Originally Posted by
Majuki
Most merchants don't support PBOC protocol which then requires a fallback swipe transaction to process over the Discover network. Non-PBOC transactions to my knowledge will not work with a chipped transaction. This almost caused my card to be rejected at the Arby's in Sunnyvale. They have a separate card terminal than they use where they key in the amount manually. It is not connected to their register.
I believe we discussed this before, hence my wondering about Jamester's use of the card in the US. Especially since I also remember that their fraud prevention people call after you do enough fallback transactions, too, which would make using the card pretty inconvenient if it gets locked often.
Originally Posted by
Jamester
That's correct tmiw, my experience at our Safeway (that would be Vons for you in SD) is it goes thru via Discover transaction, and nevermind the fact UnionPay card numbers start with a '6', just like Discover. The only gotcha is that I CANNOT use the chip on the card but rather it asks me to slide the magnetic strip instead, and then press Enter for credit. (It does ask if you want a cash back but I cringe at the thought of high fees).
Yeah, UnionPay cards (at least when swiped) can be run as debit in the US, which would make this card a viable option for Costco and Arco. I didn't see anything specific at first glance on ICBC's site as to whether debit purchases with cash back would count as a cash advance, however (or would even be approved in the first place).