Originally Posted by
oopsz
Discover's supposed to process through the JCB network in Japan. It should be one of the most accepted cards there.
When I was in Beijing last year, I had no problems getting my Discover card processed everywhere- from small shops to tea rooms. I just handed them the little chinese printout from discover.com telling them how to process the transaction.
Reciprocally, JCB and UnionPay card are also supposed to be accepted where ever they accept Discover cards here in the US. However, most frontline cashiers in the US have no clue about this either. Trying to pay a 7 Layer Burrito at Taco Bell or some clothes at K-Mart with a JCB or UnionPay card will probably get funny looks from the minimum wage earning cashier anywhere in the US.
So it's always best to have some form of pamphlet ready for JCB and UnionPay cardholders trying to use the Discover network here in the States, and Discover cardholders from the US trying to use the JCB or UnionPay networks over in Japan or China.