What are my chances with Visa Electron?

Visa Electron and its use in internet

[monipro]

Hello to everybody,
I am situated in Bulgaria, Eastern Europe and owe Visa Electron /VE/- which is debit card. I read a post about buying a domain name with it, but I have a general question:
what are my chances to buy anything online with it? and if they are mere - why is that? it, as a debit card, is still a bank card with money in it. it is a subject of auhorization, just like CC. I tried to buy an item from a US website and they sent me e-mail saying:
"We were unable to obtain proper credit card authorization for your recent order"
do you know any online stores for purchases with VE?
Thank you!

[uksports]

It may not be the card that is the problem but the high level of card fraud experience has shown comes from Eastern European countries - we do accept VE for instance but do not accept orders from a number of countries by default as the profit made from the one good order is lost by having to investigate the other 99 attempted frauds in every 100 orders

Until that is addressed by the authorities (the card issuers make massive profits from fraud so they don't care), then you may have a hard time using your card

[Leosghost]

Almost all of the sites which instruct on how to phish and how to fake credit cards etc are run on servers in the Old East block ..most of the big money scams come from there too ...
lot of very good well informed hacker boards also ..;)

you are gonna be tarred with the same brush ..

BTW your nic won't help instill confidence ...)

I use Electron all the time 'cos I can limit my exposure to fraudulent sites if I buy with it ..I have no problems ever ..but my neighbourhood doesnt have the reputation yours does...

Don't know what to advise ..maybe try to open Bank account elsewhere?

[chesworth]

Of all the credit cards we process for our customers VISA Electron causes the most problems, whenever a card doesn't go through you can bet money on the fact that its a VISA Electron, for some reason the security on these cards is extremely high and so its a 50/50 chance of being able to bill the card.

We are not alone with this, many of our customers (we provide ecommerce software) also have the same problems when trying to process VISA Electron cards and even the owners of such cards are aware that their card isn't always accepted for online transactions.

[chodges84]

I used to have problems with my Visa eletron card when I was using it to purchase from my supplier. Large sums of money going out each week isn't normal apparently for some one with a Visa electron card. Howver after having a wordwithb them, I no longer have these problems.

Monipro, with regards to your question, try a UK based domain seller, as the Visa Electron card is quite common in the UK, and I don't even know if they have it in the US, which is maybe why it is being rejected.

Of course like everyone else says, it could be becuase your from Eastern Europe, which is a shame for you, becasue you are having to take the brunt of the 1000's of scrupulous people over there.

[PCInk]

Visa Electron come in two varieties:

1) Some have the number across the signature strip with a CVV code. These cards can be used for ordering goods over the internet, but the CVV code must match. If the CVV fails to match, the card is rejected.

2) Some card do not have the number across the signature strip. These are person-present only and cannot be used to make online or telephone orders. They can only be used at cash machines and in (physical) shops when you are present.

If you have the second type, there will be no way you can use this card at all on the internet - in any country.

[Macro]

PCInk is spot on. If you have a type 2 card then read the text on the reverse - it says you can't use the card for cardholder-not-present transactions.

Part of the problem with VE is that it's considerably easier to get a VE card than a Gold Mastercard ;) and hence it's more likely to be used by less than 100% genuine customers. No direct reflection on you of course.

[monipro]

Well, thank you all for your answers. It clears now to me.
Yes, I suppose mine is the second type and yes, it is close to one's mind that the country of origin matters. Well, then we have to wait for better times :(
By the way I sent one my friend who is a bulgarian with us citizenship to her bank in the US to ask them if a foreigner could open an account in their bank. yes, I could but if I am physically present there. And I am not.
I must tell you here lots of people today start to spend money over the internet and banks and card processors should reconsider their policy. Of course the scrupulous will always be around, but to neglect a whole, becomming bigger and bigger market, is not the way, imo.