International visitors face payment issues as merchants break the law

[Photo: Melissandre Denize]

Some international visitors to Macau have reportedly faced difficulties while trying to pay with credit cards at local stores.

As the Times reporter observed in loco, some visitors had their credit card payments rejected, while in other cases, merchants required a minimum purchase of MOP100 to MOP500 to accept credit cards.

Speaking to the Times, Petra, a German tourist, was asked to spend at least MOP100 at a local bakery to pay with a credit card, which she said came as a surprise.

“Yes, they said I need to spend over MOP100 to use the credit card to pay. I was trying to get a bottle of water and one egg tart, so that is too little to reach the minimum,” she said.

When asked whether this was the first time it had happened to her, Petra said she had been in Macau for two days and had already encountered several issues.

“Last night I was in Taipa, where my hotel is located, and I tried to pay for some supplies at a supermarket using my credit card, and the cashier told me I needed to spend a minimum of MOP500 to do so. But in some other places, it is fine. I used the card at the hotel without problems and also in some restaurants, and it was all okay,” she added.

She remarked that before her stay in Macau, she had spent a few days in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and that in these cities, payments seemed much smoother than in Macau.

“Especially in Hong Kong, I used the card everywhere, even at 7-Eleven or to use the MTR. It was never a problem. But here [in Macau] it seems that the small stores do not want to accept card payments,” the visitor noted.

“Still, people are friendly and try to help,” she added, noting that at least in one store in Taipa, one of the salespeople recommended she try to link the card to her Apple Pay wallet, “for easier payments.”

Facing similar issues, a different visitor, Inês from Portugal, told the Times that she had been using credit card payments everywhere in Asia, including on trips to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, among others, but that Macau seems to use a “different system” and cater more to QR payments such as Alipay or WeChat Pay.

She noted that she is using a Revolut card, which she said facilitates payments in different currencies across a wide range of countries, and that she had generally experienced no issues using it recently in Thailand and Indonesia. However, while trying to pay with it in a Macau shop, she was asked to pay an extra 2% surcharge to use it.

“I usually use it everywhere. It’s a ‘tap on card,’ and I am very used to using it during my travels,” Inês noted, remarking that sometimes vendors do ask for these “surcharges” ranging from 2 to 3%, particularly in Vietnam and some areas of Thailand.

In Macau, she said she eventually acquired a Macau Pass card after realizing it was not possible to use a credit card on public transportation such as buses or the Light Rapid Transit.

Merchants breaching the law

When questioned by the Times about credit card payment practices, the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) said merchants should not overcharge or set a minimum value for electronic payments.

“For electronic payment acquiring services provided by financial institutions to merchants, the relevant service agreements stipulate that merchants should not set a minimum spending requirement for consumers paying by credit card,” the bureau said, adding, “The AMCM has also required financial institutions to conduct regular training for merchants, reminding them to comply with the terms of the service agreements, to protect consumer rights and enhance the payment experience.”

The authority noted that it is also making efforts “to promote the diversified development of Macau’s payment market,” which has currently “enabled merchants, including integrated resorts, supermarket chains, as well as restaurants and retail outlets of appropriate size, to accept bank cards issued by international card associations and mobile payment tools of multiple countries and jurisdictions.”

The AMCM also said it would “continue to encourage financial institutions to promote the acceptance of these payment tools by more merchants, to provide a more convenient payment experience for international tourists.”

MGTO received one complaint

Also questioned by the Times on the same matter, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said that “after verification and review, we confirm that the MGTO has received one complaint at this office regarding an issue with credit card payment.”

The local tourism authority also said that no other relevant information on this matter had been collected during MGTO’s Exit Surveys, which collect information about visitors’ experiences in Macau.

Macau recorded nearly 21 million visitor arrivals in the first half of the year, surpassing the 20 million mark for the first time during the period and posting a 9% year-over-year increase.

Despite the overall growth, international visitor arrivals rose by only 6%, highlighting the city’s continued reliance on the Greater China market.

Last weekend, Cheng Wai Tong, deputy director of the MGTO, said that overall visitor arrivals for July rose by approximately 2% year-on-year, while the first half of August recorded a more encouraging 10% increase.

Despite acknowledging steady growth in the summer tourist season through July and early August, he also noted that international visitor numbers have remained flat, falling short of government expectations.

In the lead-up to this report, the Times also sent inquiries to the Consumer Council and the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, but had received no response by press time.