Don't forget your photo ID if you head Stateside

If, like me, you still have an old-style UK driving licence without a photo, you may want to pay the Chancellor the necessary to upgrade to a photo licence if you are planning a trip to the USA.

Whereas, here, we verify our credit cards with a PIN, in the USA you will find that most places where you use a credit card will demand a ‘photo ID’. If you don’t have a ‘photo ID’ then you may not be able to use your card.



Suffice to say that, as soon as I got back from my most recent trip Stateside I splashed out £20 with the DVLA to obtain a photo licence, so that I would not be caught out next time.

The exception to the demands for photo cards remains restaurants. There, it is still the norm for the waiter to leave your card and the receipt and you are expected to sign it, take your copy and leave.

But don’t try that in the UK, no matter how hard it is to persuade reluctant staff to give you the bill and take the money.