POLi........issues and who uses it?

[yogi]

I tried to use POLi once a year or so ago and after it not working in a couple of browsers and much torment and trial, I gave up.

Would try again another time...

 

[Mal]

Have never liked poli. Would never use it. Don't trust it and have serious issues paying for travel related bookings unless its on a credit card.

With the level of bankruptcy shown by travel related organisations it is either card or nothing


Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[Deleted member 29185]

With the level of bankruptcy shown by travel related organisations it is either card or nothing

We get a Virgin confirmation email within minutes of a POLi payment. Slim chance of bankruptcy causing issue (touch wood).

For those who haven't used it....... with POLi, when you make the booking, a Virgin email comes through stating your booking has been confirmed for x minutes (sorry, can't remember how long....60 minutes maybe.....perhaps 10...I can't remember) and you are directed automatically to the POLi site where you choose your bank. Upon choosing your bank, you go to your sign-in page, followed by your choice of account and then everything else is done for you. Sign out, go to your emails and there will be your Virgin email confirming payment.

If POLi goes belly up in the process.......you'd have to be pretty unlucky.

 

[SeaWolf]

Have just done a payment with POLi for the first time. I have to admit it unnerved me a bit. Apparently it unnerved my bank (BankWest) as well. Within a minute of finishing the process my mobile was ringing with a call from their investigations unit wanting to confirm that it had actually been me that had made the transaction.

From what I can see of what POLi is doing it's just filling in the details for a normal bank-bank transaction, like you'd always do to transfer money to someone else's account. It just fills in all the details such as BSB, account number and a ref number in the description so that when the cash arrives at the other end their software can match it up. Then it lurks around to make sure it actually happens (e.g. you arrive at the Transaction Completed page with all the correct details) before informing the site you're paying (in this case Virgin) that it has been done.

I can understand why the banks might not be thrilled about allowing outside software to drive transactions in their sites. Grabbing info about stuff that has already happened (ANZ MoneyManager) is one thing, but this is a bit creepy. I prefer QANTAS's way of giving you a BPay reference number and letting you do the banking bit yourself, even if it does add in a day or two to get confirmation.

 

[drewbles]

Or you could book, pay the CC fees. Then call up Virgin Australia and say you booked on a Mac, and Poli wasen't working. They'll then refund the credit card fees.

I do know someone who usually uses a mac and was on a whingeblows machine that booked a fare. Rang up and did the 'oh hai using safari please to be refunding me money' and was told "but I see you were using a windows machine for this booking, but do see you've used a mac before".

So, end of the day, if you didn't try to book using poli on a mac, don't expect the refund (I did the other day, and will continue to do so to avoid the surcharge, until December at least!).

 

[pat25d]

I do know someone who usually uses a mac and was on a whingeblows machine that booked a fare. Rang up and did the 'oh hai using safari please to be refunding me money' and was told "but I see you were using a windows machine for this booking, but do see you've used a mac before".

So, end of the day, if you didn't try to book using poli on a mac, don't expect the refund (I did the other day, and will continue to do so to avoid the surcharge, until December at least!).

Just use a browser where you can change your agent to appear as safari.

 

[drewbles]

Just use a browser where you can change your agent to appear as safari.

or just use Safari (as I do; I like to 'browse different' ).

 

[Virgin Bart]

Seems this loophole has been closed. Poli now available on Macs

 

[markis10]

Seems this loophole has been closed. Poli now available on Macs

Does not work on iPads still.

 

[Austman]

I used POLi for the first time to buy a JQ ticket. The JQ website took me there. Entering your bank security details via a 3rd party website ( https://express.apac.paywithpoli.com POLi) unnerved me! I can't see that my bank endorses POLi but they don't specifically say don't use it either... In fact POLi is not even mentioned in a search on my bank's web site.

POLi had a bit of a problem because it wanted to add JQ as a new payee. I already had JQ in my payee list - so I had to delete it first.

The 'advantage' (if it could be called one) was that after POLi had transferred the funds, JQ instantly accepted that the payment had been made. The booking immediately went to confirmed and I got a tax receipt and flight itinerary emailed to me. So there was no waiting the one or two business days that bank transfers can take.

Not sure about POLi yet...

 

[samh004]

Never offset, and can't use POLi because they don't work with HSBC, very frustrating! Then again, don't book with those that use it, their loss.

 

[mella2007]

I've used Poli heaps of times and never had an issue. Need to ensure with Chrome that you allow the popup to install the software or whatever it needs.
Makes it helpful to save on ridiculous CC charges

 

[grubbidok]

Can't use POLi with my personal account as it the bank isn't listed (Heritage). Can't use it with my business account as it doesn't allow business bank account use. About as useful as t*ts on a bull. I can't see why they don't just cut out the middle man and use direct deposit like JQ. After all, if JQ do it, it can't be that expensive. It's a major issue that needs rectifying if they want to be a grown up airline (e.g. I used a CC to pay for Delta flights to US - no fees at all).

 

[ashleyn]

I'm a POLi fan simply because I hate paying CC fees. I do realise that I can make up to 3 point/$ on some credit cards (I hate AMEX with a vitriolic passion, and even the benefits on offer have so far not swayed me otherwise), but the reality is many CCs are 0.5 points/$ which to me does not equal overwhelming value (yes, I do argue with myself about the value of a point).

So POLi represents good value to me (until convinced otherwise).

Recently (tonight) I was booking OOL-MEL for a family holiday and of late, I've shamed myself into buying the carbon credits. (bugger all cost and hopefully may not be squandered and actually pay for 1 or 2 trees in ground). So feeling great about myself, I check the carbon offset box and proceed with the payment (POLi) only to find POLi doesn't work with the offsets..........doesn't this seem like technology gone astray? I also note the carbon offsets come through as a separate receipt, so I deduct from those two irregularities that DJ are just a conduit for a third party carbon trading company. If so, why not nominate who they are so we can review their performance like we do DJs? I know the claim is the money goes toward NCOS CN compliant schemes (companies?) but DJ laud biogas in Thailand and fuel efficient cooking in Cambodia (both worthy ideals) but if my conclusions above are correct, a "middleman" is involved which reeks of potential rorting of well meant funds.


So without me ranting, may I ask (to roughly gauge) how many of you use POLi and how many commit funds to carbon abatement schemes through DJ? For the record, I believe we FFers can indeed make a difference, but we also need to know our miniscule individual investments aren't inadvertantly squandered.

VA, please feel free to join in with as much info (factual propaganda most welcome) as you feel helpful. I get the feeling I'm not the only businessman who has no issue with paying our ecological way, but desires feedback!

Excuse my ignorance but what does POLi stand for ?

 

[Mal]

Excuse my ignorance but what does POLi stand for ?

Probably payments online instantly or something like that....

 

[ChrisCunard]

You can book a Virgin flight with a Credit card and pay the advertised fare without the Credit Card surcharge.

Simply book using the Australian Zuji website.

You get instant Virgin confirmation number.

Downside is that you then have to login to velocity and attach your membership number to the booking. Not a major deal considering the savings.

I did this to avoid QF fees but then the edit fees if you want to change a booking are astronomical and QF are hopeless at assisting in last minute changes to a Zuji bought fare. DJ may be different as they seem to have a greater (actual) focus on customer service and are generally very flexible.

 

[AndyGoodyear]

Anyone tried to get a refund because their bank isn't supported by POLi? I'd like to think this falls into the same category as the Mac refund, but haven't tried it myself...

I have called up as I was using a Mac and Poli didn't work. They refunded the CC fees instantly - no questions asked, so I'm sure it will not be an issue.

Personally I use POLI wherever possible - if booking from work I'll use the PC, and if at home I'll use my Mac and get a refund on the CC fees. I do this because I detest CC fees as much as I detest ATM and banking fees.

Never had an issue with POLI at all.

I just did a quick web search on POLi prompted by this thread, and it's interesting that two NZ banks are currently warning their customers against using POLi, saying that POLi is imitating their web banking login pages. POLi has responded to these claims on their own website here: http://www.polipayments.com/assets/docs/POLiAnnouncment19-12-12v1.0.pdf

Now call me cynical if you will, but this seems like the banks are just sorry they're losing out on their precious CC fees.

 

[Mal]

Now call me cynical if you will, but this seems like the banks are just sorry they're losing out on their precious CC fees.

It is much more than them being jealous. Firms like poli do provide huge challenges to banks around fraud. And if the poli system was to be compromised then the banks are making their stance clear.

I dislike poli. They shouldn't be doing what they do... it is a security risk. And regardless of all the glossy (but old) security audits they crow about on their site... no system like that gets access to my accounts.

 

[AndyGoodyear]

It is much more than them being jealous. Firms like poli do provide huge challenges to banks around fraud. And if the poli system was to be compromised then the banks are making their stance clear.

I dislike poli. They shouldn't be doing what they do... it is a security risk. And regardless of all the glossy (but old) security audits they crow about on their site... no system like that gets access to my accounts.

Of course if you personally don't feel comfortable with using them you shouldn't. I wouldn't say that means 'they shouldn't be doing what they do'. Obviously if they were breaking any laws or contravening the Data Protection Act then they would have been shut down.

I don't see any difference between this and any company that takes a payment from you by CC. I mean, they take your CC number, expiry and CVC and would be just as vulnerable to security risks. Any financial institution can be compromised.

 

[burmans]

Of course if you personally don't feel comfortable with using them you shouldn't. I wouldn't say that means 'they shouldn't be doing what they do'. Obviously if they were breaking any laws or contravening the Data Protection Act then they would have been shut down.

I don't see any difference between this and any company that takes a payment from you by CC. I mean, they take your CC number, expiry and CVC and would be just as vulnerable to security risks. Any financial institution can be compromised.

Agree with this, I have worked in the Payment Card industry on compliance projects and now on Privacy Act/Credit Risk projects. I don't think there is anything particularly insecure, it's a portal in which you still need to log into the underlying banks system (i.e. this is not something that is stored by Poli, which yes would be vulnerable to hacking).
There are many many things people are doing that are more dangerous than this, I'm relatively relaxed.