Problems with credit card payment for low-costs?

I've just had the following problem with buying a ticket with a
European low-cost carrier, Vueling:

The system refused several times to accept my two US-issued credit
cards, a MasterCard and Visa. Both are perfectly valid, and I use them
every day here in Europe (Spain in this case). My choice was either to
give up, or submit a Visa debit card. The latter was accepted without
a problem, and the money withdrawn from my account promptly.

Nowhere could I find any caveat about cards with a non-European
mailing address, yet I suspect a company policy behind it. They offer
a choice of either a credit card (for an extra fee of Euro 6.50, that
is, about US $ 10.00), or a debit, but will accept only debit. Is this
a known phenomenon?

On the way back, I am flying with Ryan Air. Their system refused the
Master Card, but accepted the Visa credit card (for an extra fee,
too).

jrk

In message

wrote:

I've just had the following problem with buying a ticket with a
European low-cost carrier, Vueling:

The system refused several times to accept my two US-issued credit
cards, a MasterCard and Visa. Both are perfectly valid, and I use them
every day here in Europe (Spain in this case). My choice was either to
give up, or submit a Visa debit card. The latter was accepted without
a problem, and the money withdrawn from my account promptly.

Nowhere could I find any caveat about cards with a non-European
mailing address, yet I suspect a company policy behind it. They offer
a choice of either a credit card (for an extra fee of Euro 6.50, that
is, about US $ 10.00), or a debit, but will accept only debit. Is this
a known phenomenon?

On the way back, I am flying with Ryan Air. Their system refused the
Master Card, but accepted the Visa credit card (for an extra fee,
too).

If I had to guess, probably an address verification system that is
unable to cope with the address format of your card.

This happens constantly to myself, a Canadian who frequents the US.
Recharging a T-Mobile prepaid account is a 45 minute process to phone
and get the correct person to auth it, including a call to my credit
card company.

*shrugs*

wrote in message
...
I've just had the following problem with buying a ticket with a
European low-cost carrier, Vueling:

The system refused several times to accept my two US-issued credit
cards, a MasterCard and Visa. Both are perfectly valid, and I use them
every day here in Europe (Spain in this case). My choice was either to
give up, or submit a Visa debit card. The latter was accepted without
a problem, and the money withdrawn from my account promptly.

Nowhere could I find any caveat about cards with a non-European
mailing address, yet I suspect a company policy behind it. They offer
a choice of either a credit card (for an extra fee of Euro 6.50, that
is, about US $ 10.00), or a debit, but will accept only debit. Is this
a known phenomenon?

On the way back, I am flying with Ryan Air. Their system refused the
Master Card, but accepted the Visa credit card (for an extra fee,
too).

jrk

It is possible that it was the card authorisation system rejecting the card,
not the airline. Remember that authorisation has to make its' way through
a number of other systems before it gets to your issuer. Depending on
circumstances it can be as simple as a time out that causes a "rejection".

On Mar 4, 10:42*am, "Graham Harrison"
wrote:

It is possible that it was the card authorisation system rejecting the card,
not the airline. * Remember that authorisation has to make its' way through
a number of other systems before it gets to your issuer. * Depending on
circumstances it can be as simple as a time out that causes a "rejection".- Hide quoted text -


Thanks to all who answered this thread. You're probably right: either
an address check (which you don't go through when e.g. using the card
in a restaurant), or a simple timeout (in which case, however, this
should happen also in a restaurant or a similar place, but has not.)
In any case, this makes non-European issued cards almost worthless
when buying tickets on-line in Europe. Did't have such a problem in
Asia.

jrk


- Show quoted text -