Apologies for those who already know this, but I didn’t. I’m used to being blocked from completing transactions by US websites because my credit cards don’t have a zip code. Recently, renewing an AT&T PAYG SIM card with a helpful sounding operator, I asked if there was anything I could do to avoid having to trudge through their telephone system shouting ‘Operator’ to get to a human being. “Oh yes”, she said, “just type in the Zip code where your at! The Zip code isn’t checked on foreign cards!”.
It was like scales falling from my eyes! All those times that helpful FBO’s have scribbled mysterious zip codes on a piece of paper for automated pumps, or even when rental insurers have insisted that an hotel address is good enough for renewing their policies. Can it be true that it actually doesn’t matter after all?
What’s the experience of others?
I’ve used my parents’ FL zip code in the past, but this sometimes fails as it doesn’t match my UK address (duhhh) – I’m just as interested as you are! Is there maybe a special code like 00000 to bypass?
In petrol pumps I just use the numbers in my postcode and pad to five digits with zeros. Always works. So from SL5 5AH (not mine by the way) i would enter 55000
Aveling wrote:
Oh yes”, she said, “just type in the Zip code where your at! The Zip code isn’t checked on foreign cards!”.
That is correct.
I always use 90210 ;)
stevelup wrote:
I always use 90210 ;)
Showing your age!
Wonder what would happen if you used 20500
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Wonder what would happen if you used 20500
Don’t know, but email me your credit card number and I will try it out. 
I finally sussed the 20500 (The White House) and 90210 (Beverly Hills). I looked for the Area 51 (Groom Lake) postcode but could not find it.
There was something funny in one of the flying magazines a few years ago when Groom Lake was given an ICAO designator (KXTA for extra terrestrial activity?) but looking at Skyvector it doesn’t seem to be exist.
