I just returned home Sunday from my third trip to AC in two months. While there this last time I had to go to Billys Store on 3/13 to buy a brush and some baby oil as I left mine at home. They charged my card for $14.80 and then turned aound and charged my card an extra $140.40. I didn't realize it until did my online banking yesterday and of course I disputed it but it's going to be quite a while until I get my money back. Does something like this happen often? It hasn't been my experience and I haven't seen any other posts about it.

This sort of thing happens quite frequently. Of course my experience is in the US. I live in Belize and don't use my cards very often, but when I go to the US I typically use plastic for almost everything over $100. But I have had numerous cards fraudulently charged and canceled. Unfortunately it seems to just be one of those things. There are people that make mistakes and then there are scammers, and then their are extra-ordinary con artists that love to suck our system dry.

Suck doesn't it!!!

I am intimately experiencing what you are describing and I am going through yet another card cancellation right now - try and find a US notary in this town!

Okay, as luck would have it, there is one ready and willing - thanks gal!!!

I understand mistakes happen, but please tell me this is not something that happens regularly on AC! We will be down soon....YIPPY and when we travel we use our plastic often. We keep our actual cash to a min. for loss or theft. Hopefully this was just a mistake. Have you contacted the store directly and asked them about it? Good luck with a quick resolution.

~Kat

I use the card sparingly, usually at resort checkout and a dinner or two. Carry cash daily which is alot easier to track spending and stay within a budget, when you see the real thing going away, you get a bit more miserly. Never carry more than a days cash tho, anywhere.

Kat,

Here are some suggestions from my experiences outside the USA. Do not use a debit card. Use a credit card, you have much more protection and then try to only use it at banks or the resort you are staying at. I would not use it for small purchases in small businesses. Check transactions frequently on line.

Having said the above I believe AC is safer than most and you should not have a problem if you are some what cautious.

I did not contact the store directly because as soon as I saw the charge all I could think to do was call my bank. They of course will be in touch with the store to get proof of the charge. One thing I did notice tho was on Saturday nite myself and 3 other friends had dinner at El Patio and the full card number printed out on the charge slip. I think this is how the store was able to charge me the second time after I had already left. I normally do carry cash, I just happened to fly down a day earlier than planned and didn't have time to go by the bank. Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson and will definately have cash in the future.

I'm a bit confused here as I don't use my debit card for purchases. Way back when I lived in Canada you had to input your PIN number on a machine to make a debit card purchase (same as an ATM.) Is that not the case anymore?

Some U.S. "Debit" cards are also "Visa Check Cards" and can be used to "charge" things in addition to "debit", but the money still comes out of the customers checking account. The differance is you sign a recipt for charging the item.

Not much security there.

Numerous? You must be a target. We use our cards for everything! Even a cup of Joe at 7-11. We pay off every month and earn at least 4 flights a year for nothing.
I have had one fraud charge in the US in 20 years. I also had 1 in Italy several years ago. The US charge was reversed, the one in Italy they told me to deal with the company myself.

I would discourage the use of a debit card while traveling. It can be hard to get money back from a business in another country.

While in Belize last Oct. I had to leave an imprint at a dive shop as deposit on underwater camera. I forgot to ask for it after returning the camera, but e-mailed Rudy and asked him to destroy it. I guess he did, cause nothing has shown up.