Genealogy Chat

I mentioned the Debit Card with a Visa logo earlier in this thread (near the bottom of page one) ;-)

Many banks do these - Keith mentions Barclays, Alliance & Leicester do too. Worth looking around.

Rob

Barclays do issue a non credit card (ie debit card), it used to be called Delta, but now had the Visa logo although still a debit card.

Hi Maureen
I too went to my bank (yorkshire) and complained that several places that i use my card for were stopping taking it. They could not understand why as apparentley
Maestro is one of the big cards accepted in all places , so same as you they suggested a credit card i did not want one but applied and got refused why i do not know, so naffed off about it my husband paid my fee on Ancestry for me but he paid for a full year where i was paying monthly so in the end i got a better deal. Maestro need to do something with their service or lose their customers.
Regards
Tracy

I read the other messages regarding Maestro and Ancestry with much interest.
I have never in my life had a Credit Card, when i first came upon this problem with Ancestry i spoke to my Bank (Natwest) they couldnt understand Ancestry's
attitude to Maestro and suggested i tried an 'English Co' i found it a complete waste of time trying to explain why i needed to join Ancestry and that there wasnt an 'English Co' that provided what i wanted.

Since then i have come across several web sites that will not accept Maestro, Local Theatre, (Owned by Council) A magazine that i have subscribed to for years.
I made a point of printing out the pages from these companies showing what cards they will accept, and back i went to my Bank - they were not interested.
The only alternative i was given was to open a Credit Card, then i got told because of my age and my income (a pension) i was not eligable for a Credit Card!!

So i was stuck, i wrote several times to Ancestry and the reply i got was "Since 1/1/2008 Maestro
has withdrawn the service that allows us to automatically renew your membership"
So i let my membership expire, that lasted a month until i could stand it no longer and my daughter let me borrow her Visa Card and i repaid her.
I am now looking into changing my Bank and seeing if i can open an account the same as my daughter with her Bank (Barclays) where she has just a Visa card that isnt a credit card.

Maybe if it is just this one Bank - the one i use, that is taking this stance, some of us ought to think about changing over, it is clear that it is Maestro's fault and not Ancestry

Maybe if my resolve had hung out a little longer i might have got 3 free months!!

Maureen

Please could you tell me which is the best Ancestry to subscribe to Ancestry. com or Ancestry.co.uk or are they both the same?
Vi.

Hi its Karen again - I'm the one who started this all off in the beginning after receiving the letter. My bank said that it was nothing to do with Maestro, but a decision between the various banks in between?????? Sorry, your guess is as good as mine. I don't own a credit card, and have no intention of getting one either.
Ancestry have given me 3 months free membership already, but mine isn't due to expire until the beginning of May anyway, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

n

Hi Potty

Well Maestro need to get their heads out of the sands then if they want people to use the card. I haven't any experience of the card but was thinking all the sites that are stopping their use had a problem rather than it being Maestro..didn't know it was a Maestro fault
Bit short sighted of Maestro if thats the only card some banks offer
Shirley

Shirley,

Its not that Ancestry won't accept Maestro, it's Maestro that won't accept automatic renewals.

Ancestry are writing to all people who have paid with Maestro in the past - there was a thread about it yesterday or the day before.

putting my old accounts head back on .I retired in 1998 lol I remember that its was more costly to the retailer to accept a debit card as against a credit card.

Credit card transactions were charged back to the retailer at a fixed fee per transaction where as debit card transactions were charged back at a percentage per value of the transaction. I remember at that time it was 1½%

So its cheaper to them to process a credit card

Thanks Claire and everyone for this information

Will call them tomorrow as I am now without Ancestry :o(

Jax xx

nudge for Jax

I Have also just ordered a cert online off GRO and use my Maestro card.

It's not that I don't want an easy answer - I did have a prepaid electronic Visa card, but most sites, including the GRO, won't accept them, so I didn't renew it.

Not sure what kind of prepayment cards would be sold in shops - shops don't sell them here in Italy as far as I know.

Genes took my payment the other day for my subs renewal and mine is a Maestro card.
Tracy

I have problems using Maestro on this site to buy credits, I guess it's the same thing then.

Gypsyjoe

My debit card also has the Visa logo, and Ancestry have accepted it so far, but other firms like Hertz are no longer accepting any debit cards, even if they have the Visa logo.

I used to pay my subs with Maestro.When I rang the up and asked if they took cheque,I was told no they don't.but you can get a pre payment card,(I think most shops do them).put the amount for your subs on it.You have to register the card(fee phone number)Once the card is registered I rang Ancestry and paid my sub's from there. Maureen

Debit cards with Visa.... which is what I have are also excepted by the GRO, and every other website/catalogue /mail order I have ever ordered from....I thought most Debit Cards had Visa.


Nicky

Mary From Italy,

It isn't something they have against Debit Cards, it's something they have about Maestro specifically (all to do with authorisation of each payment - another thread explains it far better).
My Debit Card has a Visa logo, therefore is accepted by all vendors that accept Visa - including GR and Ancestry.

Rob