Following the recent news of credit card machines in Malaysia having an extra feature that prompts customers to pay a tip, the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) has come out with a statement clarifying this issue.
Source: NST
According to NST, in answer to worried cardholders who are afraid that they might get charged unnecessarily, ABM said that they should read and follow the prompters on the payment screen before keying in their personal identification number (PIN).
Previously when the new PIN-and-Pay function was implemented, many users were accustomed to keying in their PINs without looking at the screen but when the gratuity screen was added a few months ago, the majority of cardholders were not aware of this. Hence, they were surprised when there were “extra charges” in the bill. Some were even double charged!
Source: Astro Awani
“Customers are advised to follow the display prompts accordingly and check the message to ensure that the final amount displayed on the point-of-sales terminal screen is correct before keying in their personal identification numbers (PIN),” ABM added.
ABM explained further saying that the banks who provided the credit card machines had already taken the necessary steps to educate their merchants on the new features. The merchants would also need to inform their staff so that there will not be any mix up in the bill. Of course, if you want to give a tip you can do so too!
Source: Mac Rumors
They said that those in the food and beverage industry should be especially alert about the new tipping feature and make sure that their staff are well-trained. It isn’t necessary for tips to be given in Malaysia as there is usually a 10 per cent service charge included in the bill but some customers might want to do so out of goodwill.
Remember to double check the displayed message on the screen before keying in your PIN in the credit card machines everyone!
Also read: M’sians Need to Beware of New Feature When Keying in Their Credit Card PIN
