Unable to use credit card.

[Snowy Owl]

My OH and I have found that there are several things for which we cannot use a credit card and have to use either a debit card or cash. These include paying our council tax at the PO, paying car tax at PO, purchasing cartridges for a legally held shotgun and, most recently, various Lottery outlets.

Why is this so? Each time we ask, the usual 'company policy' or similar comes back. Is there a good reason why?

[dzug]

Yes there is normally a good reason:

council/car tax at PO - the contract with the PO that these organisations have doesn't extend to paying the fee that the CC company charges. If they were to pay the PO extra it would be possible

Lottery - it is illegal to sell lottery tickets on credit. Anywhere that sold them this way would lose its lottery licence.

cartridges - no idea on this one

[Snowy Owl]

Thanks, guys. I can see the reasoning behind the PO's position.

Interesting what you say about the Lottery, dzug as up until recently I could buy them at Somerfield's on a CC, but not at a local store for the same reason you give for the PO. However, when I checked at Sainsbury's, I was told it was still possible...must double check that one.

In a Pickle.....my OH is rather against doing anything that involves money on the Internet, so I'm a bit stuck on that one!!!

[nogginthenog]

Aldi will not let you use one to buy a laptop in england but you can in scotland . check out the ( very ) small print under any aldi ad

[dzug]

I'm pretty sure it's part of Camelot's licence agreement with retailers that tickets may not be sold on credit - which includes credit cards. Maybe the bigger ones can get away with it and the smaller ones have too much to lose?

You'll note that card providers will treat on line gambling as a cash advance (with fee) to get round this problem.

[kinell]

tesco will sell you lucky dip lottery tickets at the food checkouts, it comes out on the till roll similar to your shopping, you can pay anyway you like

[Skyline D]

I was under the impression it was illegal to buy a lottery ticket on a credit card. The National Lottery's own website certainly won't let you do it (or didn't when I set my account up anyway, maybe it's different now?). You have to either pay on debit card or by direct debit. Credit Cards are not accepted.

[Snowy Owl]

Very interesting extra comments on here, especially about the Lottery. I wonder if they would withhold a prize if they knew that it had been bought on credit? Guess it would be impossible to prove though.