Successful credit card chargeback on cancelled flight
 

I have successfully got a credit card chargeback on a flight cancelled between KL and Hong Kong. The credit arrived on my card a week ago - how long do Malaysia have to appeal and claim the money back? My flight was cancelled and I have been moved onto a flight the following day (I have not accepted the change online). Am I liable to any penalties when I don’t show up? Thank you

Now that you've successfully reclaimed your money (congrats!), if you turn up for the flight - I'd call that fraud.

Your flight was cancelled and you have received a refund via chargeback. You no longer have a ticket. There is nothing to accept other than a change in your reservation, but that is not backed up by a ticket.

I don't know if Malaysia will intervene but I think MH, being the merchant, has 30 days or so depending on the payment processor.

Be careful. There have been reported cases in FT and other blogs that the airline would challenge the chargeback against the credit card company, who eventually reversed the chargeback against the cardholder.

VISA and Mastercard often side with airlines, but AMEX is much better fighting for customers.

I believe it is the other way around.
AMEX is the issue and acquirer at the same time - this is not good.

These issues are country-specific. Attributing Amex Germany to Amex UK or Amex US is a bad idea.

The decision to challenge a chargeback is, in the first instance, made by the vendor's merchant acquirer. In countries with tough consumer protection rules for financial institutions, merchant acquirers do not bother to challenge even if the vendor itself wishes to.

In all instances, properly documenting your chargeback at the time you make it, may take a bit more work, but can significantly increase your likelihood of success. Make certain that you include:
1. A reference to the specific provision of the contract which affords a refund as well as any applicable rules such as US 14 CFR (US) or EC 261/2004 (EU).
2. Copy of e-ticket receipt
3. Notice of cancellation or other demonstration that the carrier, not you, cancelled.
4. Your request for a refund
5. Response, if any, from the carrier denying the refund, promising the refund but not making it.

What you submit goes from your card issuer to the merchant acquirer. If your package is complete, it makes it much harder for the carrier to assert that you agreed to a voucher or that it is not required to make a refund.

Very interesting... I used my Malaysia Citibank credit card to make the payment for Malaysia airlines flight ticket, and the flight was cancelled after one day the ticket was purchased.. and Malaysia airlines refused me to give me the refund... they offer me the credit instead....

and I called the Citibank to help me raise a dispute charge for the corresponding payment, and the Citibank representative told me to fill the dispute charge form online, in order to help me to investigate the charge... and I forgot to fill up the form actually... And today, I open the Citibank app, and the bank has returned the credit back to my card, even though I didn’t fill up the form nor provide any supporting information, by just requesting the dispute charge thru phone... and the Bank returned money to me anyhow...

Hope it sticks. Many reports of these credits being reversed,

Best advice is to do everything in writing.

I would advise you clarify whether it is a temporary credit pending completion of the chargeback process or permanent. I have a similar experience with BDO and KLM but I was later advised it was a temporary credit when they rang for the evidence.

That, typically, is any card issuer's process. Temporarily credit the cardholder, while they liaise with the merchant, and if the merchant doesn't respond within (if I'm not mistaken) 60 days, then the credit becomes permanent. But if the merchant disputes, then the credit is reversed. The problem with card issuers is they have no backbone towards their cardholders - if the merchant disputes, they'd immediately wash their hands and cave in to the merchant - instead of challenging the adequacy of the merchant's response. That's why we've been reading many cases of people who've done chargebacks against MH to eventually have their charges reinstated.