My card's chip is glitchy so I cannot try its PBOC feature now. I will do it once I get a replacement mailed from CN.

Just some more info, as for the QuickPass I used to try the e-cash feature in a Chinese McDonald. Although I had enough e-cash in my card, the amount was still deducted from my CCB checking account. The bank later told me the POS will always try an online transaction first. I suppose the e-cash feature is more reserved for QuickPass-based public transit cards (such as China T-Union).

I don't know situations about UP but I used to have name issues with my China-issued Visa card. On that card, my name is the pinyin of LN-FN with spaces between Chinese characters, instead of FN-LN. On some American online shopping websites, I need to reverse FN and LN otherwise the transaction would be declined.

Good data points! Yes, my use of the card in China has resulted in some surprised reactions since merchants don't expect an apparent 外国人 to carry a UnionPay card. It's great since it's a (mostly) solid payment method with no possibility of DCC or cash shenanigans.

I mostly applied for a UnionPay card with ICBC (in branch) for purposes of international travel (especially as anti-DCC tool in areas with high DCC use but low Amex/Discover acceptance), but I am also interested in card acceptance issues of all types in general in the US & around the world.

Thus, once my card arrives, I am interested in testing additional merchants in the US to help expand native UnionPay PBOC chip & contactless acceptance knowledge.

The first one I will test with is Target to see what the UnionPay chip card acceptance looks like (now that they are done with their contactless-enabled terminal rollout).

The US merchants that people have reported native PBOC chip support for seems to be: Walmart, USPS (post office), QFC grocery, Ranch 99 grocery

Are there other strategic merchants that people would suggest, especially those who have UnionPay credit cards but haven't tested yet?

Try smaller merchants that use Clover devices. I tend to see UnionPay (and less commonly Alipay) signage at those around here, but YMMV.

I've never got QuickPass to work in the US, but I don't have many data points. I haven't tried Target in awhile, but it required a fallback via Discover the last time I tried. I also almost had a transaction rejected as a smaller merchant who had to do a fallback. Essentially any merchant whose system doesn't support PBOCCARD will work as a fallback over Discover's network, but with the liability shift merchants don't like to process these types of transactions.

AFAIK liability is still the issuer if fallback is used. Some of the card networks have restrictions on the maximum share of transactions that can be fallback, however, so merchants may be hesitant to run them fearing going over that limit.

I think there is a lot of merchant ignorance there just like before chipped cards became common and there were reports of European merchants rejecting "American" cards. The chip error/fallback usually results in closer scrutiny of the card if the cashier is performing the transaction, which may lead to a rejection based on unfamiliarity with UnionPay and its interoperability with Discover.

I received a limit of $5K. Not sure what factor ICBC values most in getting $8K limit. My Experian score was above 780 and credit reports are very clean. I do have a number of new cards in the last 12/24 mo, high total credit line across cards vs income, and income below $100K.

ICBC UnionPay credit card testing report just today:

1. USPS (post office) - Accepted as PBOC native chip as reported by others. Interesting that I have to sign for $3.

2. Safeway - NOT PBOC chip native
Gave error on contactless, then again on chip, prompting me to swipe; however, I wasn't interested in swiping the UnionPay, so I inserted a different chip card (MasterCard) and it accepted that as usual.

3. Target - NOT PBOC chip native
Gave error on contactless, then again on chip, prompting me to swipe; however, I then tried to insert a different chip card (MasterCard) and it ignored it, even after reinserting to be sure it was getting good contact; I swiped the second chip card (MasterCard) & it worked.
Conclusion: Once a Target terminal prompts you to swipe, it can't accept anything but a swipe, no matter what card you use. This behavior is thus restrictive because you can't switch gracefully to another payment type.

So it seems as though things haven't changed since I last tested the card. Safeway has some fun options if you use this card for the transaction. These are best left up as exercises to the user, however. :)

ICBC UnionPay credit card testing for ONLINE transactions:

Note: These tests are mainly due to curiosity in determining the limits of UnionPay compatibility.
There were other websites which flat out said my card was invalid when I tried to enter.

Charged as full amount to completion:
1. Amazon - as many of you know Amazon supports UnionPay; I did notice a curious difference though:
Reload balance - NO; card is NOT available for this; it shows other cards like Amex & Visa cards that are in Amazon account
Buy Amazon eGift card - YES; worked fine; I then redeemed the card into my Amazon balance
Anyone know why the difference? The second one is just a longer process

2. PG&E (power company) - YES; paid towards bill without issue; just worked, did not select card type

Accepted card, but no charge yet to confirm success:
3. Verizon - YES; accepted & added card, auto recognized as Discover; it performed the 1c check to determine if valid

4. Netflix - YES; accepted & added card, auto recognized as Discover; NO test charge made by Netflix

5. Geico - YES; accepted & added card, auto recognized as Discover; NO test charge made by Geico

Appeared to work, then failed:
Costco.com - allowed me to add card, but erroneously auto-identified it as a Visa (note that the logos of Visa, MC, Discover, JCB, & Diner's were shown as types they accept); allowed me to place small order, but then later order was cancelled due to "billing information is incorrect"; I double-checked that info on my order & it was fine.

I just remembered that last time I used a signature-preferring card (MC, IIRC) at the manned counter there, I didn't have to sign at all. Could it be something UnionPay mandates even for smaller amounts?

It's hard to say. After the Cupertino Post Office installed the new style Self-Service Kiosk I tried my UnionPay and had to input my PIN. Walmart supports PBOCCARD natively, but my purchase of around $20 waived any PIN or signature. I don't know if a PIN would be required above a certain amount, but I don't have any data points for large ticket purchases at Walmart.

USPS in general is weird. The kiosks, for instance, don't allow any transactions over $50--even if your card needs a PIN. And the receipt that printed out once at a manned counter made me think that it would have selected PIN as a CVM if the transaction was large enough, despite the card being signature-preferring (Arrival+). I'm not sure they should be considered any indicator of how the card should behave in practice.

Did you notice if the new kiosk had contactless enabled yet? If so, I wonder if QuickPass would work. :) I just know it wasn't active at the manned counter terminal I tested.

Unfortunately, the kiosk nearest me was being used when I went in recently, so didn't get to test it.

Contactless works at the manned counters now? I went pretty recently (within the last month) and it definitely wasn't enabled at either the kiosks or the counter, so it could be worth a visit.

No, I was saying contactless was NOT active at the manned counters. I was asking if by some crazy reason it was active on the kiosk in Cupertino as I wasn't able to check on my recent visit.

Oh, I misread your last post. Sorry about that.

They're both likely using the same backend system, though, so when one does eventually work the other will hopefully as well.

I last tried it about a year ago, but I would be surprised if QuickPass works.

ICBC US-issued UnionPay online testing in US:

*Confirmed* Verizon wireless autopay works fine & fully posts

The 1c card check test Verizon does when you add the card remained pending until 17 days later when it dropped off. The failed Costco online purchase also took 17 days to drop off from pending. This seems like quite a long time compared to what I normally see on other cards. Does anyone else see pending charges that were never posted take a long time to drop off on this card?

In-person US testing (July 2019):

FAILS:
Costco - No longer works as a debit card here. I inserted, received error, then swiped, which then said the insert, and thus a vicious cycle. I repeated 2-3 times before and after items were rung up with no success. My guess is that the compatibility changed when they updated the terminals and fully implemented EMV chip & contactless in 2018.

SUCCESS:
McDonalds - Accepted as Chip card on Discover network according to receipt

Thanks for the data points. I wonder if USPS and Safeway still work as a debit card.

Hi folks, I'm about to take this ICBC UP for a test drive in Shenzhen (and will definitely try the red subway gate!). A few quick questions:

1. Where (in the website) can I set my PIN? I'm sure I set it somehow before but can't recall (because I use this card exclusively in CN). Or does require a call to customer service?

2. I keep hearing 'QuickPass' and wondering if this is something extra I need to activate on my ICBC Gold Preferred card?

3. I signed up (back in December) on the premise of getting $50 cash bonus after $1,000 purchase (in which I made 2 (two) $500 purchases in two separate billing cycles, all within 3 months of signup).. Haven't seen that $50 bonus yet, wonder if others had the same experience?

Thx in advance!

1. I would call.
2. Nothing needs to be activated.
3. I would call.

Awesome - thx Majuki - I used the Messages feature in the ICBC USA website and explained the missing $50 bonus and within 8 hours I received a credit for the missing $50 bonus. Nice!

ICBC US-issued UnionPay card - more recent US testing results

Note that through numerous uses to test with mixed in-person chip, in-person swipe, & online orders, I've not yet received any phone call about my card, nor has it become frozen (inoperable).

NATIVE PBOC CHIP WORKS
Walgreens - clerk; easily & smoothly like any other credit card
Home Depot - self-checkout; easily & smoothly like any other credit card

USPS - easily & smoothly like any other credit card; retested with human clerk to check for any debit/PIN options, & none existed; tried stamps on kiosk & processed successfully the same way with PBOC chip like with human clerk, no prompt for PIN

Walmart - as we know it works based on other reports, but I had trouble when I tested self-checkout: the No cash machine prompted for PIN, but did not allow me to enter it, & then I received a card declined message; tried twice; with a standard machine, it prompted for PIN, but did not allow me to enter it, BUT did finish processing successfully; seems like Walmart needs to fix the payment flow here

SWIPE WORKS
Safeway - Swipe works, including cash back like PIN debit
Self-checkout: Rejected chip as usual, so swiped as instructed, & gives option of "Key in PIN or Press Enter for credit", so it actually gives you the option of what to use rather than forcing PIN; I did PIN, it asked if I wanted cashback, so I said yes, & gives you the standard screen for cashback like a debit card (I think options for up to $200 were shown), so I did $40 & it came out fine; basically, looks & feels like you are using a debit card

Grocery Outlet - Swipe works, including cash back like PIN debit
Human clerk - works like Safeway except it forces PIN use (no option to use like credit) to use like PIN debit; shows cashback options up to $40; I selected $10, & everything worked fine

TOTAL FAIL (not even swipe)
RedBox - swipe fails with card not recognized error; machine had new Ingenico iUC285 terminal on it saying chip/tap was coming

ONLINE SUCCESS (June & July testing) - Assume automatically recognized as Discover unless otherwise mentioned
Actual online orders/payments using computer & web browser were made to ensure full acceptance

Amazon.com - recognized as UnionPay, incl logo; reported before
PG&E energy bill payment; reported before, confirming full posting
Verizon wireless payment (manual pay or autopay); reported before, confirming full posting
bedbathandbeyond.com
sportsbasement.com
dollartree.com - must manually select Discover from list
boxed.com - recognized as UnionPay, incl logo
walgreens.com
riteaid.com
homedepot.com - manually adding card to online account doesn't work, but manually entering card during order works

MOBILE APP NOTES - did not test using them with card
Uber - detects & accepts saving card to account as UnionPay, incl showing correct logo
Lyft - detects & accepts saving card to account, but labeled as Unknown (type) in saved cards

Thanks for the extensive data points. I wonder if purchasing USPS money orders will still work. It sounds like they won't given that debit mode with PIN wasn't an option. I think it's like how the card will now fail at Costco.

Depends how their system is setup, so hard to say, especially with the unusual fallback feature of this card. It could be that when they sell a money order, it puts the terminal in "debit mode" so it will automatically only work with PIN debit cards, and thus kick the UnionPay card to fallback to debit mode.

I didn't include this data point, but I tested an Arco chip-capable card terminal inside the gas station building (note: where Arco gas is cash & PIN debit only), & it acted like Grocery Outlet where it rejected the chip, asked for swipe & then required a PIN. Now, this is still different because the Arco terminal is not setup to accept the PBOC chip on this card, whereas USPS is setup for that chip type.

However, there are many possibilities of thousands of configuration combinations between the terminal, terminal software, backend hardware, processor, card behavior, & more that the only way to really know & discover loopholes & flaws in the setup is by testing a real transaction.

Maybe you can buy a small money order as a test & report back. ;)

Such a transaction may result in an immediate call from ICBC. :o

Even if it still works, there's no way to scale if you're interested in accumulating cash back without a likely shut down.

I agree. I wasn't really interested in scaling it up (money order at USPS), but more as an option in the toolbox if it is ever necessary and as an interesting study on what card modes are possible in real life in a chip-based US-based environment, and not just as a fallback swipe-based trick. If debit-based Arcos switch to adding PBOC chip support, this will also tell us if a chip-based debit mode is possible on the ICBC UnionPay credit card, or if it will then be blocked from use.

UPDATE ON MERCHANTS

CVS - full PBOC chip credit card support; no PIN, no cashback

Rite-Aid - chip reject, swipe fallback with choice of PIN Debit mode or Enter for Credit mode; PIN option allows cashback

Confirmed FAIL. Tested just for curiosity to see if I could buy a money order. Clerk said card was rejected. It didn't give me chance to enter a PIN, & since they support PBOC chip, there was also no opportunity to swipe & get the debit fallback mode.

No ICBC phone call & I used the card elsewhere without issues after this.

Thanks for the data point. I imagine that it would quit working when they moved to support PBOCCARD. The only MS opportunities it seems now would be at grocery stores that don't support PBOCCARD and require a swipe. (Still not scalable.)

I applied for add Mrs. Majuki as an authorized user on my card for an upcoming China trip. (I had actually applied back 3 years ago, but her authorized user card never got added.) Her card appears with the standard red, blue, and green UnionPay logo, not the holographic gold style logo that's on my card. The chip design has changed slightly as well. On the back, the hologram has changed and the standard contactless logo replaced the QuickPass logo.

When activating the card, the authorized user selects a new 6-digit PIN. I've not had another real chip-and-PIN card with an authorized user before, so the only authorized user Visa/MC cards she's had have shared the cash advance PIN. The last 5 digits of the card number are different, and she doesn't have an online account. We will do a test purchase and report back.

My card is on the top and Mrs. Majuki's is on the bottom:

http://i.imgur.com/ve4CteCm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xQqdYBYm.jpg

I thought the card was signature-preferring? If that's still the case, I wouldn't really call it "true" chip and PIN. (I reserve that designation for cards like the Diners Club MC that ask for most attended purchases.) Of course, I'm sure I've lost that semantics battle a long time ago by this point. :p

It generally is. I was simply pointing out the process when activating the card.

My point was that I've not had another credit card where a PIN, cash advance or otherwise, could be set independently for an authorized user. I've never set a cash advance PIN on an American Express card, which does carry a different card number for authorized users.