Anyone Had Problems w/ Debit Card?

[kaneohe]

We recently made a short trip to Canada. I called the cc and banks to let them know. While there I used a bank debit card to get some cash. The first try
was fine. Later I tried to get more at the same hotel and request was declined at the last step w/ a note that something was wrong w/ the chip .

When I got home I called the bank who said everything was fine w/ the card
and that perhaps the hotel ATM had limited me to just one attempt.
Today I tried that debit card at a local Walgreens and it worked fine.

 

[big-papa]

Not sure about Canada but some countries in Europe limit the daily withdrawal amount by foreigners using debit cards.

 

[kaneohe]

Not sure about Canada but some countries in Europe limit the daily withdrawal amount by foreigners using debit cards.

Thanks.......forgot to mention the withdrawal was minimal.....$40 CAD.

 

[audreyh1]

Error with chip - a good rub on the chip can clear up problems.

But I may have had "chip errors" before, and just tried a different ATM.

 

[braumeister]

Error with chip - a good rub on the chip can clear up problems.

Had a "bad chip" problem in Scotland last year, and a friendly local banker said "Not really a problem, sir." He grabbed a pencil and applied the eraser vigorously to the chip contacts on my card, and suddenly all was well.

 

[ERD50]

Had a "bad chip" problem in Scotland last year, and a friendly local banker said "Not really a problem, sir." He grabbed a pencil and applied the eraser vigorously to the chip contacts on my card, and suddenly all was well.

I recently had a card rejected at the grocery store. The checker (probably ~ 50 YO), said, yeah, we need to invent a cleaner for those things and go on Shark Tank! Wipe it and try again - and it worked.

A bit later I realized she was probably of the age to remember using "head cleaners" for your VCR or cassette tape machine (or open reel for that matter).

So yep, a cleaning can make it work again.

-ERD50

 

[kcowan]

I think someone should invent a cleaning card that the retailer uses to maintain the effectiveness of their readers. I know I have just used another ATM or POS when this happens to me (rarely).

 

[cathy63]

Had a "bad chip" problem in Scotland last year, and a friendly local banker said "Not really a problem, sir." He grabbed a pencil and applied the eraser vigorously to the chip contacts on my card, and suddenly all was well.

This is what we did back when I had a CAC (federal ID card) for work. The chips on those seem to fail more frequently than credit cards because they hang around your neck on a lanyard when they're not being used in a computer reader, and they get exposed to more environmental things than a CC in a wallet does. The eraser cleanup trick worked every time.

 

[gauss]

Had a "bad chip" problem in Scotland last year, and a friendly local banker said "Not really a problem, sir." He grabbed a pencil and applied the eraser vigorously to the chip contacts on my card, and suddenly all was well.

Sounds like the old toy slot car sets from back in the 1970s. Same trick worked to restore performance.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I recently had a card rejected at the grocery store. The checker (probably ~ 50 YO), said, yeah, we need to invent a cleaner for those things and go on Shark Tank! Wipe it and try again - and it worked.

A bit later I realized she was probably of the age to remember using "head cleaners" for your VCR or cassette tape machine (or open reel for that matter).

So yep, a cleaning can make it work again.

-ERD50

What they used to do with ATM cards before they read the chips was put a plastic bag tightly around the card strip and then swipe it real fast. Most of the time it worked, but not always.

 

[Senator]

I had an issue with an ATM card in Canada last year. Intermittent. I think it had to do with the ATM network the bank was associated with.

At a casino it worked fine, and at Wal-Mart it worked once out of two tries as I recall.