President Obama's credit card declined in New Yok cafe: 'But I really have been paying my bills'

Mr Obama’s card was rejected at an upscale New York restaurant

(Getty Images)

A red-faced Barack Obama was forced to defend himself to a waitress in a New York restaurant, after his credit card was declined when he went to pay the bill.

Perhaps in an attempt to show that he really is ‘just like us’, the President of the United States said his card was rejected at the upmarket Estela restaurant in Manhattan's NoHo last month.

"It turned out, I guess I don't use it enough," Mr Obama explained on Friday at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"They thought there was some fraud going on," he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. "I was trying to explain to the waitress 'No, I really think that I've been paying my bills."'

The admission came as he was announcing a government plan to tighten security for debit cards that transfer federal benefits like pension payments to millions of Americans.

Fortunately for Mr Obama, Michelle Obama was able to produce a credit card they could actually use to settle the bill with. Estela has declined to comment on the incident.