Electronic payments provider Paymark is urging retailers to exercise patience when dealing with an unusual number of transactions generated by tourists in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup.
Paymark's chief executive Simon Tong said international cards were not processed in the same way as New Zealand issued cards, and retailers should be ready to handle these.
"Unlike in New Zealand where you use the cheque/savings button when using your debit card, visitors with these cards will need to push the credit button to complete their purchase," he said.
Merchants also needed to be aware that overseas visitors would not be able to get cash out with eftpos purchases, and that if they use their credit or debit card at an eftpos only store, it would be declined.
New Zealand Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson echoed the need for patience when processing with a range of card types.
"Most New Zealand retailers have had experience processing cards from overseas and will already know of these issues, but with the sheer volume of transactions we expect to see during the RWC, there are bound to be a few unusual queries."
Tong said Paymark had done a huge amount of work ensuring that its network would handle the volume of transactions expected during the RWC, via terminal upgrades in the past two years.
However not every possible transaction type could be catered for due to some "New Zealand specific requirements", said Tong.
- NZ HERALD ONLINE