Renovation project - Can I use my French bank card on line?

Renovation project - Can I use my French bank card on line?

photo courtesy of http://www.fun-stuff-to-do.com/funny-credit-card-tips.html

As we now have imminent guests we need to get some more furniture, we need two beds and a mattress, we look on all the main shopping sites and do not find what we want, so we try Ebay, we find what we need and then have the fun of trying to order, we do not have a French PayPal, so set this up after all it is so easy.........

French PayPal will take 5 days to set up so we have no option but to pay by bank transfer, it is very difficult to use your french bank card to buy from internet sites.

We order and then arrange for the bank transfers. This will take a few days so I have to e-mail each company to explain that payment will be delayed.

But we manage and our new beds will be here in plenty of time.

To pay by bank transfer in France you have to set up a new transfer name, which means you will need all the bank details of the person you are paying. Once you have added the beneficiary, you will receive a text with a code, you have to insert this code before you can continue.

Once added the new beneficiary will be usable after 48 hours.

We also order John some new glasses, this has to be paid for by bank card.

This is even more fun.

You enter your card details, which then get refused (our bank will not allow internet usage)
click on the link that appears to your bank.

Then, once you have logged into your account, you will be sent, by text, a code to allow you on to the next stage.

You then type in the amount you want to spend and a time limit for using it.

Once your text code has been accepted, a picture of a virtual credit card appears on the screen.

This is the card that you then use to continue with your purchase.

The new virtual card can only be used once, and only for the amount that you entered.

This all seems to be such a hassle, but after the first time, it is really very simple and so secure. The temporary virtual card cannot be used again, nobody can access this code without knowing all your bank details and passwords and having access to your mobile phone.

So, hassle maybe, secure definitely.

This post relates to Credit Mutuelle de Bretagne (CMB) as this is the bank that we use, Others maybe different