I've had problems using my no-chip, no-pin Visa card when I'm in the UK. I was at Boots and, at first, the cashier told me they had just switched over to chip/pin only, and then he said he might be able to figure out how to get it to work. A manager had to come and help put the transaction through. I was told that I would continue to encounter this problem and that at some point I wouldn't be able to use my card at all.

I can't use my Visa card to buy Virgin Train tickets via the Web. The system won't accept the transaction if the card holder's address isn't a UK address. The response I received to an email sent to Virgin Trains' customer service said that this isn't a problem for their customers. Um, hello . . . ?

I can't use my card to top up my Vodafone mobile either by phone or via the web. I have to go into a shop to do so.