This is not a question, but I hope it may help road trippers visiting the USA from the UK or Europe. Please advise of a more suitable forum if there is one. Within the last year we have done 2 American road trips, the first around New England, the second around Georgia. In New England we did not have a problem, yet in the South nearly every gas station and even the Marta Station at Atlanta airport wanted a 5 number Zip code instead of a 4 number PIN code.Most Europeans and even Canadians do not have this in their address, as our post codes also contain letters. Do not believe you can use 00000, 11111 or any other random number, such as only using the numbers in your post code and padding the rest out with zeros. In our experience this did not work.
![Merrick Merrick](http://mybillcom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BarclayCard-UK-ePay-Login.png?x54171)
(March 2016) On our return I was so fed up I contacted Halifax, the provider of my Clarity Mastercard and, after some debate, was allowed to enter a Zip code into the system. I didn't have to justify the number in any way. So I hope next time in America this will work. I suspect this will become more and more of an issue, as the cost of using most debit cards for a UK visitor is higher than the cost of this particular credit card.
Thanks for the heads up. Actually, as said, this is a reasonably common topic on this forum for overseas visitors. For some time now, we have always made sure we have enough cash on us so that we can fill the car's tank and pay cash. Some states in the south west, almost nowhere can you use a credit card at the pump, so much so we don't even bother trying. If you don't have enough cash, there is a work around at gas stations that have staff. You can prepay a fixed amount on the credit card so you don't have to leave the card with the staff.
When making a payment from the Barclaycard app, simply select 'Make a payment' from the main menu. By Direct Debit You can set up automated payments using a Direct Debit. There are three Direct Debit payment options: the minimum amount, the full balance or a fixed amount (subject to minimum payment requirements). ZIP-Codes.com Products. ZIP Code Database Get all US ZIP Codes and their information in one easy to use database. ZIP+4 ZIP Code Database Covering every address in the U.S., get the +4 information you need.
If you over estimated the gas, you do need to go back inside (it's usually but not absolutely always inside) and then use the card again to get credit. Just one point, when we have done this, for reasons only the banking systems can explain, we have had the first charge go through our credit card account one day, but the refund not get posted until a later date and at a different exchange rate. I would be interested to know whether the fake zip code you mention Halifax have now given you actually works, from a genuine test at a gas station. We were given one for a different card and it does not! At the risk of offering too much info here, the US banking system is changing - but very, very slowly. By a date in 2017 that keeps going backwards, chip and pin cards will be far more normal in the USA and the machines at various retailers including gas stations should be set up to recognise PIN numbers, so foreigners should (and I use that word without much confidence for now) then be able to use any card reading device without worry.
This would also apply, for example, in some store chains such as supermarkets where a spend over a certain amount also requires a zip code. As you say, it has started to be rolled out within the USA.
Also, because it's far more common outside of the USA, those US residents who wish a PIN for overseas use may ask for one from their bank, even if they have no or little current use at home. However, it will take time to be widespread and common across the USA. I don't really have enough 'in the field' knowledge to know if it's being encouraged in geographic regions or by other methods by the banks, who are the instigators one way or another. Major national brands with umpteen POS devices presumably have had to develop some nation wide plan, for obvious reasons. I do know that there's a small cost to retailers, so a few small privately owned business that could be even in a busy part of NYC (just as an example) might resist paying for the switch until it becomes counter productive to their business in some way.
The date the industry is using is a target date for something like 80% accessibility across the USA. It got put back because the systems within some banks were behind the retailers! As somebody from the UK, I have probably tried every permutation possible. This was not always the case. As has been reported on this forum for years and years, it used to be possible for anybody to punch in something like a row or zeros or nines or the zip code of your hotel and you'd be able to pump gas.
![Payment Payment](http://plugins.3xsoftware.co.uk/content/images/thumbs/0000009_nearest-stockiststore-finder.png)
This has not been the case for several years now. A search of this forum might pull up the endless times this has been discussed over the years and the increasing difficultly those of us not from north America have with regard to using credit cards that are of foreign origin. Planning a road trip. Tips for driving in the USA.
Tips for foreigners: Renting or buying a vehicle in the USA?. Suggestions for a South West USA road trip. Suggestions for an East Coast USA Road Trip. Suggestions for a West Coast USA Road Trip.
Suggestions for a 'Deep South' road trip. Suggestions for a Great Lakes Road Trip. What are safety concerns and precautions when experiencing nature in North America?.
What should I pack for a road trip in the USA.?. Do I need to book hotels ahead or can I book hotels as I travel?. Should I rent an RV to save money on a road trip?. Route 66 - how long do I need and where should I stop?. Planning a road trip- lodging in the national parks. Thinking of a long, family road trip in the west? Read this trip report for ideas.
Road trip ideas from Memphis down thru MS to New Orleans.Visiting Canada From the USA. What documentation do I require to enter Canada?. Bringing Firearms to Canada. Canada is HOW big? Where Should I Go?