UKC

My son has gone traveling in Europe for 3 months, however after being there only 10 days has had his debt card stolen (I imagine after not following his father's advice about hiding such things and not flashing it around etc), he has canceled the card but is stuck in Nice with very little cash left and not really sure what he should be doing next.
It's been reported to police/bank/insurance, but being a usual 20 year old I fear he hasn't really explained his circumstances properly.
Is there any way he can access his money without a card, he obviously has passport etc on him, but I think he'll be on the streets within the next couple of days if he can't get any funds.

Thanks in advance.
Lee

In reply to leeangell:

I did reply but then reread your post which asked how can he access *his* money. I was replying with a way to access *your* money. Not much help but Western Union and Dad might have to be the answer in the short term?

In reply to leeangell:

The British Consulate in Nice might be able to offer help, or at least advice. I got an emergency passport from there when I had all my stuff stolen a couple of years ago.

In reply to leeangell:





I would imagine that it should be possible for you to make an online booking for a youth hostel or similar on his behalf.

In reply to timjones:
Yes that's true and I hadn't thought of that, so that sorts accommodation out for the short term.
Kids, why don't they listen!

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

the British Consulate will do precisely fu*k all apart from allow you to use the phones to cancel your card(s) and phone home to arrange alternate finance. They will as above do you an emergency passport.

Whats the name of the Bank involved? some will send a replacement card to a foreign address but most won't. You could post/courier him some of his money in the form of travellers cheques or maybe load a pre-pay card.

For a real emergency its gonna mean dipping a hand in your pocket but hey he is your son

In reply to timjones:


I've had issues doing this with the place of accommodation wanting to see the card as fraud is especially from foreign issued cards is a huge problem. Wonder how many young people would be funding the accommodation portion of their travels with dodgy CC's

In reply to leeangell:


Well he doesn't listen to you
and I bet you didn't listen to yours.
Nor your father listen to his.

and include me in this as well.

So a bit of a theme going there.

In reply to leeangell:
Could you buy him a plane ticket home, wait for him to get a new card and then pack him off again when it arrives?

edit: This would also have the added bonus of providing you with the chance to give him a good hiding for wasting your time and money!

In reply to leeangell:

Lots of banks have a system in place through foreign partner branches and exchanges, he won't be the first person to lose a card. Speak his bank here for him.

In reply to leeangell:

Not much help with the immediate problem but seeing as he has 2.7 months left it might be worth sorting him out with a separate card or maybe a credit card linked to your account incase it happens again.

In reply to Dax H:

Thanks for all the replies, it's a job to know what to do for the best, he's a grown man who's gone off alone, but as a parent I feel a responsibility to make it better for him!
I'm feeling a trip home might be the answer.

In reply to leeangell:

Most banks have an emergency cash system in place for this type of thing happening. They issue a code that your son can key into a cash machine and it'll pay out some emergency cash. Not certain how or if this works in europe though. Theres a limit to how much and how often they will allow it, but they can increase it for exceptional circumstances.

Worth suggesting that your son keeps some traveller cheques and stash them somewhere for use in emergencies. At least then he isn't totally dependent on the a card.

Good luck!

Stuart

In reply to StuDoig:

I'd suggested various things, including keeping a dud card in his wallet and hiding his real card about his person, I guess we all have to learn the hard way.

In reply to leeangell:



he's a grown man....nail-head

leave him to sort to it out alone...it will make more of a grown man of him.

Not easy for you i know

In reply to leeangell:

If it was me I'd advise him as a first step to go to a bank there with his passport [and any other ID if he has it] and ask [works in the UK if you've lost your card]. Good luck anyway.

In reply to leeangell:

Have you tried contacting a branch of his bank here in the UK and asking for their advice? As Indy suggested above, banks may well have some sort of protocol in place for just such emergencies.