Credit Card Transactions in DC

When paying for goods or services in Washington DC by credit card, do you have to have a pin number or will a signature at the foot of the authorised credit card invoice suffice ?

Credit Card Transactions in DC

The USA hasn%26#39;t implemented the ';chip and pin'; system that the European cards have. So you%26#39;ll still do it the old-fashioned way, just a signature!

(For those of you on this side of the pond, here%26#39;s some background on what Insighful is asking about - Europe switched to this system earlier this year)

http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/

Credit Card Transactions in DC

Many thanks IrishFan.

My parents have given me a vacation to DC as a gift. They want to provide me with a credit card in their name, to pay for meals and incidentals too.

Do merchants in DC require matching ID to use credit cards?

Sometimes, but not always, merchants may ask for ID when using a credit card.

There are gift cards and ';pre loaded'; travel cards that might be a better option for your parents to purchase for you, that way the card could be in your name. (Or ';no name'; at all, I%26#39;m not sure how they work)

I like your idea, IrishFan. I%26#39;ve seen those cards at the checkout counter at the local grocery store, so they must be easy to obtain, similar to a prepaid cellphone card. I wonder how they engrave a person%26#39;s name on it--or maybe they don%26#39;t???

Thanks for the suggestion-I%26#39;ll look into it.

GoN2DC -- With respect to the use of pre-loaded debit cards for travel purposes: If you order one from a bank, you will most likely get in the mail a Visa card with your name on it loaded with the amount your (or your parents) chose. It will work just like a regular credit card. If you buy one from the grocery store or by walking into a bank or credit union, it will not have your name on, for obvious reasons, but will say something like ';Pre-paid debit'; and you can also use it just like a regular credit card. If you plan to go this route, try to get one with a Visa or MasterCard logo on it.

I agree with the idea of getting a pre-paid gift card. I%26#39;ve received them for Christmas for the past two years and they%26#39;ve worked very easily. You can find info at www.visa.com. Select United States on the opening page, then you%26#39;ll see ';Visa Gift Cards'; at the bottom center of the page.

When I was in Washington this summer my Girl Scout troop had 2 of these, so that the leaders didn%26#39;t have to carry a lot of cash around. We thought they sounded like a great idea, but ran into a few problems. First of all several places didn%26#39;t except any type of ';credit card';. These included the food courts at the Old Post Office Pavillion and Union Station. Also one other restaurant but I can%26#39;t remember which one. We were used to being able to use a card everywhere. The cards we got from AAA. Unbeknowst to us they put a hold on the amount of money on your card everytime you use it at a restaurant or hotel. The hold lasts until the item finally posts which can be up to 7 days later. They held over $250 of ours for our hotel bill. I can understand that because you could possible use room service, etc. I don%26#39;t understand the restaurant hold because once you leave the restaurant you won%26#39;t be getting any more food there on that bill. In one day we had a hold of over $70 because of restaurant charges. At that point we found an ATM and tried to get money out. Two different bank fees later we were only able to get $120 out at any one time. If I had to do it again I would do the bank Visa gift card - it is much less hassle.

multiple tables