad.

I know I have in the past, but it's not exactly a Maestro-standard
thing. We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa
card over Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol
pumps... groan

I really can't see what was wrong with using a UK Visa card there - was
it a debit or credit card? I certainly can't recalls Carrefour being one
of these retailers that only accepts debit cards (and not credit cards),
nor do I think they impose a credit card surcharge.

Credit card. A couple of 'em, in fact - one UK Visa, one UK M/card. It
wasn't a _card_ issue so much as a policy issue. We were asked if they
were foreign cards - store security were called over to examine the
cards, our IDs and give an OK.

Credit Cards
 

On 1 Apr, 14:57, Adrian wrote:

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

[...] We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa
card over Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol
pumps... groan

I really can't see what was wrong with using a UK Visa card there - was
it a debit or credit card? I certainly can't recalls Carrefour being one
of these retailers that only accepts debit cards (and not credit cards),
nor do I think they impose a credit card surcharge.

Credit card. A couple of 'em, in fact - one UK Visa, one UK M/card. It
wasn't a _card_ issue so much as a policy issue. We were asked if they
were foreign cards - store security were called over to examine the
cards, our IDs and give an OK.

OK, that makes a bit more sense - even though it sounds a bit of a
silly policy. Then again perhaps this store had had several problems
with fraud and non-French credit/debit cards.

I'd have been a bit stuffed in a similar situation - I don't normally
carry around any specific ID documentation (driving licence, passport)
on my person.

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

Credit card. A couple of 'em, in fact - one UK Visa, one UK M/card. It
wasn't a _card_ issue so much as a policy issue. We were asked if they
were foreign cards - store security were called over to examine the
cards, our IDs and give an OK.

OK, that makes a bit more sense - even though it sounds a bit of a silly
policy. Then again perhaps this store had had several problems with
fraud and non-French credit/debit cards.

Mebbe. It must cause 'em plenty of hassle, though - it was a _huge_
store, right on an Autoroute junction in Reims, so well on the tourist
trail. Never had it in other supermarkets in France, small or large, more
or less on the foreigner routes.

I'd have been a bit stuffed in a similar situation - I don't normally
carry around any specific ID documentation (driving licence, passport)
on my person.

pats photocard driving licence fondly

Credit Cards
 

On 1 Apr, 15:20, Adrian wrote:

Mizter T (Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

Credit card. A couple of 'em, in fact - one UK Visa, one UK M/card. It
wasn't a _card_ issue so much as a policy issue. We were asked if they
were foreign cards - store security were called over to examine the
cards, our IDs and give an OK.
OK, that makes a bit more sense - even though it sounds a bit of a silly
policy. Then again perhaps this store had had several problems with
fraud and non-French credit/debit cards.

Mebbe. It must cause 'em plenty of hassle, though - it was a _huge_
store, right on an Autoroute junction in Reims, so well on the tourist
trail. Never had it in other supermarkets in France, small or large, more
or less on the foreigner routes.

I'd have been a bit stuffed in a similar situation - I don't normally
carry around any specific ID documentation (driving licence, passport)
on my person.

pats photocard driving licence fondly

Oh, I've got one of them, I just don't normally carry it around with
me - should it get lost and stolen, especially if it's in a wallet
alongside with bank cards, then it increases the risk of identity
theft and all that malarkey. (I also don't like the idea of carrying
round a de-facto ID card as well.)

When I'm driving to France I'd definitely take it, and I suppose most
of the time it'd stay in my wallet for the duration of my trip. That
said I've certainly been out driving in France without my wallet and
hence without my driving licence, and on at least one occasion I
didn't take it out to France at all as I'd mislaid it. TBH I've no
idea whether it is actually compulsory to carry a driving licence
whilst driving in France - advisable perhaps, but is it a legal
requirement? If so then I've broken the law many a time!

Credit Cards
 

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:47:00 +0100, David Cantrell
wrote:

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 09:36:05AM -0700, Ianigsy wrote:

Yes again- having spoken to somebody who works in the fraud risk
department of a bank, the UK is only just moving to a system of having
the same number of digits in a debit card number as the rest of the
world.

Uhh, the only card I've ever had that didn't have 16 digits was ... a
visa credit card (Barclays, 13 digits), many years ago.

My first Barclaycard did as well, had it in the late 90s.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Credit Cards
 

On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 06:24:24 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:

I really can't see what was wrong with using a UK Visa card there -
was it a debit or credit card? I certainly can't recalls Carrefour
being one of these retailers that only accepts debit cards (and not
credit cards), nor do I think they impose a credit card surcharge.

I have never had problems paying with a credit card at the Carrefour
not far from the Calais ferry terminal.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Credit Cards
 

On 1 Apr, 20:04, (Neil Williams) wrote:
On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 06:24:24 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:

I really can't see what was wrong with using a UK Visa card there -
was it a debit or credit card? I certainly can't recalls Carrefour
being one of these retailers that only accepts debit cards (and not
credit cards), nor do I think they impose a credit card surcharge.

I have never had problems paying with a credit card at the Carrefour
not far from the Calais ferry terminal.

Neil


Which if you've got any sense is as far as you ever need to venture
into Frogland... fill up on booze and cheese and get outta there...

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T wrote

I strongly suspect he is referring to UK Switch (now branded Maestro)
cards which until very recently were issued with (I think) a 19 digit
principal number. UK issued Maestro cards are now being switched over
to the 16 digit standard.

I got my replacement (NatWest) Switch/Maestro with chip&pin and 16
digits in December 2005 so hardly "very recently".

Did anyone get a chip&pin card with other than 16 digits ?

--
Mike D

Credit Cards
 

On 2 Apr, 00:39, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote:

Mizter T wrote

I strongly suspect he is referring to UK Switch (now branded Maestro)
cards which until very recently were issued with (I think) a 19 digit
principal number. UK issued Maestro cards are now being switched over
to the 16 digit standard.

I got my replacement (NatWest) Switch/Maestro with chip&pin and 16
digits in December 2005 so hardly "very recently".

OK, well "pretty recently" then. Depends upon what one regards as
"very recent" as well.


Did anyone get a chip&pin card with other than 16 digits ?

Credit Cards
 

Michael R N Dolbear ("Michael R N Dolbear" ) gurgled
happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Did anyone get a chip&pin card with other than 16 digits ?

waves

FD Maestro, expires late 2010. Issued last year, IIRC.

Credit Cards
 

In message
, at
11:31:02 on Fri, 28 Mar 2008, Mizter T remarked:
I would be astonished to discover that there wasn't a standard ecommerce
plug-in that identified the kind of card (along with the one that
everyone uses to ensure the checksum is OK). Even if the seller doesn't
deploy one, their merchant services must, so they can tell who to send
the charge to.

One would think that likely for big ecommerce companies, but perhaps
not elsewhere.

It wasn't the size of the e-commerce company, but the size of the
organisation producing the e-commerce module. To take an extreme
example, someone can be a really small company selling on eBay, but you
get the benefit of Paypal's card processing. I wouldn't expect any small
company to be writing their own card processing software, any more then
they write their own spell checker.
--
Roland Perry

Credit Cards
 

In message
, at
07:11:32 on Tue, 1 Apr 2008, Mizter T remarked:
[...] We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa
card over Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol
pumps... groan

I'd have been a bit stuffed in a similar situation - I don't normally
carry around any specific ID documentation (driving licence, passport)
on my person.

If you were in France I believe it's compulsory to carry ID.
--
Roland Perry

Credit Cards
 

On 2 Apr, 08:44, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
07:11:32 on Tue, 1 Apr 2008, Mizter T remarked:

[...] We got the third degree in a Carrefour trying to use a UK Visa
card over Easter... And don't even go near French automated petrol
pumps... groan

I'd have been a bit stuffed in a similar situation - I don't normally
carry around any specific ID documentation (driving licence, passport)
on my person.

If you were in France I believe it's compulsory to carry ID.


I don't think it is actually, either for French citizens/residents or
for visiting foreigners.

Credit Cards
 

In message , Roland Perry
writes

If you were in France I believe it's compulsory to carry ID.

Not since 1955.
--
Paul Terry

Credit Cards
 

In message
, at
01:33:42 on Wed, 2 Apr 2008, Mizter T remarked:
If you were in France I believe it's compulsory to carry ID.

I don't think it is actually, either for French citizens/residents or
for visiting foreigners.

I know someone who was hauled to the police station (for going shopping
in FR without ID). It may be a second order thing like "you have to be
able to prove who you are" (it's like that in NL). ID is one of the few
ways to do this.
--
Roland Perry

Credit Cards
 

On Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:23:42 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
11:31:02 on Fri, 28 Mar 2008, Mizter T remarked:
I would be astonished to discover that there wasn't a standard
ecommerce plug-in that identified the kind of card (along with the one
that everyone uses to ensure the checksum is OK). Even if the seller
doesn't deploy one, their merchant services must, so they can tell who
to send the charge to.

One would think that likely for big ecommerce companies, but perhaps not
elsewhere.

It wasn't the size of the e-commerce company, but the size of the
organisation producing the e-commerce module.

I wouldn't expect any small
company to be writing their own card processing software, any more then
they write their own spell checker.

In some countries they can't 'roll their own'. In Australia for example,
the bank's regulations for handling on-line card transactions are so
onerous that most sites just use a broker to handle all that bit 'off
site'. The banks naturally offer such services for your site....

You could roll your own, but proving to the banking industry that it
works to their requirements is reasonably difficult, and if they don't
think you comply, they won't handle your transactions.


--
Matthew Geier

Credit Cards
 

Mizter T wrote

If you were in France I believe it's compulsory to carry ID.


I don't think it is actually, either for French citizens/residents or
for visiting foreigners.

"All required to carry ID" was announced on the newpaper travel pages
about 1999 (as an anti-terrorism measure).

Whether it is still the case I don't know

--
Mike D