Hyderabad: Other than the fear of being hacked, people are wary of surcharges and other hidden charges while using cards for shopping, both online and offline.
Experts, however, say buyers can get more benefits than additional charges if they make card payments.
Mr R. Nagaraja, a software professional from Gachibowli, said that there might be a few surcharges depending on the type of the transaction. “If we use cards for fuel in petrol bunks, there will around 1 per cent surcharge on debit cards and 2 per cent on credit cards. But we get reward points on each transaction and we can redeem them for later transactions,” he said.
Senior software engineer Pavan Challa, said that credit or debit cards could be integrated with third-party cards like Payback or i-Mint. “Whenever we make card transactions, we earn points. I usually use these points on the next transaction where I get at least Rs 100 cash-back.”
He said that online tickets cost Rs 12 to Rs 25 more. But websites like Makemytrip and Tripadvisor ask for feedback. On each feedback, they provide 100 points to third-party cards like Payback. “We might spend '25 more but the 100 points can help us get cash-back up to '50 on the next transaction,” he said.
CEO of Sytech Labs Pvt Ltd Sandeep Mudalkar, a cyber crimes consultant for the police, said taking precautions and making payments by cards had more benefits. “Card users must know basic precautions like covering the CVV number, and not disclosing card details like name on the card, expiry date and OTPs to others,” he said.
