Using OneSmart debit card while overseas

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bigal_nz

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#147366 17-Jun-2014 13:43

Hi All,

About to go to the US - first time in a while.

I have got a onesmart and setup a US wallet. Has anyone used this before?

Does it work well?

Cheers

-Al

graemeh

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#1067476 17-Jun-2014 13:58

Yes, I used it a lot last year in UK and Europe and had no problems other than a pre-authorisation for a train ticket purchase that failed and the pre-purchase tied up some money for days until it dropped off. This is normal for any debit card.

I also have a US wallet I use for online shopping.

If you're paranoid like me I suggest you use it for a small purchase in NZ to make sure it is working before you go.

edge

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#1067482 17-Jun-2014 14:03

Pretty much as for graemeh - no problems using it in Europe (haven't used in States). Found it very easy to manage currencies and give some certainty over exchange rates and possibly exorbitant exchange fees that had previously showed up using credit cards in past.

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dclegg

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#1067514 17-Jun-2014 14:16

bigal_nz: Hi All,

About to go to the US - first time in a while.

I have got a onesmart and setup a US wallet. Has anyone used this before?

Does it work well?

Cheers

-Al

Used it for a 2 week trip to San Francisco last year. I primarily used it at EFTPOS to pay by credit card, and only found one retailer that couldn't accept it for payment in that manner (surprisingly a large Converse retail store). So in my experience it worked well.

bigal_nz

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#1067516 17-Jun-2014 14:19

And once the conversion is done - no other fees?

kiwiharry

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#1067552 17-Jun-2014 14:32

bigal_nz: And once the conversion is done - no other fees?

I used in last year in the USA for 4 months. No fees except at ATM's.

No major problems using it. At some stores just need to watch the sales assistant as sometimes they pre-select Cheque or Savings instead of Credit Card before they hand over the pinpad, so transaction naturally gets declined.

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nate

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#1067593 17-Jun-2014 15:06

I've used it multiple times in Europe, Australia and I'm using now in the US - no dramas.

Hint: if you want no fees on ATM withdrawals in Aussie, use Bendigo Bank - all others charge a convenience fee

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floydbloke

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#1067629 17-Jun-2014 15:46

Mainly used mine in the US last year to pay for motels. I set it up to send notifications to my GMail account and these would show up on my Android phone within seconds of the transaction going through. Very impressed.

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trig42

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#1067633 17-Jun-2014 15:48

kiwiharry:
bigal_nz: And once the conversion is done - no other fees?

I used in last year in the USA for 4 months. No fees except at ATM's.

No major problems using it. At some stores just need to watch the sales assistant as sometimes they pre-select Cheque or Savings instead of Credit Card before they hand over the pinpad, so transaction naturally gets declined.

What is that about, I noticed that even in Australia, before handing you the Pinpad they ask which account and push the button for you. Are consumers in those countries not capable of correctly selecting the account themselves?

On topic anyway - no problems using OneSmart overseas.

kiwiharry

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#1067660 17-Jun-2014 16:05

graemeh: Yes, I used it a lot last year in UK and Europe and had no problems other than a pre-authorisation for a train ticket purchase that failed and the pre-purchase tied up some money for days until it dropped off. This is normal for any debit card.

As graemeh has mentioned, try to avoid using the OneSmart card for the pre-authorised guarantee/bond especially at hotels etc. I used a standard credit card for those, but advised them that I'd be paying via a different method at check-out. Otherwise you'll have that amount of funds in the wallet unavailable for use until the authorised amount is released which they say is up to 3-5 days later.

If you can't laugh at yourself then you probably shouldn't laugh at others.

dacraka

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#1068235 18-Jun-2014 10:35

kiwiharry:
graemeh: Yes, I used it a lot last year in UK and Europe and had no problems other than a pre-authorisation for a train ticket purchase that failed and the pre-purchase tied up some money for days until it dropped off. This is normal for any debit card.

As graemeh has mentioned, try to avoid using the OneSmart card for the pre-authorised guarantee/bond especially at hotels etc. I used a standard credit card for those, but advised them that I'd be paying via a different method at check-out. Otherwise you'll have that amount of funds in the wallet unavailable for use until the authorised amount is released which they say is up to 3-5 days later.

Or a month, like a hotel did in Sydney last March!!! So annoying! I had to fill out a form to get them to manually release it earlier!