Woolworths gift card thread

[Chicken]

These are merchant category gift cards. That's how they work.

I think you have missed the points of my post.

No one has ever claimed that the Pub & Bar gift card supports these two MCCs so that's unsurprising.

That makes sense because 5812 is one of the MCCs that the Pub & Bar gift card supports.

OK, I am now even more confident that you have missed the points of my post.

They're not random. There is, however, significant overlap between some of the merchant category codes (e.g. 5812 restaurants and 5814 fast food) which results in many businesses using one or the other (sometimes multiple). Once you realise this these gift cards become a lot less confusing

So, can you make it less confusing to us, that:
- Gongcha is OK, but Chatime is not?
- Oporto is OK, but KFC is not?

 

[VantageXL]

So, can you explain to us, so that it is less confusing to us, that:
- Gongcha is OK, but Chatime is not?
- Oporto is OK, but KFC is not?

I do believe I addressed that already:

There is, however, significant overlap between some of the merchant category codes

For the most part businesses do use the MCC that you would logically associate with them. There are exceptions but these are often in your favour (it's much more common to see a fast food place such as Oporto use 5812 rather than a traditional restaurant use 5814).

I certainly agree that it's irritating when a gift card doesn't work where you expect it to which is why for the past few months I've actually been trying to solve this very problem by building up a searchable database of all the places where these gift cards have been tested and found to work (or not work).

 

[RealtimeY]

I am sorry to say, but I think your obsession with merchant code is a waste of your own brain capacity.

If miscoded MCCs are frustrating you this much maybe you shouldn't spend your brain capacity on it. I've found the GCDB MCC lists very useful and have found places to use my cards where I wouldn't have expected to otherwise.

 

[Chicken]

I do believe I addressed that already:

Nope, you have not addressed my question at all.

Kebab shop 1 = Yes
Kebab shop 2 = No

What about kebab shop 3? Yes or no?

Sharetea = Yes
Gongcha = Yes
Chatime = No

What about Chicha San Chen? What about Kingtea? Yes or no?

If miscoded MCCs are frustrating you this much maybe you shouldn't spend your brain capacity on it.

Yes it is annoying; but I certainly don't use any brain power for it, I simply swipe regardless, and if it's declined? I use my AmEx, then MC Visa.

I've found the GCDB MCC lists very useful

It only, and can only ever, list major chains. Thing with restaurants is that they are mostly independents, so a list of chains is pretty useless. I mean unless you only ever eat at chain stores.

 

[VantageXL]

Nope, you have not addressed my question at all.

Steady on, I'm only trying to help.

If you want the most reliable experience, I'd recommend sticking to the TCN Restaurant and Restaurant/Cafe Choice gift cards because they should work at kebab shops and all of the other places where your Pub & Bar gift card was declined (5811: Caterers and 5814: Fast Food Restaurants).

However, occasionally businesses will just use weird MCCs for reasons unknown. 5499 is the most annoying one since no restaurant gift cards support it but thankfully it's not terribly common. The Chatime locations I've tested don't use it so it may just be a rogue franchisee in your case.

a list of chains is pretty useless.

And yet many of the places you tried were chains.

I do get your point, though. Unfortunately, I haven't the means to visit every independent restaurant in the country. Visa used to have a Supplier Locator tool that you could search but annoyingly they got rid of it a few years ago.

 

[jbman]

@VantageXL
I for one appreciate all the posts you make.

So be it if some don't work at some fast food outlets. Probably better for everyone to cut down on eating out as much for their health and wellbeing.

I myself have not bothered with the Food gift cards and stick with stores I see posted on the card/website.

 

[Chicken]

If you want the most reliable experience, I'd recommend sticking to the TCN Restaurant and Restaurant/Cafe Choice

I agree. The Cafe Restaurant Choice has the best acceptance, even Square terminals which reject TCN cards would accept Restaurant Choice.

The Restaurant Choice is rarely on promo thou.

The Chatime locations I've tested don't use it so it may just be a rogue franchisee in your case.

I have tried Chatime from around the Sydney CBD to out in the suburbs, none of their terminals would take TCN.

Steady on, I'm only trying to help.

I can see that, with that list (which you built?).

What I am saying is, any effort to investigate is a fruitless exercise, because you cannot reverse engineer something which is random

So be it if some don't work at some fast food outlets.

None of these are supposed to work at fast food places anyway, so we should not expect them to work.

The problem with fast food category is that so maybe cafes, not fast food places, are classified as fast food as well. Which comes back to the point I'm making : any efford to investigate is a fruitless exercise.

I'm not here to do personal attack, I'm just point out the flaws of this exercise:
- digging thru never ending rabbit hole
- creating incorrect expectations e.g. able to be used in cafes