# Temporary Credit Card Needed



## DAVID MAC (22 Jun 2008)

hi There,im Heading Over To Chicago In July And Im Needing To Rent A Car Over There For A Week,now As With All Car Rental Companys They Demand A Credit Card At Pickup As A Security Deposit Or Debit Card,sadly I Dont Have A Credit Card,and Been A Carer At Present,my Income Is Not Near Enough To Qualify For A Credit Card.
Im With Aib,and Have Internet Banking,my Maestro Card Sadly Is Not Accepted As They Demand It Has The Visa Or Mastercard Logo,they Wont Accept Cash Rentals,
If I Was To Ring The Aib Credit Card Centre And Explain That I Need A Credit Card Just For This Occasion With A Low Credit Limit,and Promise To Cancel It After This Week,would I Be Accepted.
Ive Never Had A Credit Card Before,and Have An Income Going Directly Into My Account Weekly,what Should I Do.
Appreciate Your Help,thanks


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## peteb (22 Jun 2008)

Why dont you try the 3v prepaid visa vouchers? See www.3v.ie
Hope thats of some help!


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## DAVID MAC (22 Jun 2008)

hi Yes Ive Tried Them,but The Rental Companys Demand A Major Credit Card At Pickup,as A Security Deposit In Case Something Happens,like A Crash Or Theft,they Keep The Card And Put A Hold On It,and Return It To You When You Return The Car.they Only Accept Cash,or Prepaid Cards When You Pay At The End Of The Rental


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## peteb (22 Jun 2008)

Surely in this day and age it cant be that hard to get a credit card??! Banks even give them on student accounts these days and keep the limit below a grand!


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## PM1234 (22 Jun 2008)

You might have to ring/write ahead to clarify as the rules may differ for tourists but something like this  [broken link removed]   [broken link removed]


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## rmelly (22 Jun 2008)

There was a recent thread where one poster was recommending someone in similar circumstances enrol in a full time college course they had no intention of taking, then open a student account with credit card, then cancel the enrolment. Not a great idea, but...


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## superdrog (22 Jun 2008)

Try shopping around , some companies will give you a car on a cash deposit (usually about $250) plus the cost of a tank of petrol if you take out their insurance.


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## bond-007 (22 Jun 2008)

All of the major players deal only in plastic and do not ever accept cash.


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## so-crates (22 Jun 2008)

Could you not just obtain a credit card from AIB and cancel it when you return from holidays and have paid off the charge? I wouldn't tell them you intend to do that, just do it. (If you think about it, they are more interested in you retaining a credit card long term). There is nothing which says you must have a credit card for a period of time. Have you tried applying for one?


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## so-crates (22 Jun 2008)

oh and turn off Caps Lock when you are typing a post, it makes them quite difficult to read (and it makes you seem like you are shouting )


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## DAVID MAC (24 Jun 2008)

How long would i know if my credit card application has been approved if i applied through my internet banking?


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## so-crates (24 Jun 2008)

Ring them and ask?


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## bond-007 (24 Jun 2008)

DAVID MAC said:


> How long would i know if my credit card application has been approved if i applied through my internet banking?


Depends on who you are with. AIB took 3 weeks to approve for me. MBNA was next day.


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## DAVID MAC (25 Jun 2008)

Dam Them Anyway,got Turned Down As I Fully Expected,and I Only Need It For One Week,why Is It So Dam Hard To Get A Credit Card?


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## MugsGame (25 Jun 2008)

Halifax offer a Visa Debit card with their current account. I believe this can be used wherever Visa credit cards are accepted. As it's on your current account it should be easier to get, as you just need to meet the Halifax Ireland current account requirements. Most branches are open Saturday mornings if you want to pop in and open a current account (remember to bring ID such as passport and two proofs of address, and possibly proof of PPS number.). If you do get the card you might want to clarify what transaction limits apply to card usage. Also be careful with the card details, as the normal fraud protections on credit cards may not apply to Visa Debit.

[broken link removed] offer a physical prepay MasterCard. I hear they will accept Irish applications, though the account is probably denominated in Sterling.

There is also  who offer a virtual MasterCard denominated in Euro and appear to be much better value than 3V. There is talk of an  tied to your Wirecard account, so this might also be an option (assuming Irish stamp duty charges don't prevent this).


> Q: What is the classic MasterCard?
> A: On request you will receive a standard plastic prepaid MasterCard, linked to your Wirecard account.


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## DAVID MAC (25 Jun 2008)

*hi Is The Easykard A Prepaid Credit Card?if So That Wont Work With The Car Renting Companys,and If I Opened An Account With Halifax That Could Take Ages,i Cant Understand Aib Not Having A Debit Card That Can Be Used Worldwide Like Halifax Have,the Maestro Card Is Useless.

*


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## MugsGame (25 Jun 2008)

If you go into a Halifax branch this week with correct ID documentation and open a current account, I expect you'd have the Visa Debit card next week.

As for prepaid cards, if you present a physical card to the car rental company it's pretty hard for them to determine that it's prepaid. You might have to lodge extra money to the card to prevent it failing any pre-auths, but that should cover it.

How are you paying for flights and hotel without a card? Is there a friend / relative that could request a card in your name but drawn on their existing credit card account? Most banks are more than happy to do this and would issue in a few days, with no credit checks required (your friend would be responsible for the card bill, so you would have to settle up with them).


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## DAVID MAC (25 Jun 2008)

*my Brother Used His Credit Card To Book My Flights And Hotels,and I Paid Him The Cash,well The Car Rental Companys State They Wont Accept Prepaid Cards At The Time Of Pickup But Would Accept Them As Payment Of The Rent At The End When The Car Is Returned,so I Dont Know,i Have A 3v Prepaid Credit Card But I Dont Know.


*


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## FredBloggs (25 Jun 2008)

so-crates said:


> oh and turn off Caps Lock when you are typing a post, it makes them quite difficult to read (and it makes you seem like you are shouting )


 
Also turn off bold


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## so-crates (25 Jun 2008)

> Is there a friend / relative that could request a card in your name but drawn on their existing credit card account?


Excellent idea MugsGame, I never thought of that.. David, that might be your quickest and easiest way of getting a credit card sorted for the hols. Sorry to hear that AIB turned you down. Did you ask them for a reason why?


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## DAVID MAC (25 Jun 2008)

The reason was my income that they turned me down,i explained i only needed it for the week and would cancel after the week but that did not work,i cant understand them.
my brother has a student credit card,hes with boi,ill have to ask him about that.


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## so-crates (25 Jun 2008)

The best credit card customers are those that only pay some of their debt. So they want a nice balance between an income and a habit of not clearing a credit card balance. The decided your income was too low, telling them you only needed it for a short while would only re-inforce their decision. It isn't worth their while giving you a credit card you aren't going to use over the long term. That was why I advised against telling them you only needed it for a week. In their eyes this is not an incentive.


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## MugsGame (25 Jun 2008)

> my brother has a student credit card,hes with boi,ill have to ask him about that.



Sorry, they probably won't allow a second card on a student account. But no harm in checking!


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## DAVID MAC (26 Jun 2008)

*it does not look like that will work,but thanks for all your help,i tried applying for one of them easykards,but the dam thing wont accept my maestro card,even though it gives maestro under the payment options,im cursed,looks like a bicycle ismy only option over there haha*


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## bond-007 (26 Jun 2008)

Is this a laser/maestro card? They don't work online.


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## DAVID MAC (26 Jun 2008)

Yeah it is,i use it online to top my mobilephone up,but thats the 02 site,but why does it give the maestro option anyway.anyone know of where i could get a prepaid credit card other than the 3v cards,here in ireland


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## bond-007 (26 Jun 2008)

Maestro is a thorny issue for Irish banks. The only true maestro comes from postbank. If you open an account with them they will send you a proper maestro card. 

You should be able to get the easykard using the postbank maestro.


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## DAVID MAC (26 Jun 2008)

okay well i popped into the halifax branch in kilkenny today and i opened a new current account with them,they seem far more better than dealing with aib,whether i will have my card in time for the 10th of july is the big question mark,i hope so,plus the car renting companys accept visa debit cards,so fingers crossed i will have it in time.


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## MugsGame (26 Jun 2008)

Best of luck. As you are probably aware you will have to lodge the expected car rental money into your Halifax account in advance, or the transaction may be declined when the rental company try to reserve the amount when you collect the car.


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## DAVID MAC (9 Jul 2008)

Sadly i didnt recieve my halifax debit card yet and im away tomorrow so looks like i may forget about renting a car,i swore id have it by now


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## Brianne (9 Jul 2008)

Could someone tell me as to whether the OP could use his brother's card? My daughter uses my card , obviously with my permission. Surely if he lodged money to his brother's account in advance, it would be okay and maybe the easiest or do you have to have the card in the same name as your identification ?


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## mathepac (9 Jul 2008)

Brianne said:


> Could someone tell me as to whether the OP could use his brother's card? My daughter uses my card , obviously with my permission. Surely if he lodged money to his brother's account in advance, it would be okay and maybe the easiest or do you have to have the card in the same name as your identification ?





DAVID MAC said:


> ...
> my brother has a student credit card,hes with boi,ill have to ask him about that.





MugsGame said:


> Sorry, they probably won't allow a second card on a student account. But no harm in checking!


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## mathepac (9 Jul 2008)

Brianne said:


> ..or do you have to have the card in the same name as your identification ?


Sorry, meant to add this bit - under their trading terms with the card companies, merchants are not allowed to ask for additional identification - either they accept the card as payment or decline to.

A link to the merchants' T&C's with MasterCard was posted here some time ago but I can't find it just now.


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## bond-007 (9 Jul 2008)

Frequently in the USA merchants will request additional ID before accepting any form of card payment whether it be a credit or debit card.


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## eileen alana (9 Jul 2008)

DAVID MAC said:


> Dam Them Anyway,got Turned Down As I Fully Expected,and I Only Need It For One Week,why Is It So Dam Hard To Get A Credit Card?


 

Ring them and ask why you were turned down.  The same thing happned to me a few weeks back and I rang and told them that I had been banking with them for years and what was their explanation for turning me down. It turned out the wrong letter had been send out to me and I had my credit card within a few days.  Th lady I spoke to me said they were inundated with applications for the new Click card which is available through the internet only.


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## mathepac (9 Jul 2008)

bond-007 said:


> Frequently in the USA merchants will request additional ID before accepting any form of card payment whether it be a credit or debit card.


They are not entitled to for a credit-card transaction and there is no obligation on the purchaser (card-holder) to provide additional id.

This is the reference I couldn't find earlier, with thanks to VanHeusen.



VanHeusen said:


> Nope. Per "Rules for Visa Merchants": [broken link removed]
> 
> When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID. Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their
> regular card acceptance procedures. Laws in several states also make it illegal for merchants to write a cardholder’s personal information, such as an address or phone number, on a sales receipt.


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## thebusiness (9 Jul 2008)

Goto Enterprise rent a car thats were I rented a car in the states and only had to pay cash


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## bond-007 (9 Jul 2008)

mathepac said:


> They are not entitled to for a credit-card transaction and there is no obligation on the purchaser (card-holder) to provide additional id.
> 
> This is the reference I couldn't find earlier, with thanks to VanHeusen.



Thanks for that. In my experiences in the USA they have never recorded any details from the ID, they just compared the name on the card with the ID. 

I don't know if they would complete the transaction if you refused.


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## mathepac (9 Jul 2008)

bond-007 said:


> ...I don't know if they would complete the transaction if you refused.


Both MasterCard & Visa have form letters you can send to them complaining if a merchant refuses to complete a sale because you refuse to produce additional ID. They (anecdotally anyway) seem to treat it seriously.


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## soy (10 Jul 2008)

bond-007 said:


> Thanks for that. In my experiences in the USA they have never recorded any details from the ID, they just compared the name on the card with the ID.
> 
> I don't know if they would complete the transaction if you refused.



Many people in the USA do not sign the back of their card. Instead they write...see ID...or something to that effect in the sigature strip. Then the vendor needs to see the ID (usually a driver licence with signature + photo) before they can decide if they should accept the card.

People I asked described it as a form of double security - a lost or stolen card is more difficult to use without the ID. If it is used, any signature is unlikely to match the cardholders thus making refund claims easier to prove.


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## MissG (10 Jul 2008)

I have just returned from 2 weeks in the US where we used 3 different car rental agencys. Each of them required the credit card and drivers license to be in the same name. My credit card expired while I was away (grr!) and as I was the designated driver for the trip we faced issues every time even though we were paying cash for the rental! I ended up having to get my friend to rent the car using her license and credit card, paying $25 extra a day as she is under 25 (even though she was never once going to drive), and an additional $10 to add me as a driver! When you add on tax and insurance etc teh overall cost was pretty ridiculous.


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## DAVID MAC (11 Jul 2008)

thebusiness said:


> Goto Enterprise rent a car thats were I rented a car in the states and only had to pay cash



Where i am right now,i could really do with a car over here,there is an enterprise car rental place in the town from me,but surely they would not accept a cash deposit,how did it work for you,because they all seem to request either a debit card or credit card as the security deposit at the time of pickup


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## DAVID MAC (11 Jul 2008)

Tried enterprise but they dont accept cash deposits,so thats that.


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## solair (20 Jul 2008)

The likes of MBNA will often be quicker to lend on credit cards than the traditional banks. So, if it's just for a car hire thing, perhaps it might be an option. 

As always though, be careful about using the card for the holiday fund too!


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## bond-007 (20 Jul 2008)

MBNA have gone mad at the moment. Very hard to get a card out of them. My friend works for them and they are battening down the hatches at the moment. Miss just one payment and they suspend your card for 6 months.


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