aussie777
Junior Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2010
- Posts
- 10
Hi all,
I recently travelled to europe with my Wizard Clear Advantage MasterCard as my main source for cash withdrawals from ATMs and purchases. I had my wallet stolen in Madrid, and 'enjoyed' a 3 week period after that dealing with GE Capital Finance (the company that runs the Wizard Clear Advantage card) and MasterCard Intl. I thought I'd share my experiences with everyone, so hopefully if this ever happens to you overseas, you can use my tips here to help you:
1. CALLING WIZARD (GE CAPITAL FINANCE)
Once you lose your card / have it stolen, you need to cancel your card. To do so, this involves calling GE Capital Finance in Australia. While you're overseas, this can be really expensive on your mobile / in your hotel. 2 tricks I've learnt it:
* calling via skype is cheaper than via your mobile/a landline overseas; or
* you can also call for free: just call the Mastercard intl free call number.
--> If you call from skype, the call to the Australian toll-free number is free (no matter how long the call is): 1800-120-113. You can always call them, and tell them you need to speak to your bank in Australia, and they will transfer you for free.
--> If you can't call from skype, there is a freecall number for every country in the world, on the mastercard intl website: (personal cards -> cardholder services -> emergency services)
e.g.
Czech Republic: 800-142-494
Denmark: 8001-6098
France: 0-800-90-1387
Germany: 0800-819-1040
Greece: 00-800-11-887-0303
Ireland: 1-800-55-7378
Italy: 800-870-866
Netherlands: 0800-022-5821
Norway: 800-12697
Poland: 0-0800-111-1211
Portugal: 800-8-11-272
Spain: 900-97-1231
Sweden: 020-791-324
Switzerland: 0800-89-7092
Turkey: 00-800-13-887-0903
United Kingdom: 0800-96-4767
2. REPLACEMENT CARD
You can request for them to send a replacement card. Originally I was told this could only be to the registered address on my account, and that if I wanted it sent to a different address, I would need to register that new address with them and wait 5 working days for it to be approved before they sent me the new card. This was told to me by a call centre worker in India.
Eventually, I spoke to someone in Australia, and they managed to fix everything up for me. They sent it express post to the address I wanted it sent in Madrid. She told me if you get an indian call centre for GE, just ask to be transferred to an Australian centre. They both operate 24hrs a day, and its random which one you get.
It was my experience that the indian staff are incompetent, and don't have a good enough understanding of english to deal properly with important things like the spelling of names and places in foreign countries. Always request an australian call centre. Ask for the card to be sent express post too.
They say it will take around 10 business days. In my case it took 4 business days once (to the Netherlands) and about 6 business days the other time (to Spain).
3. EMERGENCY CARD
When you call to cancel the lost/stolen card, and have a replacement card sent to you, they will also give you the option of an emergency card. This will be issued and sent by Mastercard Intl, usually within 24 hrs to any address in the world (for free!).
A few things you should know about this card, which really is a piece of ****:
* It cannot have a pin set on it, so you cannot use it at ATMs, or for purchases which use a pin.
* It will not work if swipped. The only thing it can be used for is purchases, which the merchant manually enters the number.
When Mastercard Intl told me this, they said "dont worry, just tell the merchant to enter the number manually on the machine". In my experience (in europe), about 95% of merchants aren't even aware that they can do this, or how to do this. Add a language barrier, and this became almost impossible to do.
* You cannot make internet purchases with it, as it doesn't have a CCV code on the back.
So, if you do go ahead and get the replacement card, bear it mind its very difficult to use.
So, when I cancelled my card with GE Capital Finance, they offered me this replacement card. The lady on the phone (in india) told me she could submit a request, but it would also arrive quicker if I called them myself (on the toll-free number above) 30 minutes later. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE PIECE OF ADVICE. What happened when I did this, and explained everything to the Mastercard Intl people, was that they accidentally created 2 cards for me, and confused themselves. My advice is to call Mastercard Intl yourself, give them your details, then they will have to confirm everything with GE Capital Finance before express-couriering the replacement card to you.
Bear in mind, the Mastercard Intl people are a call a centre in America, so they sometimes are difficult to communicate over the phone with. Despite my best attempts, and repeated corrections of them, they mis-spelt my name and address for the hotel where the emergency was to be sent to.
So thats about it. My overall advice is:
* If you lose your card / have it stolen, call GE Capital Finance thru the Mastercard Intl ppl (so its free) --> either thru skype, or the tollfree number in the country you're in.
* When you get to GE Capital Finance, insist to speak to someone in Australia.
* Ask for the card to be sent express post, to the location you want. You may need to insist.
* Order the emergency card, only if you really need it (ie you are constantly on the move, and don't know where you'll be when the replacement card arrives in 10 days or so).
Given my experience, I would always travel with an easy-to-use backup, such as a visa or mastercard from your bank (which charges 2.5%-3% commission for purchases, and a $5 atm access fee).
If you've got any questions, feel free to post them here and I can reply with what I know.
I recently travelled to europe with my Wizard Clear Advantage MasterCard as my main source for cash withdrawals from ATMs and purchases. I had my wallet stolen in Madrid, and 'enjoyed' a 3 week period after that dealing with GE Capital Finance (the company that runs the Wizard Clear Advantage card) and MasterCard Intl. I thought I'd share my experiences with everyone, so hopefully if this ever happens to you overseas, you can use my tips here to help you:
1. CALLING WIZARD (GE CAPITAL FINANCE)
Once you lose your card / have it stolen, you need to cancel your card. To do so, this involves calling GE Capital Finance in Australia. While you're overseas, this can be really expensive on your mobile / in your hotel. 2 tricks I've learnt it:
* calling via skype is cheaper than via your mobile/a landline overseas; or
* you can also call for free: just call the Mastercard intl free call number.
--> If you call from skype, the call to the Australian toll-free number is free (no matter how long the call is): 1800-120-113. You can always call them, and tell them you need to speak to your bank in Australia, and they will transfer you for free.
--> If you can't call from skype, there is a freecall number for every country in the world, on the mastercard intl website: (personal cards -> cardholder services -> emergency services)
e.g.
Czech Republic: 800-142-494
Denmark: 8001-6098
France: 0-800-90-1387
Germany: 0800-819-1040
Greece: 00-800-11-887-0303
Ireland: 1-800-55-7378
Italy: 800-870-866
Netherlands: 0800-022-5821
Norway: 800-12697
Poland: 0-0800-111-1211
Portugal: 800-8-11-272
Spain: 900-97-1231
Sweden: 020-791-324
Switzerland: 0800-89-7092
Turkey: 00-800-13-887-0903
United Kingdom: 0800-96-4767
2. REPLACEMENT CARD
You can request for them to send a replacement card. Originally I was told this could only be to the registered address on my account, and that if I wanted it sent to a different address, I would need to register that new address with them and wait 5 working days for it to be approved before they sent me the new card. This was told to me by a call centre worker in India.
Eventually, I spoke to someone in Australia, and they managed to fix everything up for me. They sent it express post to the address I wanted it sent in Madrid. She told me if you get an indian call centre for GE, just ask to be transferred to an Australian centre. They both operate 24hrs a day, and its random which one you get.
It was my experience that the indian staff are incompetent, and don't have a good enough understanding of english to deal properly with important things like the spelling of names and places in foreign countries. Always request an australian call centre. Ask for the card to be sent express post too.
They say it will take around 10 business days. In my case it took 4 business days once (to the Netherlands) and about 6 business days the other time (to Spain).
3. EMERGENCY CARD
When you call to cancel the lost/stolen card, and have a replacement card sent to you, they will also give you the option of an emergency card. This will be issued and sent by Mastercard Intl, usually within 24 hrs to any address in the world (for free!).
A few things you should know about this card, which really is a piece of ****:
* It cannot have a pin set on it, so you cannot use it at ATMs, or for purchases which use a pin.
* It will not work if swipped. The only thing it can be used for is purchases, which the merchant manually enters the number.
When Mastercard Intl told me this, they said "dont worry, just tell the merchant to enter the number manually on the machine". In my experience (in europe), about 95% of merchants aren't even aware that they can do this, or how to do this. Add a language barrier, and this became almost impossible to do.
* You cannot make internet purchases with it, as it doesn't have a CCV code on the back.
So, if you do go ahead and get the replacement card, bear it mind its very difficult to use.
So, when I cancelled my card with GE Capital Finance, they offered me this replacement card. The lady on the phone (in india) told me she could submit a request, but it would also arrive quicker if I called them myself (on the toll-free number above) 30 minutes later. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE PIECE OF ADVICE. What happened when I did this, and explained everything to the Mastercard Intl people, was that they accidentally created 2 cards for me, and confused themselves. My advice is to call Mastercard Intl yourself, give them your details, then they will have to confirm everything with GE Capital Finance before express-couriering the replacement card to you.
Bear in mind, the Mastercard Intl people are a call a centre in America, so they sometimes are difficult to communicate over the phone with. Despite my best attempts, and repeated corrections of them, they mis-spelt my name and address for the hotel where the emergency was to be sent to.
So thats about it. My overall advice is:
* If you lose your card / have it stolen, call GE Capital Finance thru the Mastercard Intl ppl (so its free) --> either thru skype, or the tollfree number in the country you're in.
* When you get to GE Capital Finance, insist to speak to someone in Australia.
* Ask for the card to be sent express post, to the location you want. You may need to insist.
* Order the emergency card, only if you really need it (ie you are constantly on the move, and don't know where you'll be when the replacement card arrives in 10 days or so).
Given my experience, I would always travel with an easy-to-use backup, such as a visa or mastercard from your bank (which charges 2.5%-3% commission for purchases, and a $5 atm access fee).
If you've got any questions, feel free to post them here and I can reply with what I know.
