Using Credit Cards with Merchants

1.    Purchases through credit cards made at retail merchants and restaurants would generally take an average of two minutes. A long processing time would suggest something is wrong with your card and the merchant should always prompt you.

2.    Always witness how your card is being processed. As a rule of thumb, your card should always be “within your sight” when the transaction is being processed.  Hand-offs of your credit card  between sales clerks/waiters/cashiers is generally not an accepted practice. You can report this to your issuing bank.

3.    Make sure that the amount indicated in the invoice you are signing is the CORRECT TRANSACTION AMOUNT . Do not sign should there be any discrepancy. Call your issuing bank for assistance.

4.    If the merchant voids a transaction, there should be  at least 2 sales draft copies with the word “VOIDED”. You should be given ONE COPY to avoid being billed for a voided transaction. Keep a copy of the voided sale slip.  

5.    Encircle the transaction amount in the sales slip or cross out the blank space above the word TOTAL. This will prevent tampering of the amount after a transaction has been made.

6.    After the transaction is completed, check that the credit card handed back to you is YOURS. There have been incidences of intentional mishandling of cards to commit fraudulent transactions.