percysmith

Great to be able to pay bills via CC anywhere, not just China. One of the redeeming features of 3 mobile HK is its ability to accept credit card payments in any Watsons.

jamar

Speaking of Watsons, they're the second BankComm merchant I've encounteref that does not DCC.

percysmith

Carrying this will help to some extent http://www.discovercard.com/customer...allet_Card.pdf


Yes Discover cannot be used on HK/Macau Unionpay terminals.

percysmith

Won't work. Merchant bank ignores what's marked on the paper. You can chargeback through your issuer bank but more than less likely your issuer will refuse to go through the Visa dispute process against the merchant bank and pay the exchange difference out of pocket.

tycosiao

I am exactly going to do that. Marked CNY at Carmen Sanlitun but I am sure I will be charged SGD.

It was a HSBC machine and I used a HSBC card.

Was dcc-ed twice so far.

mnredfox

Ack, saw your post at the IC forum about IC Jiuzhaigou, that place was a headache for me.

I had to escalate to FD manager who eventually just refunded me cash.

percysmith

I was heading to Sheraton Shenzhen yesterday. I was in a catch-22 - on one hand I wanted to earn SPG Gold via my newly minted World MasterCard http://www.mastercard.com/hk/persona...arwoodSPG.html. On the other hand I knew the likelihood of getting DCCed is as high as catching AIDS after a night of unprotected sex in a Swaziland brothel.

I would have paid the 2-3% DCC skim for SPG Gold but to add insult to injury, this is a MasterCard so I know my HK bank will charge me an additional 0.8% in HKD above what Sheraton would charge me.

When I looked at the terminal I saw it was a BoC type - the detachable type I saw in the Dongguan golf club.

I asked the receptionist in Mandarin to do her best to see that I'm charged in RMB. She nodded, stuck my World MC into the reader (without detaching it) and waited. The terminal's lights flashed for a long time, which I thought meant traffic at the acquirer. I noticed she pressed the bottom-most key a couple of times, I dunno if they had any effect on DCC or she merely being impatient.

When the slip came it was a BoC carbon slip...I braced for the DCC wording but surprisingly enough, ***there was none***. I hurriedly signed it, retrieved my copy and barrelled with my girlfriend into our room.

I'm pretty sure BoC's the acquirer cos not only is Sheraton using its paper but Sheraton also has acquirer no 02121xxxxxxxx like the Dongguan golf club which has a "BoC exchange agent" sign.

I wasn't able to see the card terminal screen at the Sheraton counter at checkin or checkout, but I was able to see the screen at the spa - also a BoC terminal but does not show DCC explicitly on its splash screen (as in "中国银行 DCC 刷卡机").

mnredfox

Interesting, please post back when your MC statement posts.

percysmith

28 Dec 2011 26 Dec 2011 SALES: GREAT CHINA SHERATON S SHENZHEN CN 1,366.20 1,698.77

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...nSZBoCslip.jpg

jamar

Found an oddity today- an HSBC terminal that actually processes transactions as RMB by default. Will upload an example sales slip later.

Another thing with this terminal is that it's rather sneaky. It shows "中国银联" by default. The sales person then saw my Visa, pushed a button, and it changed to "汇丰银行- PLS SWIPE CARD". No lozenge, no "HSBC" lettering, if you didn't speak Chinese you'd have no idea.

mnredfox

You think the sales person knows about DCC and did that on purpose?

jamar

Can't say. She may have only been told that the machine had to be switched to "HSBC mode" for all foreign cards. In any case, here's two example slips from IKEA. "UnionPay mode" on the left and "HSBC mode" on the right. Note the lack of DCC wording, a first for HSBC. ICBC is the acquirer while in UnionPay mode.

The funny thing about this machine is that Discover cards will NOT function normally on it. The machine spits out a "card not supported" error in UnionPay mode. Haven't tried on HSBC mode yet.

mnredfox

Interesting, wonder if it's cause it was on the UP machine?

And Discover not working on Unionpay machine, .

percysmith

500xxxxxxxxxxxx is HSBC....

Strange they didn't impose DCC on these dual mode machines...I didn't present a Unionpay or see anyone do so last time at Bar Rouge to try this out.

HSBC can't acquire Unionpay? Hmm.....

percysmith

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Took my +1 on a very romantic CNY trip to Macau.

Last time I brought along the HK$2.5/mile Amex and the $4/mile Bankcomm Diamond Unionpay. This time I had the following two offers on overseas spending:

• CCB(Asia) 20X "2012" offer - essentially HKD$0.75/mile (I satisfied the non-designated part of the offer from some well-timed iPhone4S purchases) (up to HK$6,578.95)
  
• BEA HK targeted 4X overseas spending offer - $2/mile (up to HK$15,000)

Both beat the next best offer (SCB) (Bankcomm is now $6/mile)

DCC came up three times:

I. The good - Westin Macau (acquirer unknown)

The hotel is the biggest MOP (Macanese Pacata - Macau's currency) payment. So I was very concerned when presented the following - it's kinda like asking for unprotected sex in a CP brothel:


(single carbon slip)

"HOTEL EXPENSES

FX RATE: HKD/MOP 0.9991647

Mark[x]Transaction Currency

[ ]MOP AMOUNT HKD AMOUNT[ ]
$3721.40 $3718.29

TIP IN TXN CUR:

TOTAL IN TXN CUR:

Default Amount=MOP
Your choice is final. You acknowledge being offered a choice of currencies for payment. This service is offered by the merchant's service provider. No additional fee or commission is applied.

CARDHOLDER COPY (and signature)"


The receptionist did her best to calm me and said her POS required reconciliation of the transaction currency in the card terminal to the POS, so if I selected MOP I'll definitely get MOP. My +1 also did her best to stop my hyperventilating by saying if this place has AIDS...sorry non-compliant DCC it'll be complained to the wazoo by the hordes of expats who've been here before us.

I paid for our stay in two transactions. In the second, I did see the receptionist key in something after I signed for the slip.

And sure enough, it posted for HKD3,680.32 this morning.

II. The bad - A Lorcha Restaurant (acquirer: Banco National Ultramarino) (DCC processor: Planet Payment)

Been to this place three years before and thoroughly enjoyed the food. Almost as good this time but unfortunately the sloppy Macanese waitress told me there were no bacalhau main courses when there were (only found out when I ordered seconds).

Towards the end of the dinner I already saw the restaurant had a "Pay in your own currency" and symbols of various currencies on the door. I thought I'll take my chances - if it is the "Mark[x] Transaction Currency" rather than the PRC "I declare..." type slip I'll sign it.

I told the waitress I want MOP, and I got the following (no I didn't follow the waitress to the cashier):


(two carbon slips joined together)

"(slip 1)

Mark[X] Transaction Currency
[ ]MOP AMOUNT HKD AMOUNT [ ]
$564.30 $562.73

TIP IN TXN CUR:

TOTAL IN TXN CUR:

This service is offered by merchant's service provider.
I have a choice of currencies including MOP
* Incl. two pt. six percent over wholesale rate

CADHOLDER COPY (and signature)

(slip 2 - joined to slip 1)
PERSONALISED PRICING FOR OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS FROM B.N.U. BANK

Now you can enjoy the convenience of paying your bill either in your home or domestic currency.

The choice is yours. Select the price in the currency you wish to pay. Enter any tip then total in that currency. Sign the receipt where indicated.

If you do choose to pay in your home currency the amount of your receipt will be the amount you see in your credit card statement. No hidden fees are applied.

If you would like a courtesy copy of the total receipt, please ask your server.

POWERED BY PLANET PAYMENT."


I reiterated my question and my waitress to told me to put a cross against MOP and sign. I figured since it:

• wasn't the Macanese branch of a PRC bank
• was a "Mark[x] Transaction Currency" slip (rather than the "I declare..." PRC-style slip that are known to be fxcked in Macau as well as PRC)
• had the longest DCC disclosure I've seen (including frank disclosure about the markup to the wholesale rate)

I decided to take my chances and sign the slip.

BAD move - got charged HKD562.73 this morn. I'm attempting my first DCC dispute - BEA HK just called me they can't read the fax of the slip so I'm mailing it. I'm asking for full reversal and recharge in MOP.

As much as I like A Lorcha I feel the A Lorcha owner knows what he's doing, since it has the sign on the door. This isn't Lily's Beijing who got DCC by her bank without asking.

Next time at A Lorcha I'll use my AE. I also think BNU and Planet Payment should be hung out to dry for this too along with the Chinese banks.


III. The beautiful - Mirabell Macau (acquirer: Global Payments)

Mirabell is actually a Hong Kong retailer, but my +1 suggested I might as well milk the $2/mile for all its worth.

They have a weird POS - the price is listed in HKD (HKD889) and translated at 0.971 for payment (MOP916).

As I approached the counter and saw the card terminal with dual HSBC/Global Payments logos I was very well aware of what I wrote about HSBC China and Global Payments Taiwan. I was sure this Greater China HSBC terminal is definitely fxcked, and braced as if I'm on United 232 coming in for the final turn on the Sioux City runway.

"Can I select MOP on this thing"?
Saleslady: "You want MOP? Sure. Better rate all the time".

She stuck my card in the chip reader and a very large DCC screen came out. She pressed the red button (no/cancel?) and a verbage-free slip carbon slip slowly spat out.

I winced "Just like that?"
Saleslady: "Just like that. Why what did you think was going to happen?"
"Just for your information you would have paid HKD913 if you selected HKD. Definitely sucks".

Now that's compliant! I wonder did our posts here have anything to do with it?