Using Credit Cards in the US – and more…
Posted date : Nov 4, 2017.
Dear Bird Talk,
I read the letter from R.D. Burrows in the spring issue of CSA News. We spend the winter in southern Texas and have experienced the same frustrations when attempting to use a card reader at certain gas stations. There is no U.S. zip code attached to our Canadian credit cards and, as a result, we must enter the station to have the attendant turn on the pump. Some attendants will accommodate you, but others request your card or identification to hold until the transaction is complete. I, too, refuse to leave either the card or ID with the attendant. It is very frustrating and defeats the convenience of using the pump card reader.
I contacted both MasterCard and American Express (the cards I use); they entered my American address with the zip code on the cards and the problem was solved. I was able to use the cards at the card reader. Apparently, you just have to talk to the right people, but I simply phoned the 1-880 numbers on the back of the cards. They told me I may have to request it again in the fall when we return to our winter home, but I usually phone them anyway to inform them of our travel plans.
K. G. Thomson
Response:
Ed: There is some uncertainty as to which address your bill will end up going, so make sure to specifically tell them where to send it.
