myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Dear Steve and dear all,

We are trying to book our accomodation in Tobago and Grenada.

The problem is that to secure the booking the owners of the guest houses want our credit card details.

Do you have any experience about it?
Is it safe to write credit card details in an e-mail message?

thank you very much for all the help you are giving us in planning our holiday!
Laura & Marco

Hi Laura

This is a big problem with so much accommodation over there. Smaller properties simply can't afford the cost of on-line credit card processing facilities through a secure server and sadly the credit card companies are "creaming" the market, making it exorbitantly expensive for small businesses to take payment on-line.

Speaking as an IT and Internet consultant, I have regularly given my credit card details to firms through normal email - but I send the information in several emails over a couple of days. I will typically send the first eight digits of my card number in the first email, the last eight digits in another email at least half a day later, then the expiry date in a final email the following day. I’ve never had any problem this way.

Steve
What a brilliant Idea!!!
David(With 29 weeks and 2 days to go----so who's counting!)

We've had anther idea!

We have requested a prepaid credit card, with a limited amount, then if we want we can add more money.

We can use that card to send small payments through Internet.

Isn't that a good idea?

Laura

Steve's solution is an excellent one (multiple e-mails) that I have used on non-secure sites a number of times.
The other solution which I used to make a reservation in Tobago was to call the establishment and give them the numbers over the telephone. This will result in a telephone charge but the phone call is a small expense given the overall cost of vacation (air, meal, lodging etc.).

Coupla points:-

Firstly, I have done Steve's idea too but unfortunately the payees often get the numbers mixed up so it can work if they are organised !!

Secondly, some have refused credit card details because they say it is illegal ?!?

Thirdly, and interestingly, I had a worrying moment when paying my bill before jetting off because the payment was repeatedly declined.

Thoughts of sweeping Castara Beach, scrubbing all the fishing boats and washing up at all the resturants for the next 2 weeks briefly crossed my mind until a Credit Card expert luckily showed up and explained to my host that the bill was too big for one transaction.

2 transactions went through and I was allowed to go home ... phew !!