VISA card from ABSA

4

4ss4ssN

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I'm rather annoyed and lost right now. I'm not really up to scratch with the world of credit cards and the like so here's my story:

I have a standard Savings account from Absa. I've had it for quite a number of years without problems. I want to start purchasing more online - especially from the Android Market, on my 3DS and a few other sites here and there. All of these places display the "Visa" logo and after a bit of (rather confusing) research I found out that Visa isn't a credit card - it's a debit card. That works for me as I don't really like the idea of credit cards.

So - off to Absa to see what they can do for me. They told me that all of their new cards are Visa enabled so I just need to upgrade my card (at a cost of R45). Ok great!

So now I have my new card with expiry date and CVV - something I never had on my old card. Jipee! Shopping time I thought.

Now the problem: I tried purchasing an app from the Android market. Google Wallet accepted my card & details but as soon as I tried to make a transaction it fails. Same story on my 3DS - accepts all the details but declines.

After closer inspection I see that the card has ELECTRON underneath the Visa logo. After more googling around it seems like I can't use my Visa Electron Card at all the places where Visa is displayed. Is this really true?

What the hell is the use of the Visa status if I can't use it everywhere the Visa logo is displayed?

Besides getting a Credit Card what other options do I have? Can Absa change the card for me to a regular Visa? I'm not going back to my local branch - those people didn't understand what I tried to do in the first place. I had to stop them when they tried to re-apply me for Internet Banking *facepalm*.

Any help?
 
You'll need a Visa or Mastercard to purchase online. This could be either a credit card or cheque card. Visa Electron and Maestro won't work online.

If you don't want a credit card, the easiest thing to do would be to open a cheque account and request a cheque card.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
You'll need a Visa or Mastercard to purchase online. This could be either a credit card or cheque card. Visa Electron and Maestro won't work online.

If you don't want a credit card, the easiest thing to do would be to open a cheque account and request a cheque card.
Click to expand...

this, very few online places accept debit savings cards

and move to a better bank :p
 
un-embossed credit and debit cards dont usually work online
 
So why would it have the Visa logo on if I can't use it as a Visa card?

This is so annoying. It's time they start unifying cards.
 
Visa and Mastercard, amongst the other different card companies, facilitate electronic transactions. When you pay with your Visa card, the amount gets sent to Visa for deduction (not directly to your account, though it does look this way when you're in the shop) and Visa looks up your card number and other details, then sends the deduction requirements to your bank, which in turn deduct from your account. As far as i am aware, Visa Electron and Mastercard Maestro are limited to the country which you have your account. Since you are purchasing from Google (not in South Africa), you will need a cheque card or credit card that simply only say "Visa" or "Mastercard". Considering you only have a saving account, you will need to open an additional Cheque account in order to facilitate payments on your Cheque card. Its a little strange that your Electron card came with a CVV number.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Electron

he difference between Visa Electron and Visa Debit is that payments with Visa Electron require that all the funds be available at the time of transfer, i.e., Visa Electron card accounts may not be overdrawn. Visa Debit cards, on the other hand, allow transfers exceeding available funds up to a certain limit. Some online stores and all offline terminals (like on trains and aircraft) do not support Visa Electron because their systems cannot check for the availability of funds.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys! Looks like I'll have to apply for a credit card - eish!

So now my next problem is Absa for explicitly telling me that I can use the card they gave me for online purchases as a Visa card. Perhaps I should light a fire under them? Will it ultimately help?
 
4ss4ssN said:
Thanks for the feedback guys! Looks like I'll have to apply for a credit card - eish!

So now my next problem is Absa for explicitly telling me that I can use the card they gave me for online purchases as a Visa card. Perhaps I should light a fire under them? Will it ultimately help?
Click to expand...
Weren't you listening? You don't need a credit card card, a cheque card will do.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Weren't you listening? You don't need a credit card card, a cheque card will do.
Click to expand...

Yes I was listening - unfortunately ABSA can't offer me a Cheque account that suits my needs but they do have a Credit Card that would work perfectly!
 
I got a credit but use it as a cheque card. I cancelled the limit on my card and keep a.positive balance. That way I know the money being used is mine and not the banks. And it works everywhere

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
 
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