I know that (US) Charles Schwab debit cards will be refused on Japanese steam or PS stores as their algorithm can tell the card is NOT from Japan since their system only recognizes cards that are issued from their own country. The same applies if a foreigner tries imputting a Charles Schwab card onto the Japanese app store (iOS) leading to rejections.

The same thing applies to both Revolut & Wise: as Japan PS store, Steam & App Store refuse cards that aren’t matching the region (perhaps due to potential fraud). It doesn’t matter if you have either, since PS store (JPN) for example won’t accept it, since they only cater to cards that are issued from the same region the store front is set in.

  • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de
    61·
    9 days ago

    This is a common misunderstanding that Americans have. The truth is that American banks issue domestic-only cards that cannot be used outside of the USA. You can get an international credit card and it works everywhere.

    In most other countries, certainly where I live (Israel), all credit cards are intentional by default and they work wherever you go in the world.

    So the truth is that, as is often the case, USA with American exceptionalism has created an incompatible system to everyone else, and then suffers the consequences.

    • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
      11·
      9 days ago

      I just moved from the US to New Zealand at the beginning of the year, and all of my credit and debit cards work down here. None of them were explicitly labeled as “international.” Maybe this is true, but it’s clearly not as common as you think.

      • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de
        2·
        9 days ago

        I have no personal experience with this, just stuff I’ve heard online and from friends. I may well have some details wrong, but the truth is I’ve always been able to use my Visa credit card for any online shop from any country, including ones which Americans were having trouble with.

        I think some shops (and maybe countries) which have a strong trade/tourism relationship with USA will just go out of their way to support American “non-international” cards. Whether that is the case for you in New Zealand, I can’t say.

        I don’t have much stake here and I admit I could have gotten something wrong.

      • TORFdot0@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        8 days ago

        It depends on the issuing institutions. Most credit/debit cards can deal in foreign transactions but some banks/credit unions block those types of transactions to prevent fraud/stolen card details.