• Submitted by: admin
• Travel and Tourism
• North America
• Business and Economy
• Politics and Government
• 01 / 26 / 2008

Betty Riess, a corporate spokesperson for the Bank of America, said she doesn't know exactly how extensive the problem is but the company has received inquiries about Canadian visitors in Cuba being unable to use their credit cards.

CUETS is a major producer of MasterCard credit cards in Canada, as it provides that service for credit unions across the country. With that CUETS Mastercard business now owned by the Bank of America, Riess said those MasterCard transactions are being processed in the U.S.

But the U.S. has a trade embargo with Cuba, implemented not too long after Fidel Castro seized power almost 50 years ago.

That embargo makes it a crime, under U.S. law, for the Bank of America to process credit card transactions from Cuba, Riess said in a phone interview Friday.

And that means people who possess MasterCard credit cards processed by the Bank of America cannot use them in Cuba, Riess said.

Source: The Start Phoenix