Problems using debit card?

[williewolf]

Three times in the last week my Thai (Kasikorn) debit card has been refused to be accepted as payment and I have had to go and look for an ATM to withdraw the cash. These are not small traders, Fuji, Tesco Lotus and today at Thai Watsadu. Are traders becoming wary or am I just unlucky??

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Have you checked with Kasikorn as to whether there's any problem with your account or card at their end of things???

[williewolf]

Have you checked with Kasikorn as to whether there's any problem with your account or card at their end of things???

No problems with my a/c, Its just as soon as I get my card out to pay Its "sorry cash only"

[thailiketoo]

Have you checked with Kasikorn as to whether there's any problem with your account or card at their end of things???

Do you mean they run your card and then refuse or the merchant is refusing to take your credit card and run it in the machine?

[JDGRUEN]

Tesco Lotus has required me to present my Tesco Lotus Card before processing my American Debit / ATM Card. I like it ... Want more ID? - I got it....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Have you checked with Kasikorn as to whether there's any problem with your account or card at their end of things???

No problems with my a/c, Its just as soon as I get my card out to pay Its "sorry cash only"

I shop at Tesco Lotus stores in BKK all the time, as well as use their home delivery service, and eat at Fuji periodically.

Both take Thai and foreign credit and debit cards for payment.

Never had any of my cards refused there or at any Fuji restaurant, for that matter.

Some Thai places have minimum purchase requirements like 300 or 500 baht minimum in order to do a bank card payment transaction. But, I've never encountered that at either Tesco or Fuji when I've made smaller purchases at either place.

Edited November 24, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

Yea, like TallGuy said some places have a 300 or 500 baht minimum amount before a debit/credit card can be used. What amounts are you trying to pay for? Now, I've never experienced that at a Lotus store but I think Thai Watsudu does.

[bob4you]

Look at the sign, you may be in the "cash only line".

[Torrens54]

Some places just refuse to accept a Debit Card. No idea why, as they are Guaranteed payment if the card is processed through their machine and accepted by the issuing bank.

[williewolf]

Some places just refuse to accept a Debit Card. No idea why, as they are Guaranteed payment if the card is processed through their machine and accepted by the issuing bank.

This is also my view on the matter, if I can I prefer using my credit card then if there are any problems you have still got the cc company on your side but if you use a debit card the money is taken out of your account straight away.

I had a terminal that I used for taking payment for my business in the UK and always prefered debit cards over credit cards and they were also cheaper to process.

Maybe I have just been unlucky or look dodgy!!

[Disparate Dan]

Some places just refuse to accept a Debit Card. No idea why, as they are Guaranteed payment if the card is processed through their machine and accepted by the issuing bank.

Likewise, some BKK hospitals will take debit cards, others not (eg Bangkok Christian and Samitivej won't, but Bangkok Hospital on Petchburi will).

I am told that there could be an issue over what's known in the trade as 'final audit', as with car rental or hotels, etc: if they subsequently find something they have not charged on the invoice (such as a damaged car or something from the mini-bar) the company is entitled to deduct from the card used for payment. That would have to be a credit, not a debit, card.

[KhaoNiaw]

Fuji no longer take debit cards, and some other restaurants don't, but credit cards are fine. Never had a problem at Lotus (Kasikorn debit card) but I think if you use the express lane, they only take cash (same at Big C).

[Langsuan Man]

It probably comes down to the arrangement the business has with the banks regarding Debit Cards

My former wife owned a hardware store in the US and even though she would accept Debit Cards, she hated them because even though the bank debited the money from the customers account instantly, the merchant had to wait the same amount of time for "credit" as they did with the credit card and the % cost was the same

[theoldgit]

Likewise, some BKK hospitals will take debit cards, others not (eg Bangkok Christian and Samitivej won't, but Bangkok Hospital on Petchburi will).

I used my debit card at the Bangkok Christian hospital a couple of weeks ago, accepted without question.

[williewolf]

ARRGGGHHHH!!!! Went to eat at Sukishi tonight, NO DEBIT CARDS!!. There was a sign outside written in Thai but "debit cards" was in English so the good lady was with me and I got here to ask why they were not accepting debit cards. The greeter just shrugged her shoulders and said cash money only or credit cards. The wife then asked the cashier why and he just mumbled something about signal no good.

I have been thinking about this now and I recall a post on here about Thai banks doing a major maintainence excersise, I wonder if this is the fallout from that??

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That was a systems upgrade for the company that handles interbank processing for the Thai ATM network.

I wouldn't imagine that has CAUSED any issues for debit card use that didn't exist before, especially when the same place you were visiting was fine to accept a credit card instead.

I've been using my U.S. debit cards regularly at all the places I normally use them in the past couple weeks, and have encountered nothing different or out of the ordinary.

BTW - Most of the time, the Thai staff who ring things up at the registers have little to no idea of what goes on with the card processing methods, even including how to choose between ringing up a sale in Thai baht vs. dynamic currency conversion. They just do what they've been told, without understanding what or why or how.

Edited November 26, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

ARRGGGHHHH!!!! Went to eat at Sukishi tonight, NO DEBIT CARDS!!. There was a sign outside written in Thai but "debit cards" was in English so the good lady was with me and I got here to ask why they were not accepting debit cards. The greeter just shrugged her shoulders and said cash money only or credit cards. The wife then asked the cashier why and he just mumbled something about signal no good.

I have been thinking about this now and I recall a post on here about Thai banks doing a major maintainence excersise, I wonder if this is the fallout from that??

Since the greeter said "signal no good" and since debit card transactions must usually be "settled real time" (i.e., approved and settled) versus a credit card transaction that follows a different process which only requires an initial approval and then usually takes several days to settle via additional communications maybe the merchant is having real time transaction problems with debit cards, where with cash and credit cards that shouldn't be as big of an issue or even an issue at all.

Or maybe it's due to fraud since magnetic strip cards can be easily skimmed (the great, great majority to Thai debit cards are still the magnetic strip type and only Bangkok Bank has a chipped debit card which supposedly can be skimmed) in comparison to the great majority of Thai credit credit cards which are chipped.

But so far I have not seen any other posts of Thai store merchants rejecting debit cards (just because they are debit cards) but only accepting credit cards or cash. Yes, you will occasionally hear that some airlines and rental car companies (plus a few other companies) will not accept a debit card, but that issue has been around for many years.

Maybe you have just been unlucky in the merchants you have handed your debit card to as merchants have wide latitude in the type of card payments they will accept regardless of the Visa/Mastercard hype. For example, merchants can legally add a card surcharge or only accomplish a DCC transaction....now both Visa and Mastercard talk about such transactions on their website and how they cost the customer more, but Visa/Mastercard does not bar such transactions and as mentioned they are not illegal....these type transactions are definitely not customer-oriented but merchant-profit oriented but that's the decision the merchant has consciously made. I do everything I can to not do business with such merchants. Assuming you haven't been in the cash-only checkout line or trying to pay with a card where the merchant has a minimum amount like Bt500 to use a card, right now I would guess you have just been unlucky with the merchants you have presented you card to.

As mentioned the merchant has wide latitude in what type of payment they will accept. Plus, since ATMs are almost everywhere, especially in malls/around major stores, maybe the merchant doesn't want to deal with debit cards (and incur the transaction the fee) since they know the customer can easily get some cash from an ATM that is probably a few steps away....some merchants just seem to let profits override customer service regardless of merchant slogans. And like TallGuy said the checkout clerks are just following store policy and the script their bosses have told them to say when a customer gets upset over an issue like form of payment accepted....and that script the clerk must speak could be disingenuous.

[mike324]

never had problem with Lotus, pay for 100 baht worth of stuff with debit/credit, no problem.

[Pib]

Was googling around and came across some Visa terms of agreements documents...was reading one and it talked about the difference card acceptance options available and depending on which one the merchant chooses then they must display the appropriate Visa logo....but I expect other notifications like home made signs/notifications would be acceptable. See below for the Visa recommendation logos to be displayed...and notice how they specific all cards or only certain cards like only debit cards or only credit cards.

Visa and Mastercard make a lot of hype about their cards being accepted everywhere but they give the merchants so many different options regarding card acceptance in order to get/keep the merchants' business and willingness to accept their cards (and they they have separate hype for card users)....and I expect laws in each country makes certain Visa/Mastercard rules range from very enforceable to not applicable.