The Visa conundrum ... Again.

So previously when Jonathan and I travelled to South America, my Visa card was cancelled at 5pm on th Friday before leaving. This left me without a credit card, as I only have the one. So after speaking with a number of people and finally going into the bank, I ended up taking two visa prepaid gift cards with me. 

So with this trip I decided that it would be a safe bet to get more prepaid cards. I spoke with a number of people including the bank manager, and asked if there would be any issue with me using these cards in SOUTH AFRICA. I was reassured that there would be no issues using it. 

On our travels to South Africa, I used the card at Toronto Pearson, for dinner and then again in Munich for another meal. However, once I attempted to use the card in South Africa, it was declined. I even tried at another location and again declined. I proceeded to call the number on the back of the card and was in formed that these cards are RESTRICTED to use in Sout Africa (and several other countries for that matter). I got off the phone and checked the website to make sure that it sad that on. The website, as I was checking online last night as well. 

 

As you can see in the screen shots above, both visa and my bank say that the cards are accepted where Visa cards are accepted. No restrictions, no implications that they could not be used anywhere in South Africa. 

The fact is that this is not true. I was given false  information, in person and on the web. This is a poor representation of the services that they are providing, or in my case not providing. Be aware of this false missleading information.

Thankfully, I'm not stranded and have other means of paying for stuff, don't worry friends and family. These prepaid cards are however being advertised as the new travellers cheques. If there is a restriction on the cards it should be stated directly or in a disclaimer and not found out by the traveller whilst in the country they are travelling to!!! Even if is just on the website! 

Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed yet again with my banking system, whether this is an RBC or Visa issue it matters not to me. It is a matter on how things are being handled. All three of the VISA representatives I talked to including a supervisor were EXTREMELY unhelpful...The only option I was given was that I can use the prepaid cards in Canada. Thanks, but that doesn't help me on my 30 day African tour. What would have happened if this was my only means on payment?

If you are reading this please share it to their social media (I am definitely twittering this post to them too) hopefully this will get to someone over there who actually cares at visa corporate and get a better resolution to this situation, not to mention to make sure that their disclaimers are proper.  I shouldn't find this stuff out while travelling.

For anyone travelling, that may be reading this, the countries I got out of their representative that we could not use the cards in are: South Africa, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Belarus, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Balkan, there was one other but the rep was speaking quite quickly. 

Audrey