oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
Member Is Offline
|
|
Maintaining US based credit cards when living in Mexico
I'm trying to consider all the possible "bugs" that may arise with having US based credit cards while living in Mexico.
I will be relying on online banking and bill paying almost exclusively and need to maintain a couple of credit cards for things like insurance premium
payments, sat internet fees, airline tickets, etc.
Our US residence address will be a South Dakota mailing service but I just realized that credit card companies often use your phone number on record
to confirm your iD and activate new cards etc. I hadn't planned on having a US cell phone because we'll only return to the US a few times per year,
but maybe it will be necessary.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Any other potential snafus with finances particularly, you can think of that I should handle now?
thanks
|
|
|
BMG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1776
Registered: 6-10-2007
Location: La Paz / Bahia Asunci�n / Away from home
Member Is Offline
|
|
This hasn't been an issue for us since we still have a U.S. business number and cell number. I've never had a problem activating a card no matter what
phone I'm calling from in or out of the country so I don't think it will be a problem for you, especially if you are in the U.S. a few times a year.
If you do want a U.S. number, one thing that might work for you is eFax. You can get a Pro account for $19.95 mo. This allows you to receive faxes
through your email account. You can also send faxes through you computer. The Pro account includes a voice mail service.
People or businesses can call you on that number and leave a voice message. You'll get an email with the message in a sound file that you can listen
to and save on your computer if you want.
Another possible advantage for you is that you could get a South Dakota number if you want (or any other state).
This is not a phone service so you can't make calls from that number but for anyone calling the number, it's no different than any other phone number
and voice mail.
I think the world is run by C- students.
|
|
|
fishsticker
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 8-23-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: Margarita Time
|
|
Use a ATM card and have your bank pay your bills. We have our internet, direct tv, and our insurance all paid from the bank and have been doing it
for15 yrs now with no problems. I dont use a credit card anymore in Mex as even though I have told them I reside in Mex they still cut it off after a
few uses and I had to call them all the time to get on again. No problem with the ATM. With the ATM it easier to get pesos from a ATM machine.
|
|
|
fishsticker
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 8-23-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: Margarita Time
|
|
You can get a US phone no. from Magic Jack for 20.00 a yr and all your calls incoming and outgoing are free.
|
|
|
DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by fishsticker
You can get a US phone no. from Magic Jack for 20.00 a yr and all your calls incoming and outgoing are free. |
Almost free. Twenty bucks is Twenty bucks. 
I use MJ and you're right. It's a good deal. Thanks.
|
|
|
bajabound2005
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2760
Registered: 10-15-2005
Location: Punta Banda, BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: words cannot describe...
|
|
we have our US cards; get online statements and pay the bills on line through our bank. We have a Vonage # and call from that and is the number of
records that comes through on caller ID when we call anyone. Not everyone calls from their home phone...and I think when you do call there's an
option for that. They will probably ask you a few more "security" questions, but no big deal.
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
|
|
|
wiltonh
Nomad
Posts: 302
Registered: 2-2-2007
Member Is Offline
|
|
This turned out to be a big issue for me last winter. I was down for three months and about 5 weeks in I get an email from my credit card company
saying that a credit card agrigrator had lost 100 million credit cards. All three of mine we in that group.
They froze the accounts and sent new credit cards to my US address. This did me no good at all in Mexico.
I switched over to using debit only and got by just fine.
Normally I do everything in cash drawn from a bank machine but there were some online transactions that I normally would have done with a credit card.
One took Paypal and the other took the debit card. Using debit on line is dangerous so I moved most of the money out of the account and then made
the purchase.
When I got back to the states, I found that one of the credit cards had been lost in the mail so it was still a mess. All three credit cards were
with the same bank, which was probably a mistake.
A lot of people now take Paypal and that is a very good alternative to a credit card.
Wilton
|
|
|
bajabound2005
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2760
Registered: 10-15-2005
Location: Punta Banda, BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: words cannot describe...
|
|
Oh -- and make sure your bank (or credit card issuer) knows you're in Mexico if you'll be using the cards here. Otherwise they may freeze your card
for "fraud" until you can get a phone call into them to verify.
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
|
|
|
bacquito
Super Nomad
Posts: 1615
Registered: 3-6-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: jubilado
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by morgaine7
Another possible hitch, which has never happened to me but has happened to friends, is that some credit card companies freeze the account if they
notice "unusual activity" like international charges.  You might want
to inform them that you are frequently in Mexico to prevent this happening.
Kate |
Yes, this has happened to me numerous times. Now I call ahead of time and tell the Visa Rep, that I will be traveling in Mexico. But, it can cause a
problem.
bacquito
|
|
|
vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabound2005
Oh -- and make sure your bank (or credit card issuer) knows you're in Mexico if you'll be using the cards here. Otherwise they may freeze your card
for "fraud" until you can get a phone call into them to verify. |
That's a common problem. We notify the company ahead of time that we're going to make purchases in Mexico, even tell them we live here, and after 3 to
4 purchases the card will be frozen. So, you better carry cash also to be able to prevent some embarrassment in some store.
|
|
|
vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
|
|
Kate,
Since they all do it, you would soon be out of cards.
However,we're talking about making multiple purchases in one day, sometimes in substantial amounts. Just last month Capitol One shut the card down
after just 4 purchases in La Paz. And they were supposedly aware of the fact we live here. We use that particular card because it's one of the few
left that don't charge a fee for out of country use.
|
|
|
oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
Member Is Offline
|
|
Prior to a vacation I notify our credit card companies of our travel dates and countries we'll be visiting to avoid having them freeze activity on
the cards. Never had a problem with our VISA or MC frequent flyer airline cards.
Once we move to Mexico I don't anticipate using the cards at all for everyday costs in the country, although there may be situations that I haven't
thought of where they'd come in handy. I hadn't considered the cards as back up, but that's a good point Kate.
Most of the time they'd be used to buy stuff online for home construction and later on, home maintenance, that we'll drive back to the US to pick up,
and for other annual fees and costs that I can't pay thru online Bill Pay from our bank/checking account.
Pay pal is another good idea for things that can't be paid directly thru 'Bill pay".
BigWooo says that unfortunately Vonnage won't work well with our Starband setup in BCS . I don't know enough about magic Jack to know if it would work
with satellite internet. We get intermittent, poor reception with SKYPE.
efax is an interesting concept BMG. We had to send an important FAX from our campsite once using our laptop hooked up to our INMARSAT sat phone.
We thought we were so cool and high tech, and then got the phone bill for $40 for one page because of the painfully slow transmission speeds.
The Mail forwarding service we'll be using in SD will also receive faxes for us and scan and email them to us- Mail forwarding, fax service, and a
"domicile" address in the US for $10 / month. Not our own phone number though and no voice mail.
I've been told that cell phone reception is very poor at Punta Pequeña and the only folks we can ever call are those with base stations. We don't have
cell phones in the US and sounds like we have to learn more about them and if there are phones that we can use where we'll be living and in the US.
|
|
|
longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
|
|
I'm holding onto my MasterCard for my emergency back-up plan. I haven't used it for 3-4 years, but every time I
DO, I've had a problem, despite the fact that I've told MasterCard at least a dozen times that I live full-time in La Paz & use
my brothers address as a mailing address. When I went up to San Diego 3-4 years ago on a buying trip for const #2, I made several large purchases at
Sears no problem, but when I moved on to Home Depot, I ended up arguing with MasterCard via phone for over 2 hours before they finally decided that I
was volunteering more personal information than they'd requested & eventually approved my purchases. I TOLD them that I had more large purchases
planned, so I hoped that they had resolved the issue once & for all. But by the time I got to the pool place, once again, they denied my
card! Another call to the same supervisor I'd talked with from Home Depot
resolved it, but only after about 30 more minutes of arguing!
My purchases were $3-4K, but well under my $14,XXX credit line, but one problem was that I couldn't tell them what the XXX of my credit limit was!
I've only attempted to use MasterCard in Mexico ONCE...and it was denied!
I resorted to my debit card. But there are times I'd prefer to have the "float time" of the billing cycle to get the $$ in my account....debit card
doesn't work unless there's enough $$ in your account at the moment of transaction.
Needless to say, I now use my Debit card whenever possible!
|
|
|
Fred-o
Junior Nomad
Posts: 84
Registered: 7-6-2008
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
|
|
I'm with B of A (not real happy) and they freeze the account if I use it more than twice in one day. I have told them at least 6 times that I live in
Mexico. The last time, they said: "Well why didn't you tell us that before?" Duh! We'll mark the account accordingly, and you won't have any more
trouble. Right! Sure! (Until the next time it happens)
I opened a second ATM account in another state for backup. If they freeze the B of A card while I'm travelling in Mexico, but leave the message on my
home phone in Punta Banda....I'm screwed.
Good ole' B of A....
|
|
|
LB
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 10-1-2008
Member Is Offline
|
|
Capital One has worked well for us. We have the international number and
every couple months let them know we are still here. But we only use it at
Costco, Home Depot Ect. Never at restaurants. Use Capitol One Savings
account at the ATM, just transfer money from bank or brokage accounts when needed. These are the only cards I use down in baja. Paid our dues on BA
abd AM Express!!
|
|
|
Don Alley
Super Nomad
Posts: 1997
Registered: 12-4-2003
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
|
|
Have a backup. A few years ago our cash card was "replaced" with a "new and better" cash card, which was mailed to our Montana address, while our old
one was canceled over a year before the expiration date. Bummer. But we had a backup.
All our cc bills are done online; however, I don't trust them. For example, we've been told (rumor?) that our B of A Alaska Airlines card will soon
charge $10 for each out of country purchase. If that's true, they would probably notify us by mail to Montana, not online.
Freezing: We rarely use our cards in Mexico. But when we go on a trip up north, they will shut the card off. Every time. Even if we call ahead. And
even after they turn it back on and say we'll have no more problems, they may shut it off again. Always good to have a backup.
Paypal come in handy sometimes too.
|
|
|
ncampion
Super Nomad
Posts: 1238
Registered: 4-15-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retired and Loving it
|
|
Has anyone considered getting a Mexican credit card for use in Mexico?
|
|
|
karenintx
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 3-16-2008
Location: CSL
Member Is Offline
Mood: Living The Dream
|
|
We use the Capital One C/C for the same reasons already mentioned. There is no international conversion fees. We have never experienced any problem
and we have used it all over "The America's".
Since my husband was an Airline Captain...retired last October...it was important that he had a card that would not be "frozen or denied" while in
South America. So when we received our cards, about 4 years ago, I called the phone number on the back of our card. I first explained our situation
to the phone agent THEN asked to be transfered to the "Fraud Department". I explained to them our travel habits and how I go online at least five
days a week to monitor our account. So far no problems. I really think it was talking with a person in the "Fraud Department" so they could
understand how we would be using the card. It also helps them track fraud from their perspective.
I did the same with an other credit card we use as a back-up but since the Capitol One card has worked so well we have never had to use the other
card. I suspect if we did use it, it would be frozen or denied just due to not using the card in such a long time.
|
|
|
Riom
Nomad
Posts: 492
Registered: 12-17-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by ncampion
Has anyone considered getting a Mexican credit card for use in Mexico? |
I have a couple of debit cards from Bancomer (one in Pesos, one in Dollars). Haven't used them much (prefer cash in Mexico) but the peso card worked
fine for paying the property tax in San Felipe. It also worked fine for verifying a Mexican Paypal account.
Bancomer offered me a credit card also, but there's an annual fee and a very low credit limit initially, so I didn't accept.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
