These USA tourists were charged $30,000 for lunch in BsAs

[Johngwyn]

Couple was scammed into paying nearly $30,000 for lunch in Buenos Aires

$30,000 USD!!

This is insane, I assume it was 30K pesos....Don't know how this could happen. But good to stay alerted.

 

[John.St]

the importance of never using Debit card because the consumer has much less protection.

I use debit card protection, which sends me an sms saying "This is your PIN for accepting € 29,792 for your meal"
Once upon a time a restaurant in La Habana, Cuba, tried to charge me US$ instead of non-convertible CU$. I said OK; give me a bill that clearly states that I have to pay 220 American dollars for my meal - the waiter immediately "remembered" that the amount was in CU$ and excused profusely.

 

[John.St]

even though they credit card company now has reversed the charge. the restaurant I'm sure has not refunded this charge and Made a killing that day .

If the credit card company or bank is worth their salt, they don't pay a disputed amount until the dispute has been solved.

 

[John.St]

I mean, it seems more likely the waiter entered 30000 (pesos) and somehow the credit card company didn't do the conversion? Is the CC company looking for that "." Argentines often put instead of a comma?

But the waiter did not enter 30000.

"an astounding $29,695 for their vegetarian meal."

With three decimals it is impossible to mistake as an amount of money.

 

[John.St]

Like a bridge over troubled water I laid me down to a well deserved siesta, but the second my head hit the pillow, my brain at last started to work.

Who has a credit card with a limit of US$ 30,000 a day - or more?
Only people who are so wealthy, that they wouldn't notice if they had paid US$29,695 for a pair of gloves or a meal, have a CC limit of that size.
For this person a few thousand dollars would absolutely not "kick off a six-month financial nightmare",

For any average person the alarm bell would sound very loud in their bank or credit card company, screaming scam! scam! scam!

I smell a rat - or rather a fairy tale.

 

[sergio]

Like a bridge over troubled water I laid me down to a well deserved siesta, but the second my head hit the pillow, my brain at last started to work.

Who has a credit card with a limit of US$ 30,000 a day - or more?
Only people who are so wealthy, that they wouldn't notice if they had paid US$29,695 for a pair of gloves or a meal, have a CC limit of that size.
For this person a few thousand dollars would absolutely not "kick off a six-month financial nightmare",

For any average person the alarm bell would sound very loud in their bank or credit card company, screaming scam! scam! scam!

I smell a rat - or rather a fairy tale.

The Amex Black card would have a far greater limit. I suspect even the Platinum Card would allow such a charge. Also the issue is not a DAILY limit of $30,000 but the total limit which may very well have been over $30,000.

 

[carride]

Who has a credit card with a limit of US$ 30,000 a day - or more?

US credit cards do nots set a daily limit. Debit cards might, but not credit. You just have a total limit, and total credit limits of over $20,000 are fairly typical. Even with that limit most smart people keep their monthly spend to be less than a percentage of their monthly income. The idea is to never run a balance that would incur a finance charge. So, assuming this couple has $10-15,000 monthly income, they still would never want to charge more than $3-4000 per month. One month with 30 grand would be way over, unless they are truly in the upper % with monthly income of at least $100,000

 

[John.St]

The Amex Black card would have a far greater limit. I suspect even the Platinum Card would allow such a charge. Also the issue is not a DAILY limit of $30,000 but the total limit which may very well have been over $30,000.

To get the Amexco Centurion Card, the so-called Black Card, you are expected to be an existing Amex cardholder with a strong relationship, excellent credit, and a history of high spending (reportedly over $250,000 annually). It is a charge card, not a credit card (ie. the balance must be paid in full each month). A high income is also a key factor. Guess what "A high income" means if you spend over $250,000 annually?
Add to that a $10,000 initiation fee and a $5,000 annual fee.

To get the Mastercard Platinum Card you need to have "a sufficient gross annual income", usually ranging from a few hundred thousand to over a million in local currency.
The credit limits are for some cards offering maximums of €15,000 or more, while others may have lower limits that are still considered high for an unsecured card, often ranging from US$5,000 (€4,300) upwards.

I still smell a rat = a fairy tale.

 

[John.St]

This is insane, I assume it was 30K pesos....Don't know how this could happen. But good to stay alerted.

AR$30,000 would be an el cheapo price for an excellent meal for 2 persons in BsAs (less than US$ 25.-)

 

[sergio]

To get the Amexco Centurion Card, the so-called Black Card, you are expected to be an existing Amex cardholder with a strong relationship, excellent credit, and a history of high spending (reportedly over $250,000 annually). It is a charge card, not a credit card (ie. the balance must be paid in full each month). A high income is also a key factor. Guess what "A high income" means if you spend over $250,000 annually?
Add to that a $10,000 initiation fee and a $5,000 annual fee.

To get the Mastercard Platinum Card you need to have "a sufficient gross annual income", usually ranging from a few hundred thousand to over a million in local currency.
The credit limits are for some cards offering maximums of €15,000 or more, while others may have lower limits that are still considered high for an unsecured card, often ranging from US$5,000 (€4,300) upwards.

I still smell a rat = a fairy tale.

The USA Platinum Card is easy to get if you have a good credit rating. You don't need anywhere near the income you state for the Mastercard and I should think Amex is much more prestigious. The new annual fee is U$S 895. I believe the Argentine version is more expensive.