Alternative payment cards for petrol likely

Dubai: Motorists will not be able to pay for a tank of petrol by credit card at most petrol stations from Saturday.

Customers filling up at Emarat, Eppco or Enoc petrol stations will have to pay with cash or use a specific store card for all purchases, available at Emarat petrol stations.

Flyers and notices at filling stations claim the switch from credit to smart cards is due to "high charges levied by the banks for acceptance of credit and debit cards". From October 20 all Emarat and Emirates Petroleum service stations will no longer accept them.

E-purse

Besides cash, customers can use a Safeer credit card targeted at fleet vehicles, an Atheer pre-paid card or an Em-Cash card, which acts like an electronic purse.

No comment was available from Emarat head office about the ban of credit cards in favour of Emarat store cards.

Kham Magar, manager of an Emarat station on Al Wasl Road, said the Em-Cash is a popular card and can be used for all facilities such as the lube, mini-mart or petrol pumps.

"All cards are available from the head office but the Em-Cash card is available at the petrol station. Initially they cost Dh200 and Dh5 goes towards a deposit and then you have Dh195 to spend. If you want to stop using your card and return it we will return your Dh5," said Magar.

He added that credit cards will not be accepted as payment for any purchases, including the mini-mart. "On a daily basis here about 25 per cent of customers already use Em-Cash. It's easier than a credit card," he said.

Residents had mixed reactions about the new system. A.T., 26, from South Africa, said this type of payment scheme has been in effect for a while. "I've always paid for petrol in cash," he said. "I think people will have a better idea of what they're spending on, or how much petrol they actually use."

Sarah. F, 42, from the UK, said the new card system might be more enticing if a loyalty point system was introduced. "If I get a card I can only use in certain petrol stations I want something in return because it's cutting down my options."

Satish Kumar, 28, from India, said the card system was painstaking. "If I have cash I'll pay but otherwise I'll go somewhere else. Eppco charges more for cigarettes anyway than normal groceries. I think they're just trying to make more money."

I agree with Joseph. Petrol stations should accept credit cards but charge more. This is as compensation to the fees imposed by the bank.
Bambang
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 15:10

It really is a small matter and people are getting way too emotional. The reason for the petrol companies to do this is because these are very high turnover businesses with low margins. The same happened in India 5-10 years ago. Sooner or later, the credit card companies will stop charging the pumps and we will come back to this system. Wait and see... just wait for one CC brand to crack!
Abhishek
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 14:15

Good news! Why give 2 per cent to the interest-eating banks? I hope all establishments do this.
Rasif
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 14:07

We are sick and tired with Emarat, Eppco and Enoc. They are not doing any good to improve but asking for more from UAE residents.
Hamed
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 14:00

At last, the 'money you have, you spend' concept comes to existence without burdening. Good. Credit cards lead to more problems in life. Cheers for the good decision.
Tymeer
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 13:43

In this advance world they are insisting we carry cash, beside this they can negotiate with the banks to charge them special rates as petrol stations are giving a huge business to banks in a form of charges. If it is not then every business will avoid taking cards and then what will happen with the banks issuing credit cards day and night through a huge fleet of employees?
Shaikh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 13:39

Stopping accepting credit cards in petrol stations and using alternative cards is not the solution! If banks are charging heavy charges for credit cards then petrol stations should make a solution either to give a part of expenses to the consumers. Now almost every individual has credit cards and they are used to shop with them.
TK
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:59

Credit card charges not being accepted by petrol stations is not correct. One way the banks are promoting credit card sales, the other way they are charging more rates. Then what is the use for the credit card? At least they could accept bulk purchases like petrol card purchases of Dh500-1000.
Krishnan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:40

I do not agree to this approach, no matter what the banks charge the stations. This way, we are only going backward in the technology age!
Behin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:40

The petrol pumps imposed a service charge and we accepted it but now, they are taking away one very important facility which they had extended earlier! I do not carry cash and do not patronise any particular petrol company due to the nature of my job. Are they pushing their decisions down my throat?
Vidyashankar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:39

Petrol stations not accepting credit cards is good news for me. I am already sick and tired of waiting in the long queue where the "major business transaction" of filling a petrol tank is being sealed with a credit card for the people ahead of me in the queue. If people can afford a car, they should also be able to pay the filling by cash.
Waqar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:38

The companies should give an option of charging the customer with the extra bank charges along with his payment of fuel charges. Just by scrapping the card payment system would cause an inconvenience as many people depend on it to survive. What if a person doesn?t have money in his purse and no ATM around to pay for fuel. Let's be logical.
Joseph
Mumbai,India
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:38

It is shameful and a pity to know that everybody wants to make fast money and do not care about the customers. Nobody follows ethics but they want to make money. One cannot understand why banks are charging more from these petrol stations when they know that their card is being used for their own benefit. I feel now the wise people should cancel all the credit cards so that the banks realise their foolishness.
Deepda
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:37

I think this is not a good move. I see this as a kind of monopoly.
Suresh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:19

Banks in the UAE charge very low rates to companies for credit cards, compared to Europe and the West. If they can accept credit cards, I do not see why these gas stations cannot do the same. As a major oil producing country, the UAE is the only one in the GCC to increase prices to such high levels and now they are complaining about credit cards. When will all this crying and complaining end?
Jawad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 12:12

In today's advanced age it is sad petrol pumps in the UAE are forcing customers to use paper currencies. They have already started levying charges for credit cards, then why this change within a month?
Mohamed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 10:21

We would rather pay cash, because if you look, we pay more with the card. Let's say if you buy a drink for Dh1 on a card you will pay Dh1.50. I always pay cash.
Nouman
Durban,South Africa
Posted: October 15, 2007, 10:06

I think we are going backwards. Credit or debit cards are handy sometimes if you don't have cash in your pocket. This is not an excuse due to banking charges. Why don't ADNOC have any issue with bank charges on credit or debit cards?
Nasir
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 09:47

If everybody started issuing their own cards, how many cards should we have to keep in our pockets? This is not the solution.
Syed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 09:29

I hope the big supermarkets don?t take up the cue and follow with E-purse. We would have to have bigger purses to hold more plastic.
Charles
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 09:02

Are we going back to the Stone Age?
Shemil
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 08:57

One of the major consumer products is petrol and if banks levied more charges people would be less interested to get credit cards which, in turn, would be a loss to the bank itself.
Juzer
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 08:54

All over the world people use credit cards to pay for gas and also any store goods available inside the gas stations. It is a great inconvenience to have to obtain different cards for different items. I suppose we have to carry a collection of cards in the future to avail different goods!
Amir
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 15, 2007, 08:06

I live in Muscat and do regular trips to Dubai from Oman by road. I usually pay for my bills, including petrol, by credit card as its more convenient for me rather than carry lots of cash all the time.
Mir
Muscat,Oman
Posted: October 15, 2007, 07:37