“Pick up card! Pick up card!” intoned
the computer. Unlike other messages, this never means a typing mistake, but I
re-entered the numbers and heard the same announcement.
Wearily, I phoned International
Assistance to explain that their credit card had been rejected. The dispatcher
put me on hold for several minutes before returning with another card number.
In the past, I’ve gone through several before hearing the computer’s approval,
but this one worked, and I left for the hotel.
International Assistance insures
travelers from Latin America. It’s sent me on nearly 900 housecalls since the
1980s. It was always a slow payer, but since the turn of the century it began
requiring months of pestering before sending a check. Finally I lost patience
and demanded that it pay by credit card. Although credit cards charge about six
percent of my fee, they’re a big convenience. I punch in a series of numbers;
two days later money appears in my bank account.
Slow payment usually means an
organization is struggling. It’s maxing out its credit cards and getting them
cancelled but keeping others in reserve. A few have gone out of business, owing
money, but International Assistance has been irritating doctors for decades;
many colleagues refuse its requests. It’s the oldest of half a dozen travel
insurers that call me, so this may be a reliable tactic for minimizing cash
flow.
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