GAAAAAAAAAAH
Jan. 23rd, 2010 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mutedtempestYes, this is a rant. I am going to gripe and bitch, which I realize is pointless in terms of rectifying the situation. But dammit I'm pissed off and I'm going to vent, so deal with it.
The funds in my new bank account with SEB were accessible as of yesterday. At around 11:30 the postman delivered my PIN-code, and I happily went grocery shopping and to the ATM. No problems whatsoever, and it felt good to finally have a Swedish debit card. I figured it'd be smooth sailing when I made online purchases from here on out, since I have both Swedish and American-based debit cards in my name.
I couldn't have been more wrong. When I got home from my shopping excursion I went to IKEA's website to buy myself a couch and a bookshelf. All was well until I got to the payment page...
SEB gave me a Maestro card with my account, which I was told works exactly the same as a Mastercard and is accepted as such at all merchants. Basically, the bank teller said I could use the Maestro as a Mastercard for all intents and purposes. I prefer Visa, but didn't have a problem with Mastercard and was just happy to be able to access my money.
However, despite being told that the card would be accepted everywhere Mastercard is, IKEA kept telling me it was an invalid card. I typed the number in several times to no avail, then called the bank's 24/7 helpline. After being assured that the card was indeed valid, I tried it again, to no avail. I figured that perhaps it was too soon to use the card online as it had just been activated that day. I decided to wait and try again today.
That didn't work, and every site at which I tried to make purchases says my card is invalid. SEB's helpline seems baffled, and I'm a bit concerned. Not so much with buying merchandise, although that is a pain. I'm more worried about when I have to return to the states...how the hell am I gonna pay for a plane ticket? Granted, I can always Western Union money back home and have my family put it on my Visa, but I don't think I should have to.
I did some Googling and got a lot of different answers about Maestro cards and their acceptability online. Apparently, they're generally used for youth accounts. My account is a student account, since it's an agreement between the bank and Lund and is all I qualify for without a personnummer. But gah.
I also found a site called Goyada, and was happy to read that they offer a prepaid MasterCard, available for purchase at any ATG agent. page link I was going on That seemed like it would solve things, so this morning I went to Coop to get one. Once there, the lady behind the counter seemed very confused and after consulting with her coworker in Swedish she reported that they don't sell them. Uhhhhhhh....then why exactly does the site say what it does?? I really don't get why it seems like I'm always being told different things by different people over here. Not sure what the issue is but it's really frustrating. If you don't know, say that. Don't tell me something as if it's fact when you have no fucking clue if it is or is not. That happened time and again with the school fiasco and I'm guessing it's a cultural thing, but criminey.
So, I'm not sure what to do. I can't seem to get a prepaid card and my debit doesn't work at 99% of places online.
This sucks.
The funds in my new bank account with SEB were accessible as of yesterday. At around 11:30 the postman delivered my PIN-code, and I happily went grocery shopping and to the ATM. No problems whatsoever, and it felt good to finally have a Swedish debit card. I figured it'd be smooth sailing when I made online purchases from here on out, since I have both Swedish and American-based debit cards in my name.
I couldn't have been more wrong. When I got home from my shopping excursion I went to IKEA's website to buy myself a couch and a bookshelf. All was well until I got to the payment page...
SEB gave me a Maestro card with my account, which I was told works exactly the same as a Mastercard and is accepted as such at all merchants. Basically, the bank teller said I could use the Maestro as a Mastercard for all intents and purposes. I prefer Visa, but didn't have a problem with Mastercard and was just happy to be able to access my money.
However, despite being told that the card would be accepted everywhere Mastercard is, IKEA kept telling me it was an invalid card. I typed the number in several times to no avail, then called the bank's 24/7 helpline. After being assured that the card was indeed valid, I tried it again, to no avail. I figured that perhaps it was too soon to use the card online as it had just been activated that day. I decided to wait and try again today.
That didn't work, and every site at which I tried to make purchases says my card is invalid. SEB's helpline seems baffled, and I'm a bit concerned. Not so much with buying merchandise, although that is a pain. I'm more worried about when I have to return to the states...how the hell am I gonna pay for a plane ticket? Granted, I can always Western Union money back home and have my family put it on my Visa, but I don't think I should have to.
I did some Googling and got a lot of different answers about Maestro cards and their acceptability online. Apparently, they're generally used for youth accounts. My account is a student account, since it's an agreement between the bank and Lund and is all I qualify for without a personnummer. But gah.
I also found a site called Goyada, and was happy to read that they offer a prepaid MasterCard, available for purchase at any ATG agent. page link I was going on That seemed like it would solve things, so this morning I went to Coop to get one. Once there, the lady behind the counter seemed very confused and after consulting with her coworker in Swedish she reported that they don't sell them. Uhhhhhhh....then why exactly does the site say what it does?? I really don't get why it seems like I'm always being told different things by different people over here. Not sure what the issue is but it's really frustrating. If you don't know, say that. Don't tell me something as if it's fact when you have no fucking clue if it is or is not. That happened time and again with the school fiasco and I'm guessing it's a cultural thing, but criminey.
So, I'm not sure what to do. I can't seem to get a prepaid card and my debit doesn't work at 99% of places online.
This sucks.
