RBI 3D-Secure mess -- Credit cards forcing people to pay foreign currency transaction charges

Recently, I was trying to book a hotel through Agoda.com and the payment was consistently failing on my HDFC Bank credit card. I had faced this issue with other international sites earlier, but switching to my (secondary) SBI credit card allowed me to get the job done. In this instance, however, even SBI wasn't able to fix the situation.

I called up the HDFC Bank call center and explained the issue to them. They gave me the standard BS of "something must be wrong in the system, please try again after some time." I insisted that the issue was at their end and threw some payment jargon to prove my point -- I know a fair bit of the payment card industry internals and the complete mess that the RBI 3d-secure mandate is. The fellow tells me that the only way the transaction can go through is, if I select a non-INR currency on the website. Truly WTF! I bit the bullet and paid in Thai Baht, but was hit by a foreign currency transaction charges @ 3.5% of the transaction value -- as expected.

And now I'm pissed.

If Agoda (or PayPal) has the ability to charge my card in INR, why the fuck is my bank forcing me to pay in a foreign currency? You know why? Because from Day One the RBI 3D-secure mandate has not clarified what would happen if a card issued in India is charged by a non-VBV enabled merchant based out of India. And banks are doing what they do best -- slapping people with unnecessary charges.

[1] Btw, Agoda.com highly recommended for hotel deals in Thailand. Best rates!

The Importance Of Good Copy

Very often I come across websites where copy is written as an afterthought. I cringed when I read this:


Can you guess which type of product this is for?

And the answer is...

DVD Rental Plans! Who would've thunk?!

Ads on Google homepage ?!

Just noticed this link on the Google India home page It's some dumb contest in association with LiveHindustan.com about "sharing your thoughts in Hindi". Wonder how much they paid for Google to do this.

10 Things To Do In Mumbai On A Lazy Saturday

Next Saturday, ditch your neighbourhood mall and see Mumbai like a tourist!

1. Go to the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), stand at the centre of the ground floor, and look up. Gaze with awe at the architectural beauty. Enjoy the criss-crossing stairs and galleries, wooden floors, and flawlessly white & cream walls. Ignore the crass marketing disguised as art by Louis Vuitton.

2. Feel sorry for the foreigners paying 15 times the entry fee. (Rs 10 for indians vs Rs 150 for foreigners).

3. Read the plaque at the ticket counter. Appreciate the value of money and inflation. (the gallery was built with a donation of 4 lakh rupees only)

4. Visit the Prince of Wales museum, now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Vastu Sangralaya. Realize that you haven't noticed the magnificent building since you've come to Mumbai. Feel sorry for the foreigners again.

5. Feel sorry for Indians for not getting the audio guide free with the Rs 25 entry ticket. Put the money and take it anyway.

6. Be an Indian and economise by taking only one for two people and share!

7. Leisurely enjoy each and every exhibit. Read the signage in Hindi, if you can. Wonder whether reading in Hindi is harder because of the infrequent usage or because of the crappy fonts.

8. Get bored, tired, and hungry. Head to samovar for a bite. Enjoy the street art gallery on your way. Get your name on a grain of rice if you're feeling really touristy.

9. Have the overpriced and tasteless aaloo paratha at samovar. Wonder what the fuss is all about.

10. Catch a bus home for a change. Save some money and reduce your carbon footprint as well.