Can you use horizon gold card at regular stores?

MasterCard Horizon Gold is a secured debit card. It is not a credit card and therefore is limited by the amount of cleared funds you have available in the account. In general, within the USA and Canada, the Horizon Card should function in any retail outlet, just as a debit card would.

Abroad, because the card is relatively new and has yet to be franchised world-wide, it is possible that credit clearing merchants, who clear card numbers for clients, may not yet recognise the first four numbers on the card. Therefore, the card may be instantly rejected.

Additionally, the card's use often presents crises for people who do not understand how the card works.

Car Hire companies, such as Hertz, Avis, National, etc., will not accept debit cards for a rental. Their reasoning is that if you are not credit-worthy enough to have a credit company trust you with a credit card, how can the car company trust you with a $30,000 vehicle?

It also needs to be understood, that should you check into a hotel and use such a card, you may quickly find you have no funds left either that night or the following day. Hotels immediately place a 'hold' on your card's number, in anticipation of your estimated hotel bill. Virtually every hotel also adds an approximation of what they anticipate you 'could' charge to your room in the form of meals, laundry, international phone calls, internet access, pay per view movies, parking, etc. Some luxury hotels have been known to hold up to a thousand pounds (USD$1500) per night.

There are countless anecdotal stories of young honeymooners who have had their holiday destroyed because of their moving from hotel to hotel whilst travelling around places such as Florida, where each hotel held exorbitant amounts against the card. The process to release the unused funds can take up to a week to clear, thus keeping your funds unavailable. The poor honeymooners are placed in dreadfully embarrassing positions when they go to a romantic dinner somewhere, believing they know what's remaining in the amount they pre-paid, only to find their car has been declined.

These cards are widely known as 'last ditch' cards for people who have no access to traditional means and can occasionally cause a degree of haughty behaviour on the part of the merchant.

Finally, on international transactions, it's wise to check with the card issuer to see how much they charge for each transaction made abroad, plus what conversion rate will they use. It can add up to $10 to each transaction,

AND....you may find the card has strict withdrawal limitations, both locally and especially abroad. You may find your card being denied when you're desperately attempting to withdrawal cash from a cash point, or settle a bill.

Make certain you're fully versed on all the intricacies of the card before using it actively.