Here is the preliminary resolve concerning my overcharged credit card:

After the Visa employee didn't call me back as promised I talked to another
person.
I was contesting the withdrawals of two Japanese companies:

Nifty (a monthly NiftyServe charge) of around 200 yen/month     and
Dream Cast Internet (ISP)

plus

A newsgroup provider in the USA.

I was told that Visa can't do anything concerning the Japanese companies,
and that I shall sort things out with them myself.
The USA based company will be blocked from getting into my account.

History: After being with this NG provider for over 3 years I started to
have problems last December. It was several times offline until I couldn't
access them anymore in January. I complained to the company several times by
email, but didn't get any response. Finally I received a brazen response
by the guy in charge, saying that the NG service was OK, and that his  job
is
not to teach users to set the parameters correctly!
Then I wrote back and asked him for the email and phone number of his
supervisor. On the same day he responded by saying that the
company had terminated my service for "rules violations". My question about
clarification regarding  "rule violations" which I should have committed
remained unanswered...

After that I signed up with a new service. The problems is that "IBILL"
takes care of the company's  financial matters. They were probably never
told that I am no customer anymore. The best way to make them respond is the
refusal to pay. It worked in the past, and it is amazing ho responsive these
bad eggs become once the money flow stops... but the credit card company
started to use a policy against it's customers. Maybe because I have just an
ordinary credit card and never responded to their Gold and Platinum card
offers. Or is it that they value Japanese companies over insignificant small
time users? I have read about lawsuits in Germany where credit card
companies got fined several times for disadvantaging "lesser clients".

I'd like to quit my credit card now, but I don't know whether there is a
backlash since I need Visa and might have to go through the hassle again
when I applied many years ago. I got mine only because my Japanese wife
applied for her own card.
Any recommendations for "gaijin approved" visa cards? Possibly a free one.
The one I have now is not free.

Sigi