There are some embarrassments the president of the United States should never have to suffer.

Having a credit card rejected in a restaurant is one of them.

“Even I’m affected by this,” President Barack Obama said yesterday.

The ignominy occurred last week in New York City when Obama tried to pay the bill after eating out one evening during the UN General Assembly.

It appeared “there was some fraud going on,” Obama said, but “it turned out I guess I don’t use it (the credit card) enough.”

Obama told amused reporters he tried to explain to the waitress that he really does pay his bills.

First lady Michelle Obama, who was with him at the dinner, helped him overcome the disgrace by using her credit card to pay the tab, the president said.

Obama told the story after signing an order that says starting next year US government-issued credit cards must contain chip and personal identification numbers. The order also directs government agencies to obtain new credit card readers.

The microchip in the card is harder for thieves to clone than a magnetic strip and a personal identification number, he said, adding that other countries that use cards with microchips have cut fraud.

More than 100 million Americans have experienced breaches of personal data stored in the computers some of the largest companies in the US, and identity theft is now America’s fastest-growing crime, Obama said, speaking at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Among the theft Obama referred to were hacks into data stored by Target, Home Depot, Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.

- dpa