Some people may find it difficult to use their credit card on holiday

Many people who are heading abroad on their holidays this summer may be planning to use their credit cards in order to fund their spending and make purchases whilst abroad. However, according to a recent report many cardholders who take their credit cards abroad with them this year may experience difficulties.

Industry officials have said that many retailers in continental Europe are exercising increased caution over credit card use, and as a result of this some consumers could find that their credit cards are rejected if they attempt to use them to make purchases and transactions. This includes using them in bars, eateries, and shops, amongst other places.

One official said that transactions would probably be rejected or accepted on a case by case basis, stating: “We know of no collective strategy to clamp down on card usage abroad. All we can surmise is that issuers are looking at people’s transactions and making decisions based on what they see happening in each individual case.”

One biker who attended a rally in Europe said that he and many others had experienced this problem. He said: “It was incredible. I was in a group of about 10 riders and the further we went on the more people were having their cards rejected at service stations. By the end, almost everyone in our little group had several pieces of useless plastic in their wallets. When we got to the main campsite we discovered lots of others with the same experience.”