Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Credit card points

I called the hotline of my bank to ask how many credit card points is in my account and how much are they worth.

The hotline staff have difficulty in converting the points into the value of the vouchers. She got the value wrong by the factor of 100 times. She told me that my points are worth a lot of dollars, when it really is worth that amount in cents.

If the hotline staff of a bank does not understand the value of a point, how can you expect the ordinary customer to figure out?

Over the years, I have allowed the points on my credit card to expire, as it is really so troublesome to use these points. The customer has to get the voucher, wait for it to arrive in the mail, and make the effort to visit the outlet. The bank also arrange with some outlets to allow instant redemption but finding the customer service desk or a knowledgeable staff may be another hassle.

I suggest that the bank should allow the customer to convert the points into cash, to be added into their account. After all, it is their business to deal with money, rather than with points.

Tan Kin Lian