My wife and I are planning a trip to Porto for three nights in September. My wife found a guest house that she liked. The owner wrote that he could not accept my Chase Sapphire Visa card for the deposit because it was against the law. He wanted me to wire the funds. Has anyone any thoughts on this?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7505 posts
I have not heard of any legalities related to accepting US credit cards. The places we are looking at had no problem using our card to hold the reservation, but we were not required to pay a deposit.
It is not uncommon that smaller operations do not take credit cards, preferring wired funds, PayPal, or cash. However, the fact that they want a deposit this far ahead, for a 3 night stay, and then coming up with a questionable story about not legally being able to take a credit card; is enough to have me keep looking.
Posted by
New York, NY
3989 posts
Against the law?
That owner is treating you like a moron. Find another guest house. I suspect he doesn’t want to accept credit card payments because of the merchant fees so instead of telling you that directly, he hopes people will be gullible enough to believe a lie so they can wire funds directly to him. I would never do business with someone so unethical as a liar.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7049 posts
My thought is that you have a slew of other alternatives to choose from that don't require wired funds (which offer no protection whatsoever - once money is gone, it's gone). You also have ample time to look around, given it's only January.
Posted by
Chicago
1323 posts
Ok, I doubt anyone in here is a Portuguese lawyer but that sounds like rubbish to me. It’s either the credit card fees that they’re trying to find a way around or maybe some sort of tax evasion. At the worst, it’s a scam.
You have protections by using the card. Don’t wire the money. Plus, international bank wires aren’t cheap plus currency conversion on your end.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5835 posts
Owner''s statement and request to wire funds do not meet the smell test. Run, don't walk. Wired funds are gone once you send.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you for your responses. I agree. This just doesn't smell right. We'll keep looking.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I am not as suspicious as the other posters. Most guest houses I have stayed in only have a couple of rooms and don’t take credit cards. As for being against the law, maybe something has been lost in translation. Maybe they mean against their policies.
Have you checked that the place is well established and has good reviews? If it has a track record over several years on say Trip Advisor, then I would have no qualms about wiring them money.
I am off to Sri Lanka next month and have wired half the price of the holiday to them, as I am confident that my money is safe, but I have done my research on the company.