banking

PayPal works for Cyprus

Cyprus (together with the other newly added EU members) has made it to the country list of PayPal. The account is somewhat limited, but at least it works. I’ve tested the registration procedure and went through OK. I can now receive and send money, but I can’t get them cashed. This is not a big problem since I can spend them online.

You can donate money to me if you feel like it by using the button below:

If you don’t have any idea on how much to donate, then here are a few ideas for you:

$1 USD – Thank you.
$5 USD – Let me know what can I do for you.
$10 USD – You are special.
$50 USD – You must be the size of your heart.
$100 USD – Leave your name and URL in the comments and I will write something nice about your website here.
$1000 USD – You practically bought my soul. :)

Try it. It should work. Let me know how it goes in the comments.

Renewal of an ATM card

I’ve become very bad with password and PIN number recently. Those password management applications that I use are to blame for my memory failures, I think.

Anyway, I have forgot the PIN for my ATM card recently. I visit my bank branch and asked them to provide me with the new PIN. The lady there informed me that there is no way to reset the PIN and that they will have to issue a new ATM card for me. I was a bit surprised, but confirmed that they should proceed as my need for ATMs is rather often.

Less then a week later I have received my new ATM card and the new PIN. I have checked my account statement and saw that I was charged 5 CYP for the card renewal. OK, who cares. But what surprised me the most was that the new card was identical to the old one. Card number, expiry date and everything else were exactly the same. Now I wonder who designed this idiotic procedure? It is fifty gadzillion times easier to just change the four numbers of the PIN code, or even simply remind me what they were, than to reissue the plastic card, which is a totally other business with all paperwork travelling back and forward between branch (Limassol) and headquarters of the bank (Nicosia).

I am deeply puzzled…

On mobiles

Talking the phone was always distructing to me. I could never concentrate on two things at the same time very well. This is why I am very against the idea of talking on the phone while driving. Today I was proved once again that mixing mobile conversations with any other activities is a bad thing. All I wanted to do was withdraw some cash from the ATM. While talking. 30 seconds after I approached the machine, it informed me that my card was swollen for good and will not come back today. Only when I hang up, I realized that I was typing in the wrong PIN. Stupid me…