YouTrip users report being charged for declined transactions; company says issue resolved

SINGAPORE – Some users of multi-currency payment platform YouTrip reported having their card transactions declined on Feb 24, only for them to be charged later on.

In a media reply on Feb 25, YouTrip said it is aware that some users experienced “intermittent card transaction declines”.

A few other affected customers left comments on YouTrip’s social media pages on Feb 24 saying the issue had affected their holidays, as they were not able to make payments at restaurants and attractions.

They later discovered that they had been charged for these declined transactions, with at least one user saying he had multiple charges.

The Singapore-based company said on Feb 25 that the issue has been resolved, and all payment functions had returned to normal since 9.08pm on Feb 24.

Assuring users that their funds are safe, YouTrip said: “We are currently in direct contact with, and providing support to, users whose transactions were charged or pending despite being declined at the point of sale during that period.

“We are working to ensure the affected transactions are reversed, with the amounts credited back to their respective YouTrip wallets at the earliest possible time.”

It added that users will be updated once this process is completed.

Singaporean YouTrip user Germaine Ng told The Straits Times she found out about the issue while trying to make a payment of over RM1,000 (S$325.90) at a vet in Johor Bahru.

The 25-year-old tried to pay for supplies for her cat using her YouTrip card three times but kept getting an error message that said “do not honour”.

Her family members also tried their YouTrip cards but to no avail, and she eventually paid via Malaysia’s DuitNow QR code system.

On Feb 25, she saw the transactions show up as “pending” on her YouTrip app before realising she had a negative balance of -RM3,502.37.

She then called the company hotline and did not receive an answer.

However, she said on Feb 26 that her account balance is now accurate, with no more pending payments.

She said: “I was unhappy that I was not able to use my YouTrip card to make payment and I felt anxious when I saw the transactions show up since they weren’t small amounts. But I’m relieved that the problem has been rectified.”

Facebook user Gary Soh said that his transactions that were declined on Feb 24 were charged on Feb 25, after he paid for his purchases with cash.

Another user, Kelvin Sky, wrote that he had two additional payments deducted on Feb 25 after a transaction was declined on Feb 24.

He said: “YouTrip should reverse the transactions, return the funds and (not) make customers fill up so many details for the dispute form.”

User Janine Iris said she was unable to use her card on Feb 24 to withdraw money or make payment. Instead, she had to use a regular bank card and find a money changer, which was “majorly inconvenient”, she wrote.

Users who require help can e-mail YouTrip’s customer service team, the company said.

The Straits Times has reached out to YouTrip for more information, including how many users were affected.