JUL 10, 19 .. FROM HONG KONG .. MY CREDIT CARD CHALLENGE .. CHAPTER 1 OF 2 CHAPTERS

Would THIS stun any of you :

As you read this, please keep in mind, I have now been out of the country for eight and one half months. For eight and one half months, I have been successfully using my complete entourage of VISA cards. Keeping them all fresh and in-use.

Also, based upon having actually lived in Europe for over four years, based upon more trips out of the country than I can clearly recall, I am NOT new to International Travel.

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The below event happened to me yesterday, the 9th of July.

I went to a local library here in Hong Kong and got on-line.

In attempting to make my return flight reservation from Hong Kong back to Irkutsk, I could NOT get a single one of my VISA cards approved.

Allow me to repeat this :

I am sitting in front of my laptop here in Hong Kong wanting to get an air flight North back to Irkutsk. I got on-line. I did all the required actions and arrived at the button : Add to cart. I did. Then the button : Make payment. My VISA card was declined.

Yes, Oh Yes Indeed. This is not the first time that I’ve had a credit card declined.

I repeated the process and again I arrived at : Make payment. The second (different from the first) VISA card was declined. Now we are into new territory. I can’t ever recall having two different VISA cards declined during an attempted airline ticket purchase.

Yes sports fans, for the third time I again did all the actions. Again, a third time, I got to Make Payment. For the third time (using now a third different VISA card from the first two) I was declined. This is now a NEVER-has-this-happened-to-me experience.

Using two additional VISA cards the same thing happened.

STRIKE FIVE CAPTAIN !!

I was now out of VISA cards with me. The others were home in my room in a lock box. I NEVER (except when on major trip or flight) carry them all with me on-my-person.

So I had no choice but to return to my room. Meet up with Patti. Meet up with a friend. Visit. Then the three of us went out to a meeting.

It was a long and sort of restless night for me thinking about the above event.

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Today, it is now, Wednesday, July 10th

Up early to go to a meeting. Patti had a night-from-hell with her back and could not join me.

I got to my meeting. I did the meeting-after-the-meeting. And here I am back in the Hong Kong Main Library.

I am now ‘armed’ with VISA cards that are different from the above five I attempted to use yesterday.

I access the S7 Airline site. I begin the process.

I am now nervous. I am now anxious. What-IFs are now dancing around in my head. What-IF I am unable to .. ..

.. I’ll let YOU think of all of the What-IFs that are possible .. 

I do the deal. I find that now, just one day later than yesterday, I can NOT  get a July 19th flight.

July 24th is my earliest available flight North to Irkutsk. Yet again I complete the application and I get to the button : Make Payment. I enter all of my data. I press : Continue.

I waited. Then came the magic words : Approved.

To tell you the truth, after all of the above events yesterday and last night (in my brain) I feel so numb that I don’t even know what I am feeling.

Got it. I’m feeling : RELIEF

Pink Floyd : Comfortably Numb.

Hello?
Is there anybody in there
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone home?

Over And Out ..

Cap

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