No. 305 Consumer Report
A lot of card issuing companies now offer consumers to use their credit card reward points to transfer to air mileage, consumers are facing numerous credit card advertisements but are clueless about which one offers the best rebate. The Consumer Council surveyed 8 card issuing companies in Macau for the application requirements, foreign transaction fees, terms and methods of transferring reward points to air mileage, etc. of 29 credit cards, details of the survey can be found in the latest issue 305 Consumer Report.
Handling fee may be charged for air mileage conversion
The survey result shows that 10 out of the 29 credit card allow direct conversion to air mileage, cardholders of 7 credit cards can use their reward points for mileage conversion and most card issuing companies will charge consumers a handling fee of $100 to $300 unless otherwise waived, consumers therefore have to compare the terms and methods for mileage conversion of different card issuing companies, including the amount required for each mile, valid period of reward points, and processing time for redemption, etc., as all of the above affect the amount of mileage converted and other restrictions on consumers.
Pay attention to foreign transaction fees
It is revealed in the survey that a foreign transaction fee of 1.5% to 1.95% is charged on 17 surveyed cards issued by card issuing companies, consumers need to pay attention to the foreign transaction fee involved, and compare it with promotional offers such as earning double reward points when using credit card overseas to see if more mileage are being earned or not. Meanwhile, special attention needs to be paid to details of promotional campaigns and consumers are suggested not to overspend for the purpose of earning mileage. Details of the survey is now available in the latest Consumer Report.
Efficiency test on 8 disposable dehumidifiers
Consumers choose different types of dehumidifier to keep indoor and clothes dry on humid days, the latest Consumer Report features a test report on the efficiency of 8 disposable dehumidifiers in which some samples are found to have poor performance in areas such as permeability efficiency and package tightness, permeability efficiency is the level of moisture absorbed in the dehumidifier and leaked back to the air through the air slip.
Consumers may access the magazine online on the Council’s official website and WeChat official account. Consumer Report is now also available free of charge at the Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 26, Edf. Clementina Ho), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, libraries, and bookstores.
For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.