Problems With Discover Card From America

[gavin310]

I'm in a predicament here and could really use some help. I have a Discover card that I got in America. I have plenty of credit. First I went to Bangkok Bank. They tried to swipe the card and said it can't read the card. Then I saw it's not Visa or MasterCard, so I figured that's what is wrong. It has 3 logos on the card: Pulse, Diner's Club, and Discover. I called Discover and let them know I'm in Thailand. They said cash advances are blocked in Thailand, but a bank should be able to charge my card normally and give me cash. They said the bank needs to accept Diner's Club. The only bank I found that accepts Diner's Club is Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya, the yellow bank). I went in and explained what I wanted (15,000 baht). They swiped the card and immediately it gave an error. The error was in Thai and they told me it won't work. I called Discover again and told them. They said there's nothing that should prevent the card from working. The card is brand new, no scratches or anything. Has anyone experienced something like this? Could the magnetic strip have gotten ruined at the airport or something?

[Pib]

Magnetic strips can get damaged, but it probably don't happen very often under normal wear and tear. But I did have a visa credit card once that became intermittent....it had worked fine for years however it became intermittent and by that I mean it would require several swipes to finally get a good swipe by me or the sales clerk and there was no visible physical damage to the strip...but a new card fixed that problem.

But my guess, regardless of what the card reps have told you on the phone, there is still some area restriction coded in the system against your card. Many banks require you to call a certain number to tell them when you are traveling outside your home country otherwise the card won't be coded in the their system to work in the area you are going to. From looking at the Disover web site it appears only those locations in Thailand displaying the Diners Club International logo should accept the card. Link. Heck, when I was still living in the U.S. a lot of small merchants didn't take Discover.

You said the card is brand new so hopefully you did activate it? If it wasn't activated a person would think the card rep would have noticed such a thing while researching the problem, but some customer support reps you talk to on the phone seem to be mentally challenged and/or they are limited in specific help they can provide without forwarding the assistance request to the next level. It can get very frustrating...and Discover Card is not widely accepted in many parts of the world, regardless of what the Discover Card may say.

Once you get back to the U.S. get yourself a Visa or Mastercard which is widely accepted across the world...preferable a Visa card since you get a little better exchange rate in your transactions. And since you will be using it on overseas trips be sure to get a card that does not apply a "foreign transaction fee"...while the Discover website says Discover does not charge a foreign transaction fee that doesn't mean the issuing bank might not apply such a fee.

Good luck...I know it must be frustrating especially if the card was to be a prime source of your funds/buying ability.

[WhizBang]

When I travel, I always call my bank/credit card company and tell them I will be travelling and where. I specificly ask them to make a note in my account and to not block any transactions, unless I notify them of a problem. This works sometimes, sometimes it does not.

Also, if I am going to make a large purchase, I will call the credit card company and tell them that I am in Thailand and I plan to make a purchase in the amount of xxxx dollars in the next few days and the product will be yyyy. Never had a problem when I do that.

Thailand seems to be particularily problematic when trying to use US based cards. Bottom line, I try to never rely on a credit card as my sole source of funds. I carry it mainly as an emergency solution should I need it.

[gavin310]

Thanks for the reply, Pib. The rep said the card is active and she even saw I set a PIN number just hours before on the Discover website. That's when she said everything is fine with my card and account.

I think the problem at Krungsri bank was even though their ATM had a Diners Club logo, their credit card processing machine can only accept Visa or MasterCard.

I'm actually living here in Thailand and I applied for this card before leaving to use as my emergency card. In close to two years I haven't even though about the card, but after my MacBook Pro just completely died in the middle of something important, my wallet falling out of my back pocket while on my motorbike, and having to take an impromptu trip to Laos because I got confused on my visa extension and it unexpectedly expired, I'm now needing to use my emergency card.

What's looking like my only option at this point is there are three CitiBank branches in Bangkok and they have some affiliation with Diners Club. I'll call one of the branches today and ask if they can charge my Diners Club/Discover card and give me cash back. I just hope they give me accurate information, since I'll have to travel up to Bangkok to go to their branch.

Thanks for your reply. I can't believe I picked the absolute worst credit card to use as my emergency card in Thailand. Should've researched that one a bit more...

[gavin310]

I called CitiBank and they directed me to Diner's Club Thailand. They said CitiBank and the Bangkok Bank Express Booth can accept Diner's Club credit cards. Hopefully that accurate information, because I'll be heading up to Bangkok to give it a try. If it all works out I'll be set money wise, then I'll get to deal with repairing my computer.

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely need to get a Visa card as my emergency card.

[Pib]

Yea, a person shouldn't have to go on a discovery hunt to find a place to use a Discover card. Good luck.

[gavin310]

Yea, a person shouldn't have to go on a discovery hunt to find a place to use a Discover card. Good luck.

Especially since they give the imoressi

[gavin310]

Yea, a person shouldn't have to go on a discovery hunt to find a place to use a Discover card. Good luck.

Especially since they give the impression a Discover card is some extremely useful card for worldwide travel on their website. Definitely not the case.

I'm heading to Bangkok to now. At the speed the driver is going I should be there in... about 2 seconds. Assuming I don't die in a horrible, fiery crash, I'll update this thread with what I find out. I'm sure it will help some Googler in the future.

[Martyjustice]

Galvin

I run a business in US and the reason Discover is not good is the higher fees charged on the acceptors end. Not a good card for Asia. I don't even accept on U S.

[Langsuan Man]

Discover Card was the first credit card in the US to give cash back but has never been known as an international credit card

Have you ever seen the Discover Card logo on any business here in Thailand ?

Visa, yes, Master Card, yes, Diners Club, yes, American Express, yes, JCB, yes, Maestro, yes etc.

The OP should have investigated overseas use before he got one to use in Thailand

[gavin310]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

[Naam]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

Discover is not a good choice for any country except the U.S. and Canada.

[USNret]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

Discover is not a good choice for any country except the U.S. and Canada.

Agreed. I would never dream of going overseas with Discover or Diner's Club.

[Pib]

I wonder if the OP every got any money with his card? Or did he have to keep on driving to the next location that would supposedly accept the card.

[gavin310]

I went to CitiBank where the card should work. Explaining to them I want to charge my card and get cash back, not a cash advance, took about a half hour. She didn't know what "charge" meant so I tried many variations of saying the same thing. I had to get my English speaking Thai friend on the phone to explain it to them and they understood what I wanted. Next they said they've never seen a Discover card and don't know if it will work. Then they were saying how I'll have a daily limit on how much I can take out. I had to explain again it's not a cash advance, it's just a credit card transaction. The only limit is how much credit I have. Then she was fiddling with the card behind the counter and she said it won't work because the Diners Club logo is not on the front of the card, it's on the back. I asked her if she tried to use the card and she said yes. I was still skeptical. I called Discover and they said it should definitely work at CitiBank, but they had no idea why it wouldn't. So I called Diners Club Thailand and handed the phone over. They talked for a while and said it should work, then they said I can get a cash advance at a Bangkok Bank ATM. I told them Discover told me many times cash advances are blocked in Thailand, and I tried already at a Krungsri Bank ATM. It was obvious there wasn't anything they could do, so I gave up. Said thank you and left. On the way out of the mall I saw a Bangkok Bank. I figured what the hell and gave it a try. It gave me a $500 cash advance! I called up Discover and the lady was shocked I got a cash advance in Thailand. I told her about the Diners Club situation and she told me Discover OWNS Diners Club. They bought it so their card will work at more locations internationally. Obviously that deal isn't working out so well.

Anyways, I got money. I was also surprised how many stores in CentralWorld had Diners Club logos. If Discover can get this mess figured out this card wouldn't be bad at all.

[Pib]

Good to hear things worked out for you. And with Bangkok Bank ATMs every where in Thailand if you had only known earlier/given one a try earlier it would have saved you so much trouble, frustration, and running around. No doubt this will be a lifetime memory for you (or maybe a memory you would like to forget soonest--getting a Visa or Mastercard should help make this bad memory rapidly fade).

Sent from my tablet.

[ianguygil]

I went to CitiBank where the card should work. Explaining to them I want to charge my card and get cash back, not a cash advance, took about a half hour. She didn't know what "charge" meant so I tried many variations of saying the same thing. I had to get my English speaking Thai friend on the phone to explain it to them and they understood what I wanted. Next they said they've never seen a Discover card and don't know if it will work. Then they were saying how I'll have a daily limit on how much I can take out. I had to explain again it's not a cash advance, it's just a credit card transaction. The only limit is how much credit I have. Then she was fiddling with the card behind the counter and she said it won't work because the Diners Club logo is not on the front of the card, it's on the back. I asked her if she tried to use the card and she said yes. I was still skeptical. I called Discover and they said it should definitely work at CitiBank, but they had no idea why it wouldn't. So I called Diners Club Thailand and handed the phone over. They talked for a while and said it should work, then they said I can get a cash advance at a Bangkok Bank ATM. I told them Discover told me many times cash advances are blocked in Thailand, and I tried already at a Krungsri Bank ATM. It was obvious there wasn't anything they could do, so I gave up. Said thank you and left. On the way out of the mall I saw a Bangkok Bank. I figured what the hell and gave it a try. It gave me a $500 cash advance! I called up Discover and the lady was shocked I got a cash advance in Thailand. I told her about the Diners Club situation and she told me Discover OWNS Diners Club. They bought it so their card will work at more locations internationally. Obviously that deal isn't working out so well.

Anyways, I got money. I was also surprised how many stores in CentralWorld had Diners Club logos. If Discover can get this mess figured out this card wouldn't be bad at all.

I am sorry that I did not see this earlier. I am traveling internationally again..

Yes, our ATMs accept DINERS and DISCOVER. And yes, DISCOVER bought DINERS International a few years ago.

You should be able to look us up for acceptance on the DISCOVER site

I'm glad it worked out for you in the end

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's Discover Card's website re using their card in Asia:

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/help-center/faqs/asia.html

Their site doesn't provide much specific info about Thailand at all, especially regarding cash advances.

The one good thing about the card is that Discover more than a year ago stopped charging a foreign currency fee add-on for purchases made outside the U.S.

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/help-center/faqs/international.html#q4

Of course, that does the holder no good if they can't get the merchant or ATM or local bank to accept their card.

By comparison, for example, Charles Schwab account holders from the U.S. get a no-fee VISA debit card that has no foreign currency fee and automatically reimburses other banks' ATM withdrawal fees (including the flat 150 baht fee Thai banks charge against foreign ATM card withdrawals) at month's end.

Edited May 20, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Langsuan Man]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

The OP finally admits that it is a Diners Club card, not a Discover card, why are we beating this dead horse

[ianguygil]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

The OP finally admits that it is a Diners Club card, not a Discover card, why are we beating this dead horse

Without going too far on this, one of my best friends is the President of DISCOVER. When they got a huge settlement (billions of USD shared with AMEX) from MC and VISA they took some of that an purchased DINERS International, the franchise holder for DINERS CLUB. DINERS had an International aquiring network, so they integrated this with DISCOVER so that anywhere that accepts DINERS also accepts DISCOVER.

DISCOVER has a huge acceptance network in the USA (millions of merchants) and it owns the PULSE ATM network. So suddenly DINERS had a lot more reach too.

They are now progressively partnering with regional payment networks in Korea, India, China etc to allow their local ATM card holders to use their cards when they travel outside their home country. Before to do this they had to be MC or VISA cards, now they have a 3rd party and much lower cost alternative and it is really disrupting the market.

DISCOVER has also partnered with PAYPAL so that you can use your PAYPAL account at any DISCOVER merchant in the USA

So while very different products, DISCOVER and DINERS are actually quite interchangable in some aspects. And you should expect their acceptance to continue to grow globally.

Edited May 21, 2013 by ianguygil

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In answer to Langsuan, perhaps because unlike the Discover Card, the Diner's Club cards issued in the U.S. appear to have a 3% foreign currency fee, which someone intending to use the card in Thailand definitely would want to avoid.

https://www.dinersclubus.com/home/professional-cards/profcards-l2/diners-club-card?nav=left

https://www.dinersclubus.com/home/professional-cards/profcards-l2/carte-blanche-card?nav=left

Also, not sure how the OP's situation fits into this issue below:

MasterCard alliance

In 2004, Diners Club announced an agreement with MasterCard. Diners Club cards issued in the United States and Canada now feature a MasterCard logo and 16-digit account number on the front, and can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted. Cards from other countries continued to bear a 14-digit account number on the front, with the MasterCard logo on the back. However, since the takeover of Diners Club International by Discover Financial Services, these cards have had the Discover logo on the back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diners_Club_International#MasterCard_alliance

Clearly, a regular VISA card like the no fee versions from Capital One would be a much simpler and probably more economical solution.

But interestingly, the Diner's Club US website also has this feature listed for their cards:

Club Cash® Access

Club Cash® allows cardmembers cash access at more than 1.7 million Cirrus® ATMs worldwide for unexpected expenses, incidentals and/or emergencies — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.4

*Cash access subject to local availability, Terms and Conditions. Cirrus is a registered trademark of Cirrus Systems, LLC.

https://www.dinersclubus.com/home/professional-cards/profcards-l2/diners-club-card?nav=left

Edited May 21, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ianguygil]

tallguy

While I understand that you have unlimited time to answer on this forum, there was not one thing I posted which compared DISCOVER to any of the free VISA cards. What I stated were facts and I hope, at least for some, will be of interest as they start to see this 3rd network growing internationally.

While your bank may not charge you - yet - the fact is that millions upon millions of what were domestic ATM cards in those countries I listed can now be used abroad with a far lower network access fee than MC or VISA

As in the past, facts never interest you and you have your needle stuck in the "fee free ATM card groove" which is almost definitely a temporary phenomena. Seems you are not interested at all in why things happen.........just in posting more than anybody else.

[gavin310]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

The OP finally admits that it is a Diners Club card, not a Discover card, why are we beating this dead horse

The hell are you talking about? Did you even read any of my original posts? It's a Discover card that has the Diners Club logo.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

tallguy

While I understand that you have unlimited time to answer on this forum, there was not one thing I posted which compared DISCOVER to any of the free VISA cards. What I stated were facts and I hope, at least for some, will be of interest as they start to see this 3rd network growing internationally.

While your bank may not charge you - yet - the fact is that millions upon millions of what were domestic ATM cards in those countries I listed can now be used abroad with a far lower network access fee than MC or VISA

As in the past, facts never interest you and you have your needle stuck in the "fee free ATM card groove" which is almost definitely a temporary phenomena. Seems you are not interested at all in why things happen.........just in posting more than anybody else.

I wasn't addressing your post at all, Ian.. But, you can pay the 3% FCF if you wish. I choose not to. A 3% FCF on all ATM withdrawals and POS transactions as Diner's Club US charges is clearly going to outweigh any other differences in exchange rates from one network to another. The OP here had a U.S. issued bank card, so that's the framework I'm responing to... not to anything involving other card issuing countries.

BTW, in all the years I've lived in Thailand, I've only had one bank of mine that wasn't charging a FCF previously begin to start charging one...and that was ETrade some years ago when they went to a 1% FCF. All the others have remained where I began with them, fee-free and the standard VISA exchange rate.

And of course Discover, actually, went the opposite way. They had been charging a FCF and then ceased doing so more than a year ago for all their U.S. Discover cards. Likewise, Pentagon Federal CU, one of the largest in the U.S., dropped FCFs on its credit cards a year or two back. So I'm not sure the trend is what you seem to think it is.

Edited May 21, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ianguygil]

Tallguy

Much as my better judgement tells me not to waste my time in responding to close minded posters, here I go.

Firstly, this whole thread is nothing about foreign currency fees. It is about where DINERS and DISCOVER, both credit cards, can be used in Thailand, primarily at ATMs

Secondly, DISCOVER, as a credit card issued in the USA and expanding overseas (bot not in Thailand), has very high customer satisfaction. In fact they have won the #1 in Customer Loyalty for 17 years in a row. They were the first to offer a cash back program, and this program can offer up to 5% on key merchants.

Thirdly, they have no foreign currency fee for use as a credit card in overseas locations

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/index.html?ICMPGN=HDR_ALLPS_CC_IT

http://www.discoverfinancial.com/newsroom/awards.html

You will see on the same page their many other awards, including some relating to identity safety, customer service, being a great place to work and community contributions

You mention that I may choose to pay a FCF, but I do not. I live in Thailand so I use a local ATM card, which is free.

You can keep raising your single point in every thread about US ATM cards with no FCF if that makes you happy, but other people may want to understand why cards like DINERS and DISCOVER are now linked, why they may see the logos for both on some ATMs (including ours) and to understand why this may be a good choice for them when they are back home in the USA.

My participation here is not to preach to the unreceptive. We have no business interest in DINERS or DISCOVER (DINERS franchise in Thailand is owned by CitiBank, DISCOVER is not issued here). But this thread started out asking for information and I am just trying to help to explain the what and the why, even though I was late due to traveling last week in the US.

Edited May 22, 2013 by ianguygil

[Langsuan Man]

It's a Diners Club card. But, as I said already, this wasn't a good choice for Thailand.

The OP finally admits that it is a Diners Club card, not a Discover card, why are we beating this dead horse

The hell are you talking about? Did you even read any of my original posts? It's a Discover card that has the Diners Club logo.

My SCB ATM card has a Master Card logo, does that make it a Master Card ? No

My Bangkok Bank ATM card has a Visa logo, does that make it a Visa Card ? No

So you are saying that you have a Diners Club card because it has a Discover Card logo ? BTW. I quoted you

It's a Diners Club card

That is the what the hell I am talking about

Additionally

Discover Card annual fee $0

Diners Club annual fee $95

[gavin310]

My SCB ATM card has a Master Card logo, does that make it a Master Card ? No

My Bangkok Bank ATM card has a Visa logo, does that make it a Visa Card ? No

If your card has a Visa logo then it is a Visa card. If someone asks you at checkout if you have a Visa card and you have your BKK Bank Visa card, are you seriously going to say you don't have a Visa card? A Visa logo means a Visa card. A MasterCard logo means a MasterCard. A Diners Club logo I'm assuming means it's a Diners Club card, and all of the Discover and Diners Club reps on the phone who I talked to said the same thing. It's a Diners Club card.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

OP, so are you planning to pay a 3% foreign currency fee (FCF) every time you use your Diner's Club card in Thailand, as well as the annual membership fee that DC charges???

[gavin310]

OP, so are you planning to pay a 3% foreign currency fee (FCF) every time you use your Diner's Club card in Thailand, as well as the annual membership fee that DC charges???

Discover doesn't charge foreign fees on their cards and I'm not sure if Discover cards are subject to the Diners Club membership fees. In either case, I used the card when I absolutely needed money. I did a cash advance so the interest on that is already through the roof. I realize it's not the best card for this. I've said that many times and either everybody is too lazy to read this thread or they just like to bicker at people. It's not a good card as an emergency card in Thailand, but it works. I can get cash advances at Bangkok Bank ATMs and it just saved my ass, so I'm relieved for that.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As I explained above, Discover cards don't charge foreign currency fees, which is a nice feature, but only of use if you can actually find places in Thailand that will accept the card.

Diner's Club cards charge a 3% foreign currency fee, in addition to their annual membership fees.