Putin Urged to Deploy Nuclear Weapons to Expedite War and Sever NATO Supply Routes

[bkkrooftop]

I dont understand and maybe someone can explain or help me understand why, when a place says I can use a visa. If I pull out my visa card, the manager looks at it and says he wont accept because it says debit on it. This has happened numerous times, and just happened to me recently. In every other country I havebeen in this hasnt been a problem and the card can be used as a credit card or debit card. Although here, they just see the word debit and automatically its a "no". They wont even try to use it. I m usually a patient person but this really frusturates me. The fact that they wont even run it.

[colinthailand20005]

Thailand infuriates me like this. I went to MK and they said Credit Cards only, I'm thinking it's the same card machine for both maybe they just want to try and get cash. Also foreign cards attract higher charges for the company and have a higher chance of charge back??

Sent from my SM-G900F using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited May 21, 2014 by colinthailand20005

[NanLaew]

Thailand infuriates me like this. I went to MK and they said Credit Cards only, I'm thinking it's the same card machine for both maybe they just want to try and get cash. Also foreign cards attract higher charges for the company and have a higher chance of charge back??

Sent from my SM-G900F using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Wonderful, wonderful Singapore, the home of Changi International, the so-much-better-than-Swampy airport.

Singapore hotels don't accept debit cards either.

Just making sure we don't get our knickers in a Thai bash.

Cheers.

[richard_smith237]

Many airlines won't accept Debit Cards either online or over the phone....

I don't want or need a credit card - but I'm forced to have one as its impossible to travel and live conveniently without one.

[bkkrooftop]

Thailand infuriates me like this. I went to MK and they said Credit Cards only, I'm thinking it's the same card machine for both maybe they just want to try and get cash. Also foreign cards attract higher charges for the company and have a higher chance of charge back??

Sent from my SM-G900F using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Wonderful, wonderful Singapore, the home of Changi International, the so-much-better-than-Swampy airport.

Singapore hotels don't accept debit cards either.

Just making sure we don't get our knickers in a Thai bash.

Cheers.

yea, no bash.. just honestly dont understand.. my card says visa in big letters and debit in the corner.. I honestly thought it was a visa card, just comes from the bank. in some places people would ask if i want to run it as credit or debit. So i thought it was one in the same. Is there any reason for the difference? I dont know why, maybe a hotel because they think the money wont be there and sometimes the pyment in the end is larger than expected.. but for a dinner, i dont know

[Pib]

Some merchants, brick-and-mortar store and online, will not accept debit cards; only credit cards. You'll also find some airlines and rent-a-car companies won't accept debit cards. I guess there are more issues/headaches for merchants related to debit cards than credit cards.

[VBF]

Some merchants, brick-and-mortar store and online, will not accept debit cards; only credit cards. You'll also find some airlines and rent-a-car companies won't accept debit cards. I guess there are more issues/headaches for merchants related to debit cards than credit cards.

They SHOULD accept any card that has a genuine Visa (or MasterCard) symbol, Credit or Debit because Visa or MC are the people who do the actual processing, and they use almost the same methods to do so.

However, what some of them will not accept (especially Car Rental agencies) is the Pre-Paid Debit cards These are ones that you "Charge up" either online or at a bank. The reason is you cannot reserve funds by pre-authorising those, so for example the CDW insurance or deposit on a car rental, where they "reserve" funds on the card in case they're needed.

But what they SHOULD do is run the card - if it accepts a "pre-auth" then OK.

I rather think this is a situation, where someone in a bank or head office somewhere has said "No" without fully understanding the mechanisms - hence my frequent use of the word "should"

Apparently a problem not exclusive to Thailand - Singapore was mentioned above! So maybe "TIT" becomes "TIS"?

Edited May 21, 2014 by VBF

[bkkrooftop]

Some merchants, brick-and-mortar store and online, will not accept debit cards; only credit cards. You'll also find some airlines and rent-a-car companies won't accept debit cards. I guess there are more issues/headaches for merchants related to debit cards than credit cards.

They SHOULD accept any card that has a genuine Visa (or MasterCard) symbol, Credit or Debit because Visa or MC are the people who do the actual processing, and they use almost the same methods to do so.

However, what some of them will not accept (especially Car Rental agencies) is the Pre-Paid Debit cards These are ones that you "Charge up" either online or at a bank. The reason is you cannot reserve funds by pre-authorising those, so for example the CDW insurance or deposit on a car rental, where they "reserve" funds on the card in case they're needed.

But what they SHOULD do is run the card - if it accepts a "pre-auth" then OK.

I rather think this is a situation, where someone in a bank or head office somewhere has said "No" without fully understanding the mechanisms - hence my frequent use of the word "should"

Apparently a problem not exclusive to Thailand - Singapore was mentioned above! So maybe "TIT" becomes "TIS"?

i agree I have a genuine visa. All they do is point to the debit word and thats the final answer. There is no running the card or anything. seems there is more to it behind the scenes as this is what they all do.

maybe bc of all the counterfeit cards that have been being used. i dont know, just doesnt make sense to me but i guess you accept and adjust:).. i was just trying to come to some rationality of it and maybe I misunderstood. although, I have used this card in the same circumstances in taking money out of it from banks and everywhere that uses visa. So, i think that was my banter.. all positive here, no bashing, just trying to understand

[rhythmworx]

If you trash your room or just leave without settling room fee's, the hotel can't recover the funds with a debit card whereas with a credit card they can just pass the bill on to your card as long as it's not at it's limit.

[Pib]

Some merchants, brick-and-mortar store and online, will not accept debit cards; only credit cards. You'll also find some airlines and rent-a-car companies won't accept debit cards. I guess there are more issues/headaches for merchants related to debit cards than credit cards.

They SHOULD accept any card that has a genuine Visa (or MasterCard) symbol, Credit or Debit because Visa or MC are the people who do the actual processing, and they use almost the same methods to do so.

However, what some of them will not accept (especially Car Rental agencies) is the Pre-Paid Debit cards These are ones that you "Charge up" either online or at a bank. The reason is you cannot reserve funds by pre-authorising those, so for example the CDW insurance or deposit on a car rental, where they "reserve" funds on the card in case they're needed.

But what they SHOULD do is run the card - if it accepts a "pre-auth" then OK.

I rather think this is a situation, where someone in a bank or head office somewhere has said "No" without fully understanding the mechanisms - hence my frequent use of the word "should"

Apparently a problem not exclusive to Thailand - Singapore was mentioned above! So maybe "TIT" becomes "TIS"?

All up to the merchant if they want to accept debit or credit cards. While Visa/Mastercard is the primarily network, your bank/credit card company is on the far end of that network and can reject any transaction....and of course on the front end the merchant can choice to not accept a debit card so it never hits the Visa/Mastercard network or the card-issuing bank which is the situation we are primarily talking. And what can be frustrating is the merchant's online website can act like it's going to accept a debit card right up until you hit Submit and then it rejects your card because as soon as the transaction starts to process the card is identified as a debit card "and then the flag the merchant has set in the system to reject debit" cards pops up.

Kinda related is the frequent posts you read where someone was using an ATM, the ATM will not give you any money, and the ATM display says contact the "card-issuing" bank.. And you need to contact the bank, not Visa/Mastercard to clear up those rejections. Usually it's some "flag" the person's bank/credit card company has set through their connection with the Visa/Mastercard network, like reject any overseas transactions unless the customer notified the bank/card company in advance of their overseas travel itinerary, and it's the bank/credit company that must remove the flag on the Visa/Mastercard network. That happened to me about 6 months ago with my Schwab Visa debit card...had to call Schwab to get the flag removed not Visa. But in cases of merchants rejecting a debit card (but gladly accept a credit card), that's purely a merchant's decision...just like it's their decision if they want to process the transaction as ripoff/lower exchange rate Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) transaction. Both Visa/Mastercard frown on such DCC transactions because they know customers don't like them but Visa/Mastercard does not forbid/stop merchants from processing a transaction as a DCC transaction.

Years back I researched/googled a little about why some merchants don't like dealing with debit cards and I think it boiled down to a merchant has less chance in getting burnt/stuck with a charge via a credit card transaction than a debit card transaction. And where I mentioned some companies like rent-a-car companies won't accept a debit card that appeared to come down to the situation that usually with a credit card a person will have a healthy line of credit on the car to cover any car damage...but with a debit card they may not have much money in their bank account and any charge to cover damage to the rent-a-car would reject due to lack of funds. Plus, some companies figure if a person didn't have a credit card then maybe they have a low credit rating or don't have much money and best not to deal with them...I know, I know, some people, rich people even, just don't like having credit cards...but apparently some companies related lack of a credit card to a low credit rating...which probably means unpaid bills in the past...which means a higher chance of getting burnt on a transaction.

Correct...this problem is not just a Thailand issue...it can happen with any merchant anywhere in the world.

[bkkrooftop]

Good post. Makes sense. Especially the assumption of credit rating.

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[oldsalt]

Ever since receiving a MasterCard Debit card from my Australian bank some years ago now, it is all I have ever used. It is marked "Debit" in the top left corner and again above the MC logo. Not once has it been rejected and I have used it in Thailand, Australia and Europe at stores, restaurants, hotels and car rental companies, in situ, online and over the phone. The major car rental companies in Australia actually advise that they accept them - they take around a 20,000baht security deposit. Hotels regularly use it as a room and mini bar security deposit. I always keep sufficient money in the account, but perhaps I've just been lucky.

[stevoat69]

I've never had any problem with debit card in Thailand or booking airfares online but mines a Mastercard

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[bkkrooftop]

yea, i agree, it would make sense to me that if you used it for hotel or car, they just take deposit from it like they do i the USA. They just basicly withhold the money and then give it back. Its just to make sure you have the money. Ive never had any trouble online either. Seems a debit would be better because the money is there nd a credit card can be get topped out.. anyways, beating a dead horse, just has happened to me recently a couple of times and never had it happen. I thought just an anomaly