Wednesday, October 17, 2007

What is wrong with banking in this country?

Seriously- they find like a million ways to gouge you. If I buy something online, I have to use a credit card, so why charge me extra for using a credit card? Like I want to buy a plane ticket that ends up being $10 more because of the credit card charge- but what other way can I buy it? It's not like they offer direct draw from my checking account. Apparently the Visa Electron is free to use online, but typically it's used for children or people with horrible credit- so the rest of us are rich enough to pay an arm and a leg everytime we use a credit card?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey it's Yuka's friend Laura here - hope you're having fun in London! Just wanted to say that your account (if from a UK bank) should offer you some kind of Visa debit / switch card which is generally free to use online. Does depend on your account though but it might be worth you looking in to. Hope this helps :)

Unknown said...

Thanks- I have one now but due to some mail losses and the strike it took me about a month to get my card up and running. Ryanair and Easyjet still charge though- WTF?

Unknown said...

Yeah Ryanair and Easyjet practically charge you for any air you breath on their flights. It's cause they are 'budget' airlines. The fares might be low but by the time you add on all the other stuff they're not any cheaper.

Glad to hear you got the bank card sorted out though. If you're planning on travelling a bit around the UK it's worth signing up to some of the train company websites. They do deals quite often that can save you a bunch (one this weekend got you 50% off fares for example). Just a thought!

Unknown said...

On the train front- are there ever Eurostar sales? I was looking into Brussels and it was so ridiculous that I got a Ryanair flight for 42 pounds instead.

Unknown said...

Don't know about Eurostar I'm afraid. Have never taken it as I'd have to travel all the way down to London to catch it. Maybe sign up to their website and it means if any deals do come up you'll get an e-mail about them?