Originally Posted by
kebosabi
Nah. Cash earns nothing, Discover at least earns something!
If it's a three way race between choosing VISA/MC vs. Discover vs. cash, then the best option will still be Discover. Less hassle, no annual fee, no FTF, no DCC, and still earns something.
And for the Discover card that I have, between Jan-Mar, restaurants earn 5% cashback, so if I'm in Asia during that time, Discover actually becomes my preferred card at the restaurant in China.
But it's still a cop-out to avoid DCC. Just like with mag stripe only cards, the only thing I want is for there to be a true choice of whether or not to use DCC in the transaction. I actually praised Discover in the wiki because they have been the most proactive about educating consumers about DCC even though Discover cards are not subject to it.
We also have to recognize that circumstances may change, and there may be a point in the future when AmEx and Discover also bring the scourge of DCC to their networks. Even though right now using AmEx or Discover might be the path of least resistance, in the future it might not be the case.
Originally Posted by
kebosabi
I don't. And can even attest to it that even in places out in rural Japan, it took some convincing to let them run through my Discover Card via the JCB network. I was able to get by because I could actually speak Japanese, so I would imagine that it would be more difficult for an average American with a Discover card out in rural Japan.
For Discover and Union Pay however, Discover actually has this
printable wallet card pdf that I can cut, fold, and laminate. Haven't had any trouble so far in China by just handing this pdf to them, which is a great plus for someone who can't speak Mandarin or Cantonese (but can sort of read the characters through kanji).
And no, I have no idea why Discover would have this printable wallet card for Union Pay but not for JCB. Thanks for putting into light of this, I'll send off a secure message to Discover if they can create a wallet card pdf for JCB merchants in Japan as well.
I wasn't aware of the pocket card for merchants using UnionPay, but it's a fantastic idea. ^
Originally Posted by
alexmt
Taco Bell in Missoula happily accepts UnionPay cards at least, and finds them interesting, so I doubt JCB would be an issue.
However, I imagine the first person who actually look at the card may have took some convincing, but as cbn42 says, in the US they're far more likely just to try things:
Originally Posted by
cbn42
On the contrary, I think it would be easier at Taco Bell in Missoula, because of cultural issues. Taco Bell in the US is likely to be staffed by minimum wage teenagers who don't have a clue and don't really care, and will probably swipe whatever you give them. When was the last time you had a cashier check the logo on the card before swiping? In Japan, society is more about following rules and maintaining order, and staff are better paid and more professional, so it will be harder to get them to "just try it".
I imagine in almost all cases in the US the cashier mindlessly swipes the card. It doesn't require any calculations. You don't have to think. The transaction just happens. When someone pays with cash, it's almost unexpected now, and I always thnk of these
Visa payWave commercials.
Originally Posted by
moondog
While you guys might hate "Mainland China", Taiwan's --and to a much lesser extent, Hong Kong's-- economies are dependent upon it for their survival. In spite of this "macro" stuff, China is pretty cool country on the personal level.
I harbor no animosity toward the Mainland, but my other half has had no inclination to visit. The biggest issue for both of us is the hassle factor in obtaining the necessary documents - táibāozhèng for her and an L Visa for me. We will be going for a wedding in June 2015, so I look forward to avoiding DCC there. ^