Diners club companion card

[wxxnxs]

I just got my normal citi statement
diners club points are listed in their own area, as are all transactions. Something i haven't been able to work out, how the points are calculated....

Spent $379.08 (Coles, WW and WW Petrol)
Points earned 520. I assumed it should be 2 for $1, 758pts

So tried to work it out by removing the petrol? but I can't make it equal the magic number of 520 points. So does anybody have an idea of how they came up with that number of points vs spend?

It calculates by each transaction not the whole amount by the end of statement, AMEX uses the same methodology, and each transaction is using round down calculation.

 

[Skyhawk]

I also am trying to get a clearer understanding of how points are calculated, particularly the bonus points that keep being added.

 

[Skyhawk]

After closer analysis this is what my Signature card provides:

2 pts /$, (which is $1 = 0.8 KF) at major restaurants, hotels & airlines;

1.5 pts /$ (which is $1 = 0.6 KF) for fuel, supermarkets & national retailers; and

1 pt / $ (which is $1 = 0.4 KF) for everything else.

As wxxnxs states above, the methodology is similar to Amex. It is worth taking a close look at what you are earning regular 'bonus' points for. I've found that the merchants that I get 2 points from are actually giving me a better return than my WP Altitude or my QF Premier.

cfellows, it looks to me that you are probably earning 1.5 points for most of your purchases. I would encourage you to log into your CB rewards and compare your spend with your earn. I have found the exercise worthwhile. In particular, know which merchants will earn you 2 pts /$. I have found several who don't take Amex. Limited, but still quite handy.

 

[cfellows]

After closer analysis this is what my Signature card provides:

2 pts /$, (which is $1 = 0.8 KF) at major restaurants, hotels & airlines;

1.5 pts /$ (which is $1 = 0.6 KF) for fuel, supermarkets & national retailers; and

1 pt / $ (which is $1 = 0.4 KF) for everything else.

As wxxnxs states above, the methodology is similar to Amex. It is worth taking a close look at what you are earning regular 'bonus' points for. I've found that the merchants that I get 2 points from are actually giving me a better return than my WP Altitude or my QF Premier.

cfellows, it looks to me that you are probably earning 1.5 points for most of your purchases. I would encourage you to log into your CB rewards and compare your spend with your earn. I have found the exercise worthwhile. In particular, know which merchants will earn you 2 pts /$. I have found several who don't take Amex. Limited, but still quite handy.

Yeah the 1.5 earn could explain it, makes more sense now. But I am only watching the Diners Club part of this not the Citi Sig Visa usage which is another earnings area on the statement. I haven't seen anywhere they offer 1.5 points? It only talks about 2:1. Maybe in the fine print somewhere it talks about WW/Coles spends only being 1.5?

I could ring the help line...if i want to end my life

 

[Chicken]

Gee, this card is pretty useless so far. On top of not being accepted by PayPal despite being recongised as Discover card, I just tried to add this to my Microsoft account, and I got an error message the second I Tab away from the card number text box, and Microsoft thinks this is an invalid card number.

 

[kyle]

Gee, this card is pretty useless so far. On top of not being accepted by PayPal despite being recongised as Discover card, I just tried to add this to my Microsoft account, and I got an error message the second I Tab away from the card number text box, and Microsoft thinks this is an invalid card number.

I've got the same problem. About to throw it into the bin.

 

[Chicken]

I've got the same problem. About to throw it into the bin.

OK, my post was a click bait

It is pretty useless so far for me, but a friend is currently in South Korea, and she said that everyone shop she been to took it

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

I don't like paying annual credit card fees and have the fee-free for life Signature, so Diners Club is fine for slightly more points where accepted.

But you have to wonder where Diners Club is heading. Sure, they invented the credit card, but:

- acceptance is shrinking. Outside of major travel and retailers, petrol stations and taxis, acceptance is almost non-existent.
- the brand is shrinking - they've pulled out of personal cards in the US, Canada, UK, France and Scandinavia (that I'm aware of)
- maybe you can use them in places like US, South Korea or China where there are large Discover and JCB merchant networks, but that's hardly going to win them significant market penetration

 

[Chicken]

- maybe you can use them in places like US, South Korea or China where there are large Discover

Well, my Microsoft account is set to USA, and the payment method states Discover is accepted; yet it didn't work.

 

[pangwen]

Successfully used my Diners at HN over the weekend to buy a laptop. Now that the bank Amexes are gone, the Diners is my best earning card that still provides purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

Tried to add the card to my Uber account. Entering the card number saw the system recognise it as a Diners as the logo came up, however when I submitted the full card number, it told me that it is not available...

 

[kpro]

Tried to add the card to my Uber account. Entering the card number saw the system recognise it as a Diners as the logo came up, however when I submitted the full card number, it told me that it is not available...

Interesting, I've managed to add mine to Uber and have charged a few trips to it with no issues.

 

[lowan74]

Not really, to be successful using in UnionPay terminals in China, the merchants have to accept UnionPay Foreign cards (UnionPay overseas channel), if merchants only accept standard UnionPay cards that issued by Chinese banks, then Discover/Diners cannot be used in those terminals.

Some direct feedback through trying the card in mainland China over the past few weeks:

- The card does not work in most terminals
- Even terminals that take foreign Visa and Mastercards (which I successfully tried) would not take the Diners card
- I found 2 terminals that even took Amex card (in addition to Visa/MC/UnionPay) and did not take the Diners card
- The card only works as a signature card, and in terminals where it does work, you need to bypass the PIN and just hit enter and sign, entering a PIN causes a decline.

So much less promising than the promotional advice for Diners/Discover cards suggested.. It is interesting that all these terminals were terminals that mainly accept UnionPay.

It worked in a few Bank Of China terminals and an ICBC terminal only. This is definitely not a particularly useful card for travelling in China.

The big advantage it has over Visa/MC here, however, is that is is not susceptible to enforced DCC (Dynamic currency conversion), which is still quite rampant here, with no way to readily opt out without an argument. The Diners card is always processd in RMB only.

 

[Happy Dude]

Anyone not a new customer get the 10k points yet?

 

[theblank]

Just got back from USA and used the Diners card several times. When the transactions came through they match very closely (a few cents variance) to the Visa daily rate for the same date, so definitely no skimming on the rate by Diners.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

Interesting, I've managed to add mine to Uber and have charged a few trips to it with no issues.

Thanks - I tried again after your post and it has now accepted it

 

[theblank]

Just got back from USA and used the Diners card several times. When the transactions came through they match very closely (a few cents variance) to the Visa daily rate for the same date, so definitely no skimming on the rate by Diners.

after more transactions and analysis I have changed my mind. Its a coincidence my first transactions matched closely to spot/visa daily rate, likely because the AUD strengthened about 1 cent between transaction and posting date

i *think* Diners (Citi) is
- applying the exchange rate as at the day of posting to our account (+3/4 days), not transaction date
- skimming about 1.4% on the rate as they do it.



if anyone wants to check themselves I suggest take notes very carefully of the following and work from there:
- transaction date
- pending amount/conversion
- actual posting date

* I am pretty sure I am right, because I am smart (just ask me). There is just too many unknowns and IMO no chance of getting any definitive answer from Citibank customer service, because they just wont know.

 

[Chicken]

* I am pretty sure I am right, because I am smart (just ask me).

You are smart; but I am smart too!

A friend of mine who I coach on this, she just left South Korea, and she said that it was accepted everywhere; but I am now checking against XE credit card calculator, and the skimming is really bad.

16/9 KRW 35000 = AUD 44.53
XE suggest 2% more than Visa MC Discover

19/9 KRW 10000 = AUD 12.65
XE suggest 3.1% more than Visa MC Discover

I was looking forward to using this card at the end of this month, in Singapore Beijing and North Korea. Maybe I should stick with West of Australia bank?

OK, just managed to hack into her West of Australia Bank, haha

18/09 KRW 349500 AUD 436.63
XE suggest 1.3% stolen

24/9 KRW 21500 AUD 26.53
XE suggest 0.34% stolen

These margins are much closer than what we consider normal.

Is the Diners dodgy?

 

[tlam]

You are smart; but I am smart too!

A friend of mine who I coach on this, she just left South Korea, and she said that it was accepted everywhere; but I am now checking against XE credit card calculator, and the skimming is really bad.

16/9 KRW 35000 = AUD 44.53
XE suggest 2% more than Visa MC Discover

19/9 KRW 10000 = AUD 12.65
XE suggest 3.1% more than Visa MC Discover

I was looking forward to using this card at the end of this month, in Singapore Beijing and North Korea. Maybe I should stick with West of Australia bank?

OK, just managed to hack into her West of Australia Bank, haha

18/09 KRW 349500 AUD 436.63
XE suggest 1.3% stolen

24/9 KRW 21500 AUD 26.53
XE suggest 0.34% stolen

These margins are much closer than what we consider normal.

Is the Diners dodgy?

They will be caught soon
ACCC to investigate bank fees for international credit card purchases and foreign currency conversions - Politics - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[theblank]

They will be caught soon
ACCC to investigate bank fees for international credit card purchases and foreign currency conversions - Politics - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

there is no way that the ACCC would make a finding that a margin of 1-2% for actual currency conversions is unreasonable. On the other hand.. but this deserves its own thread.