Traveling to the #Philippines? Here's another #tip from #YourOnlyOne!
This one is rarely asked and advised: you can't lend to someone else your credit/debit card.
Here in the Philippines, all credit/debit card use are checked. If the name on the card is suspiciously not the customer's name (for example, it's a man's name, but the one holding is a woman), it will be questioned and held.
For credit cards (not debit cards), signatures are also required. If the signature did not match the one on the back of the card, the card will be held by the store.
The only exemption to the rule is if it is a company credit card. As long as you can show a company ID, it will be allowed. This is especially true if the company card is Black, because there are no Black credit cards in the Philippines (at least, I haven't seen one; I've only seen it from Korean and Japanese partners).
There were many incidents of foreigners getting stuck because of lending their cards to a friend or relative. One such was in a supermarket.
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Yohan Yukiya Sese ♾️ 사요한 🦣
•The young adult daughter (18-20) used her father's credit card. There are three things that immediately caught the attention of the personnel:
1. The name on the card is man's name.
2. The card is of a high tier type.
3. A young adult cannot possibly have acquired such a high tier card.
The store held the card. And the daughter was of course angry. She even showed her passport which showed she has the same surname as the one on the card; and even showed another document proving the name on the card is her father.
None of it was accepted.
Why? It is not allowed in the Philippines to use someone else's card without the card owner's presence and signature. Regardless if you are the spouse, the parent, the sibling, or the child.
I mediated. I made the store manager agree that if they can reach her dad through phone and agrees, then they'll return the card and proceed with the transaction.
Eventually, they were able to contact her dad (who was in a corporate meeting) and the matter was resolved.
I was able to calm down the daughter, but of c
... show moreThe young adult daughter (18-20) used her father's credit card. There are three things that immediately caught the attention of the personnel:
1. The name on the card is man's name.
2. The card is of a high tier type.
3. A young adult cannot possibly have acquired such a high tier card.
The store held the card. And the daughter was of course angry. She even showed her passport which showed she has the same surname as the one on the card; and even showed another document proving the name on the card is her father.
None of it was accepted.
Why? It is not allowed in the Philippines to use someone else's card without the card owner's presence and signature. Regardless if you are the spouse, the parent, the sibling, or the child.
I mediated. I made the store manager agree that if they can reach her dad through phone and agrees, then they'll return the card and proceed with the transaction.
Eventually, they were able to contact her dad (who was in a corporate meeting) and the matter was resolved.
I was able to calm down the daughter, but of course, she can't help but say things like “obsolete system”. Nothing can be done there because, well, it's true. LOL.
Thus, if you're traveling in the Philippines, always remember, only the card owner can use their own card.
Q: What can't spouses use their spouse's card?
A: Philippine banks have a special account called “joint account”. In a joint account, two cards can be issued with the names of each person on their respective cards.
That's as close as using your spouse's card can ever get.
Enjoy your trip!
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#Philippines
grin
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