And for the rest, there’s MasterCard

Except for now, there isn’t. Let me explain.

Last week I stupidly responded to a scam; and shazam, we are now without a credit card for a few days. As we are travelling in the Maritimes this is such a huge PIA. It’s amazing to discover how dependent we are on credit, especially online. In fact it is increasingly difficult to use cash. If tender remains legal it is increasingly impractical. First world problem I know, but still a problem.

Case in point. We can’t rent a car without a physical card attached to a physical driver with a valid driver’s license. No debit card or certified cheque allowed. No exceptions allowed. Neither can we book an Uber which welcomes only credit cards or Uber cash. (t’s difficult to figure out how to add to Uber cash without, you guessed it, a credit card.

I now receive daily 2-3 notifications from services, businesses, subscription providers and other online payees that my payment processes no longer function. I next expect to hear from my family doctor that they can no longer authenticate my account, except, hey, I don’t have a family doctor anymore.

And then, there’s telephone trouble-shooting support. Speaking with my credit card service the scam was immediately neutralized; good so far. Replacement cards would be sent; many thanks. I explained we were about to travel and was assured that in 3-5 business days new cards would be in my hand; Well OK, but a weekend and a holiday slowed that down.

A few hours later I spoke with a different service representative who advised the time would be 5-7 business days; nervous sweat time. Finally the next day, another inquiry: 6-8 business days. I was then advised that I could have requested expedited delivery. WHY DID NO ONE SUGGEST THIS BEFORE.

At this point I can only say that I was not on my best interpersonal behaviour. As she was instructed to do she kept reading a long script that covered off corporate responsibility with little compassion for my immediate situation. Knowing that “these calls are monitored for quality control and training purposes” I think I will request a copy for my own “training purposes.”

My title “and for the rest, there’s Mastercard, is a variation of “Priceless,” a 1997 advertising campaign used by Mastercard. Each year, as Kathie and pulled out of the driveway for holiday travels, we checked our packing list one last time. Hopefully, we had everything we needed with us. If not, well for the rest (most of the time) there’s MasterCard. Just not this time!

when leaving for vacation