Credit Cards in the Philippines.

[Arrta 1]

Well I'm ticked off.

First I was not able to purchase plane tickets from a Philippine based airline. I tried both Cebu Pac and PAL and was denied by both by all my credit cards.

When I posted online about this multiple people replied that they could not purchase online either and that they sent money to their other half to make the purchase in person, simple enough.

Well, now I am trying to make hotel reservations for my fiancee at a hotel for the interview.

I was just informed that my credit card denied the charges. This is my Visa Check Card which comes from my bank account. I made sure there was enough money to cover the hotel fee in the account.

So I call the bank and get informed that there have been no denied transactions on my card. When I mentioned that the charges were comming from the Philippines they told me, "Oh, well that is different. We denie all charges from the Pacific Rim countries due to the high ammount of fraudulent charges from the area." ?????? WHAT THE EFF???

So I say to the guy, "So you are prohibiting me from spending MY money the way I want to?"

"No sir, we are protecting you from fraudulent charges on your account."

"I am telling you right now, I want this charge to take place. I have provided all the evidence you have requested to prove I am how I say I am, CC#, SS#, DOB, etc. I want to spend my money."

So he goes to talk to management and then comes back and tells me that there is nothing that can be done because the charge is not making it to their systems to be denied so they can not make not to allow the charge.

What it sounds like is the CC companies in the Philippines are aware of the fact that the US card will be denied and never attempt to submit the request.

Is anyone else having trouble with any credit cards? So far I have only attempted to make the hotel reservation with my Visa Check Card. I have not tried my GM Mastercard or my AMEX card, both of which are true credit cards. However, both of these were denied by Cebu Pac and PAL a few weeks back.

If your not having trouble post what type of card it is and who the issueing bank is.

If anyone else is having trouble contact your CC company and find out if they also have a blanket block on all PAC rim countries.

Marc

[niceguy26 0]

checkout asiarooms.com it worked for us

[tom&tata 2]

If your card is tied to a bank account, isn't it a debit card and not credit card ? It may have visa/master logo on it but not a credit card.

[Arrta 1]

checkout asiarooms.com it worked for us

Where is asiarooms.com based out of?

If it is anywhere in the Pacific Rim then my CC Company will deny the charges. Its not the company themselves its the region the company is in.

Also, please provide meaningful discussion of the issue. I'm trying to get a discussion going about using credit cards in the Philippines and find out which companies work and which do not.

If your card is tied to a bank account, isn't it a debit card and not credit card ? It may have visa/master logo on it but not a credit card.

I have used it in the past in the Philippines without issue. I can use it as a debit card or a credit card.

But if you read the rest of my post my Mastercard and AMEX are also being denied.

Edited February 7, 2008 by Arrta

[Arrta 1]

checkout asiarooms.com it worked for us

Where is asiarooms.com based out of?

If it is anywhere in the Pacific Rim then my CC Company will deny the charges. Its not the company themselves its the region the company is in.

Answering myself on this one. asiarooms.com is, acording to the country code of their main number, based out of Thailand. Which is another PAC country.

[SMOKE 1,426]

take some deep rythmic breaths Arrta. oohhmm oohhmm j/k...i can tell you're stressin bad. sorry you're having problems.

since your bank has this policy & isn't helping. call your MC or AMEX customer service # & authorize a 1 time purchase.

if that does not work.

try sending the $$ to your SOs bank & she can use her card (if she has one) & let her make the reservation. if not. call the hotel & speak to a manager about the problem. i told you in the other thread thats what i did. they reserved the room w/o payment first.(coz i spoke to a manager)..then they allowed me to pay from the US since my debit went thru. my bank doesn't have the same policy yours does. but, surely the hotel mangement has dealt w/ similiar cases before.

whatever you do don't stress your SO about this. if it cost you a little more...so be it. peace of mind is worth it. keep at it & something will give. good luck!

[garya505 2]

Both of my CC companies were able to allow specific charges from the Philippines when I called them. Maybe you need a different credit card company.

I only used CCs for airline and sometimes hotel. Everything else was cash.

[john_and_marlene 162]

I've used my credit card to make reservations and payments in both the Philippines and Thailand. I've also been able to use it at hotels in the Philippines and buying tickets at the PAL ticketing office in Makati and making PAL reservations online. I have also used it for purchases in the larger department stores in Makati. It was a Capital One Mastercard.

I don't use my Visa debit card for reservations or purchases in the Philippines as it is not as well protected in the event of unauthorized use. I do use the debit card at ATMs everywhere to get cash.

[Roserick 0]

Well I'm ticked off.

First I was not able to purchase plane tickets from a Philippine based airline. I tried both Cebu Pac and PAL and was denied by both by all my credit cards.

When I posted online about this multiple people replied that they could not purchase online either and that they sent money to their other half to make the purchase in person, simple enough.

Well, now I am trying to make hotel reservations for my fiancee at a hotel for the interview.

I was just informed that my credit card denied the charges. This is my Visa Check Card which comes from my bank account. I made sure there was enough money to cover the hotel fee in the account.

So I call the bank and get informed that there have been no denied transactions on my card. When I mentioned that the charges were comming from the Philippines they told me, "Oh, well that is different. We denie all charges from the Pacific Rim countries due to the high ammount of fraudulent charges from the area." ?????? WHAT THE EFF???

So I say to the guy, "So you are prohibiting me from spending MY money the way I want to?"

"No sir, we are protecting you from fraudulent charges on your account."

"I am telling you right now, I want this charge to take place. I have provided all the evidence you have requested to prove I am how I say I am, CC#, SS#, DOB, etc. I want to spend my money."

So he goes to talk to management and then comes back and tells me that there is nothing that can be done because the charge is not making it to their systems to be denied so they can not make not to allow the charge.

What it sounds like is the CC companies in the Philippines are aware of the fact that the US card will be denied and never attempt to submit the request.

Is anyone else having trouble with any credit cards? So far I have only attempted to make the hotel reservation with my Visa Check Card. I have not tried my GM Mastercard or my AMEX card, both of which are true credit cards. However, both of these were denied by Cebu Pac and PAL a few weeks back.

If your not having trouble post what type of card it is and who the issueing bank is.

If anyone else is having trouble contact your CC company and find out if they also have a blanket block on all PAC rim countries.

Marc

Hey.. You just said its your money and you can do anything you want with it..

So here it goes.. Its your money.. Withdraw it and send it to her..

Let her buy the plane ticket from there, she might even find a good deal..

[Steve_Donna 0]

Often foreign purchases will be blocked. The security department at the card companies analyze spending habits. If something is out of the norm, it gets denied. More often it is a foreign purchase that gets blocked. Sometimes they will block a higher dollar purchase if your normal purchases is low. Contact them and tell them that you will be making purchases in a certain country or countries. And always always always notify your card companies when you are traveling abroad. The dates and countries. This will eliminate a lot of hassle. Also, get a toll free number that you can dial when abroad in case you need to contact them.

Now in regards to Cebu Pacific, they are just flat out not accepting the cards for some reason. I called my card companies and they never even seen an attempted authorization.

[garya505 2]

My cards are from Bank of America (MBNA) and FIA Card Services. IMO you always need at least two cards if you travel, and they should be from different issuers.

[SMOKE 1,426]

he is not traveling to the PI. he is trying to prepay for her hotel in Manila.

1 so she doesn't have to carry the cash & 2 so he can rest easy knowing she has a place to stay.

[Roserick 0]

Often foreign purchases will be blocked. The security department at the card companies analyze spending habits. If something is out of the norm, it gets denied. More often it is a foreign purchase that gets blocked. Sometimes they will block a higher dollar purchase if your normal purchases is low. Contact them and tell them that you will be making purchases in a certain country or countries. And always always always notify your card companies when you are traveling abroad. The dates and countries. This will eliminate a lot of hassle. Also, get a toll free number that you can dial when abroad in case you need to contact them.

Now in regards to Cebu Pacific, they are just flat out not accepting the cards for some reason. I called my card companies and they never even seen an attempted authorization.

That is why I love my bank.. They don't be on my business with my transactions..

If they see a foreign charge and unsure about the charges.. They just give me a call and ask me if I am aware about the charges..

Like what Arrta said.. Its your money... You can do whatever you want with it..

HSBC all the way... Their all over the world!!

[garya505 2]

he is not traveling to the PI. he is trying to prepay for her hotel in Manila.

1 so she doesn't have to carry the cash & 2 so he can rest easy knowing she has a place to stay.

That's probably not going to happen. Too much room for fraud.

For hotel, just make the reservation and transfer the money to her bank account. She can make daily ATM withdrawals to pay the hotel. That's what I did when I wasn't there. ATMs are everywhere.

Edited February 7, 2008 by garya505

[john_and_marlene 162]

Often foreign purchases will be blocked. The security department at the card companies analyze spending habits. If something is out of the norm, it gets denied. More often it is a foreign purchase that gets blocked. Sometimes they will block a higher dollar purchase if your normal purchases is low. Contact them and tell them that you will be making purchases in a certain country or countries. And always always always notify your card companies when you are traveling abroad. The dates and countries. This will eliminate a lot of hassle. Also, get a toll free number that you can dial when abroad in case you need to contact them.

Now in regards to Cebu Pacific, they are just flat out not accepting the cards for some reason. I called my card companies and they never even seen an attempted authorization.

That is why I love my bank.. They don't be on my business with my transactions..

If they see a foreign charge and unsure about the charges.. They just give me a call and ask me if I am aware about the charges..

Like what Arrta said.. Its your money... You can do whatever you want with it..

HSBC all the way... Their all over the world!!

I have had several calls over the years to confirm charges, but never a refused authorization. I have had to cancel accounts in the past when the call was for charges I did not make, but I was never held liable for those and they never cost me a dime. I do think the bank debit/charge/ATM cards work differently.