For a couple of weeks I have been unable to use either of my Lloyds Bank (UK) debit cards with Visa chips or my credit card with same. My cards have not expired and I have sufficient money in my UK accounts. I first assumed it was a temporary problem at the Dominican end (whether technical or contractual) and would get resolved.
However, yesterday I spoke with the assistant manager in the Dominican bank where I have an account and she told me that it is a general problem across the DR with all banking companies and the situation will not change.
I will thus have to make other arrangements to transfer my pension money from my UK account to the DR. A visitor from England offered to lend me some money to tide me over until I can do so, only to find she was unable to use her card, much to her surprise.
Can anyone explain the nature of this (fairly recent) problem? The bank officer I spoke to did not have a clue, although she did offer the valuable intelligence that "no es nuestra culpa".
Is it limited to UK accounts or European Union accounts? Is it something to do with a new generation of smart chips? If the latter, I would have expected my bank to have issue me with replacement cards. Or is it a contractual problem with the Visa company such as their cutting off service because the DR banks have not paid their accounts?
However, yesterday I spoke with the assistant manager in the Dominican bank where I have an account and she told me that it is a general problem across the DR with all banking companies and the situation will not change.
I will thus have to make other arrangements to transfer my pension money from my UK account to the DR. A visitor from England offered to lend me some money to tide me over until I can do so, only to find she was unable to use her card, much to her surprise.
Can anyone explain the nature of this (fairly recent) problem? The bank officer I spoke to did not have a clue, although she did offer the valuable intelligence that "no es nuestra culpa".
Is it limited to UK accounts or European Union accounts? Is it something to do with a new generation of smart chips? If the latter, I would have expected my bank to have issue me with replacement cards. Or is it a contractual problem with the Visa company such as their cutting off service because the DR banks have not paid their accounts?