svellmann

I have some questions about the practices of Dah Sing Bank. They have some great cards in their line-up (with upcoming awesome region-based ANA award chart, I'm kinda eyeing the Dah Sing ANA card) but there's some drawbacks. Or maybe I'm just not experienced enough yet.

[1] When I applied for a new card from Dah Sing, I provided the staff in the branch my bank account details to set up the autopay and the staff said they would. Except they didn't. Paid first statement by cheque and got the miles. Second month, I assumed autopay should have been set up by now and I relied on them like is usually fine with all other new credit cards I have ever gotten. Turns out it wasn't (or wasn't going to be) set up.

As a result, late charge, finance charge, major waste of my time to go back to the branch and raise this, call CS to have it reversed etc. But not only that: miles for that entire month's statement didn't post! Meanwhile autopay has been set up and current month's miles posted and I thought those from the month prior would post now, too, since the payment was settled right after I found out about the mess (by cheque, again; what a drag). They didn't.

Called and inquired about it. "If your payment is late any month, you won't get miles for the whole month's statement amount. In fact, do it twice in one year and you won't receive any miles all year on that card." When I said the payment was "late" because they messed it up and it was their fault, thus I should have the miles, they said they will get back to me next week to see what they can do for me. Let's see...

Is this legitimate?

[2] Along the same lines, I also hold their UA MP card (which is now catching dust after various devaluations in the Mileage Plus ecosystem) and had booked a flight for a friend with the card. He eventually had to cancel and refund the ticket because he couldn't take the trip so the amount was credited back to my card. Consequently, this month the equivalent miles were deducted from my UA MP account!

I can see how they are right to take miles back for money I didn't quite spend in the end and don't feel this is injustice but would still appreciate any experience sharing about cases like this. I believe this happens with any bank in the same way? I would like to understand for which kind of credit to my card they will deduct miles. What if I apply for a tax refund at the airport and it posts to my card; will they deduct miles for that, too? Or only for merchants with whom I had a sale x amount of time prior?

Thanks in advance.