C Red IT?

The title is a part of the full title: 'Credit Cards benefits - how you are offered but you cannot take them'.

How many times have you managed to use the special offers by the Credit Card companies? Not significant. My experience is based on Indian Credit cards - but I have a feeling that world wide it has to be the same. It is something like a telephone company offering 1000 minutes of free call to Timbaktu or some 500 SMS every day. And all these would have to be exhausted within 24 days! (Read it well - it could have been hours!)

I have a branded credit card. A big retailer and a well spread bank issue it. The claim is that for every Rs 100 spent, I am supposed to get 4 reward points. But the surprising thing is that if I pay using the credit card in the ground floor, I will get the 4 reward points (or at least, mostly!). But in the same shop, if I pay in the second floor, I am not eligible for the 4 points. Anybody can explain this? All floors are by the same retailer and it is not a mall. And, every month they will offer special deals, like if you buy 4 litres of milk, one litre curd is free (I mean, just for example). And this information will come to you just one day before the offer ends.

The real ride is with the petrol. The recent trend is to make the transactions while you buy the fuel free of any surcharges. You pay for what you buy - and not the additional 2.5% or whatever. I am sorry, other than HSBC Cards, all other cards' offers are really conditional, which you will never conveniently read or realize. First of all, the moment you see the words 'in select outlet', you can rest assured that you are going to regret using this facility if you are in the habit of filling the petrol in several pumps. Even if you look for the specific supplier (Indian Oil, BP etc.) outlet, that outlet may not be covered and there would be nobody in the outlet to tell you that. Even if the outlet is covered, you may still be charged the 2.5% because the card was not swiped in the specific bank's IDC. Now, how do you make the fellow swipe in the specific IDC? Chase him as soon as he takes your card. So, better have a driver for your car - since the car has to be moved as soon as the petrol is filled. But, even if you chased him, some times, the following conversation is likely:

I: Hey....wait...wait...I do not want you to swipe in this IDC. Please use that one....

Attendant: No saar....it does not work.....Don't worry saar... any credit card can be swiped in any IDC...No problem Saar...we always do it.

I: OK...tell me....do you charge any transaction fee?

Attendant: No saar...we charge only petrol.....no transaction...beansaction.....

Then you know that you have to wait to see the next bill to see if you have paid the beansaction, I mean, the transaction fee.

So, see, the offers are invariably like the booty behind the mirror. How do you get them?

Auto Increment

Again, it is not a technical blog.

Today, my son who returned from Tamilnadu after a quick visit to my relatives landed around 5AM in the famous Kalasipalayam.

Kalasipalayam is a famous place. I remember a song in a Kannada film (same title?) glorifying Kalasipalayam. And, I always have a sentimental attachment to this place. When I landed here for the first time with my fresh wife (you found it out: yes, it was Honeymoon) with all fear about the unknown city and state (I come from Tamilnadu) in a very early morning , there was a very friendly auto driver who came and offered to drop us in Kamath Hotel (where we had a reservation). He explained in Tamil that the place is far off - but as a favor he would drop us for Rs 6.50. (That time, the minimum, I think was around Rs 1). I then knew, I had already impressed my wife.

After checking in, while waiting for a tourist bus to come and pick us for an excursion, we took a small walk around the hotel and the beautiful Kalasipalayam bus stand was before us!

OK...OK...I am digressing. But, I am making the point too.

My son after landing in Kalasipalayam naturally looked around for an Auto. Wow...two drivers demanded Rs 120.....but before he made up his mind, they went off looking for another sucker. Then somebody wanted 2.5 times the auto fare. He finally caught somebody who offered to take him to Malleswaram (probably about 10KM?) for Rs 150.

Why do these auto drivers increment the fare so drastically? I have never managed to get an auto running on meter from Railway stations (or air ports for that matter). There is a thin line between the exploitation and the robbery and one should really watch out.

In one of the recent mail groups, there was a discussion about the auto fare being an index of corruption. I think there is some sense in that argument.