Comments

1. I’m usually not a “serves them right” kinda person, but come on! Use a CC and this isn’t an issue.

2. I never link any of my debit cards for payment on any app on my phone. I only use a Citi debit card for cash withdrawals from an ATM or to obtain my $200 annual Citi subscription rebates. Thus I only carry my Citi debit card with others staying at home in a desk drawer. I dont even know why I bother to activate since they stay in the drawer, but I do just in case.

3. That’s really awful.
   I am surprised they haven’t set a limit on their Debit card daily transactions. That would have at least limited the damage, not to mention tipped them off that they were being erroneously overcharged ,… as the transaction would have been declined had it exceeded their daily limit.

4. Sounds like they were following Dave Ramsey advice.

5. What’s a debit card?

6. I do not use debit cards because they are not protected like credit cards are. That being said, I would use a credit card at only a few places in a third world country. If I have to carry a lot of funds on me in a place I am not familiar with, I will use travelers cheques. I once took $27,000 of them with me. Travel money cards may be an alternative.

7. Thing 1-It is an ATM card. Use it ONLY at ATMs or withi na bank.

8. Never use a debit card unless no other payment options exist. There are definitely more protections associated with a credit card.

9. A debit card? How dumb. You can’t fix stupidity. I have no sympathy.

10. Even though they shouldn’t have used a debit card, UBER is absolutely horrible when it come to trying to help customers. I once took a long UBER ride for about $120.00. They charged me twice for some unknown reason on one of my chase credit cards. It’s impossible to talk to somebody at UBER. Called Chase and they had the charge removed. Took a ride a month later and besides the ride I was charged the $120 again. Went through the whole routine with Chase again. I won’t use UBER again.

11. The lesson here by Altura Credit Union is that thieves should target tourists’ debit cards because all transactions will be allowed through since they are traveling.

12. While I definitely feel sorry for them, this is a tough way to learn the lesson of never using your debit card for anything other than ATMs.

    Years back, I worked at a five star hotel in NYC. Unfortunately, I recall several instances where the hotel (usually the night auditor) would “run credit” on a guest’s account and accidentally authorize too much. If it’s done with a credit card, the hotel can refund it back immediately and usually the guest wouldn’t even realize it because it’s just an authorization.

    However, when it happened to guests’ accounts who used a debit card, it would clean out their accounts. A lot of the guests affected happened to be British (for some reason) which made matters even worse because it could take up to two weeks for the funds to be put back in their account…their entire US vacation. (It always astounded me how many of these guests didn’t even possess a credit card, even for an emergency).

    While the hotel was obviously at fault for this, you have to take care of #1 too. Don’t use a debit card for anything other than getting cash out!

13. @jns When was the last time you travelled with Travelers Checks? Most businesses refuse to take them.

14. My debit card has NO Visa logo and cannot be used as a credit card. It is only good at the ATM. And I keep it that way. The bank once sent me a Visa debit card. I cut it up and returned it, in pieces, to my local branch.

15. How on early could a debit card allow that large of a purchase?

    @ carletonm – Wow, you showed them!

    @Jerry Mandel – It was sarcasm (like my above response).

    @jns – I don’t think Travelers Cheques are a thing any more. Certainly more hassle than a credit card in these days, anyways.

16. *on earth

17. Uber makes its difficult to get any assistance and even getting to the chat function is pulling tooth and nail. When you finally get a chat going, it takes hours for a response and the reps don’t even fully read your complaint. All this money and they do not invest in better communication.

18. Woe is me. A clerical error that was straightened out in 4 days. That’s lightening speed for bank credit & debit cards once the transaction “settles” nightly (not caught and voided immediately).

    Once an auto repair shop fat finger a $2,200 charge as $22,000. Right before a 2 week vacation on my favored points earning card. Even though caught the next day, it took Chase 2 weeks to return the credit line, it couldn’t be used in the meantime.

    It is absurd that whatever service authorized the charge didn’t flag it as fraud, they get fees to do so. My legit charges are constantly questioned, real fraud goes right through (Synchronicity, Citibank) several times a year.

19. @jns I would hardly call Costa Rica a third word country.

20. @controller1, I think the last time I took them was in 2009 or 2010. After that I could no longer get them for free because the interest rates went to zero. I also was not traveling to unknown places. I had a bank account in Thailand so I could take cash, convert it and deposit it and later take it out. Now I take cash and do wire transfers to my bank in Cambodia. I never cashed travelers cheques at any place other than a bank. Because of ATM skimmers, I don’t really like using any credit cards but I have used them before at the teller window. If I was to go to a different country for an extended time and cash was not a good choice, I would have to figure out how to carry funds.

21. @Robert, yes, Costa Rica is a third world country. The World Bank agrees.

22. I got my “ATM/debit” cards with the Visa logo set to only work at ATMs by my credit unions. Some let you disable debit capabilities online now.

23. Whoever said ‘Travelers Checks’ are safe, is right… As in they are safe from actually being used, lol!!

    I made that mistake in the early 1990’s.

    I was only 23 years old and after full summer of being a summer camp counselor and earning a whopping $900 for 9 weeks of camp duty (granted, it was the best time of my life!), I made the mistake of getting traveler’s checks because I was worried about being robbed… Which of course didn’t happen.

    The problem is that not only did businesses not take them, but neither did banks! And I was traveling from Wisconsin to Cincinnati. Luckily I still had a credit card with a few hundred dollars in credit and was able to ‘pay’ for what I needed, even though I had $900 in $100 and $250 travelers checks.

    The hole thing is a scam, created to rip off people (like me at the time). I eventually did deposit them a week later into my bank account at Provident Bank, and even they said it would take a week to prove they weren’t fake.

    Sigh. Lesson learned. Carry cash, just not in your wallet, and a credit card or two, plus your debit card. Easy -Peasy.

    -Jon

24. Travelers checks? Seriously, that’s still a thing?

    Nope and quit carrying any large amount of cash when I found many countries wouldn’t take them if they were Der bills or had a tear or a crease.

    Enough “emergency” cash and use my debit card at ATM to get local money.

    My husband “funds” it when I leave and adds more when I’m getting low. Anyone grabbing it isn’t going to get more than a couple thousand at best, IF they can get the pin right.

25. *older bills.

    Darn fat fingers and no way to correct

26. Patti, using your US debit card to get local currency in a foreign ATM is almost always a really bad exchange rate. Use a credit card from a major US bank that has no foreign transaction fee and it is a sure thing that the ‘evil’ US bank will provide a much better exchange rate on each purchae than the ‘greedy’ foreign ATM owner. Just make sure to politely tell each foreign merchant that you want the credit card transaction to be charged in the local currency.

27. @jns. Actually, the World Bank does not use the term “third world country” and classifies “developing countries” into three tiers. Countries like Afghanistan are in Tier 1 and Tier 2, one step up, includes the likes of Bhutan and Cambodia. Costa Rica, along with Mexico, Russia and many others is included is included in Tier 3.

28. @Dougie, Using credit cards with no foreign transaction fee is always best, but there are multiple U.S. banks that are great for getting foreign currency when you need it. Schwab is one, for example. No fees on the account, no foreign transaction fee, currency conversion is essentially equal to the interbank rate, but, most importantly, they refund those greedy ATM owner fees to your account each month. As such, the cost to get foreign currency is very near zero, same as with a credit card that doesn’t charge FTFs. Definitely the best option when you can’t just use a credit card.

29. (Of course, when using a debit card at a foreign ATM, just like when using a credit or debit card at a foreign merchant, always tell them to charge in the local currency, never your home currency. Dynamic currency conversion is both completely unnecessary and a total rip-off.)

30. Dougie

    I’ll look at it. All my cards are no fee or refund fee. And always in local currency.

    Thanks

31. Can’t believe they used a debit card outside the u.s.

32. Actually won’t some cc companies consider any money you draw out as a cash advance?

    What are the fees on cash advance?

33. @Patti- yeah, don’t use your credit card at an ATM- use your debit card, and as long as you have a good bank account (other ATM fees waived, foreign ATM fees credited) that is one of the cheapest ways to get money overseas- vbscript2 was right.

    I have a Chase Sapphire account, and have always gotten the interbank rate on my withdrawals and ATM fees refunded. Like VBScript2 says, though, always choose to have your withdrawals denominated in your home currency- they will give you a bad exchange rate if you choose local currency.

34. I use a debit card at the ATM and Cc, in local currency for all charges.

    All waive or reimburse any fees.

    Think I’m good

35. My “debit card” from my bank (Skank of America) is an ATM only card. It has no Visa or Mastercard logo and will only work in an ATM, so there’s no possibilty of using it as a debit card by accident.

36. Pretty sure what you’re doing is called victim blaming. This article was a great advertisement for a credit card, I suppose.

37. Who has $30k in their checking account and doesn’t use credit cards for purchases??? I don’t even know which drawer my debit cards are in…

38. I suspect, for Gary doesn’t tell readers otherwise, these vacationers were neophyte travelers. Some people, neophytes especially, are far too trusting for their own good.
    Of course, I feel sorry for them. But, why on earth did they not ask the Credit Union that issued the debit card about the rules that apply to debit cards? Did not the CU send a paper with the debit card explaining how such instruments work? If it did, why didn’t they read it carefully?
    I may have missed sth in reading the posts. I never use my debit card in an ATM or Bankomat that’s not affiliated with or on the premises of a bank. There are far too many Bankomats that do not belong to banks and that charge an arm and a leg for the transaction fee. I’ve not been to Costa Rica, but Eastern Europe is awash with such Bankomats.
    Two quotes come to mind:
    (1)”There’s a sucker born every minute and two to take him.”
    (2) Those who remember their Latin (if they’re old enough to have taken it) may remember the expression: “caveat emptor.” Let the buyer beware.