Grab and credit card

[JJJ]

Can I link my foreign credit card to the Grab app so I do not have to pay cash in Manila?

Thanks

[Gator]

1 hour ago, JJJ said:

Can I link my foreign credit card to the Grab app so I do not have to pay cash in Manila?

Thanks

Do you trust Grab enough to keep your cc number secure? I don’t. If your cc company offers virtual card numbers perhaps try that. You can alway delete the number once you leave the Phils. 

[Lee1154]

3 hours ago, JJJ said:

Can I link my foreign credit card to the Grab app so I do not have to pay cash in Manila?

Thanks

Yes.

[hk blues]

8 hours ago, JJJ said:

Can I link my foreign credit card to the Grab app so I do not have to pay cash in Manila?

Thanks

You'll probably need cash anyway so may as well pay cash for your taxis unless it's a hefty fare.

[MikeyD]

The advantage of using Grab is that you don't have to worry about having to deal with taxi drivers not having change.  When we first got here in Cebu, one day we had to take 2 taxis due to the number of passengers and purchases we had made.  My taxi got to where we were staying first and I asked the driver if he had change for a 1000 peso bill, he just looked at me and said I could just pay him 1000 pesos, the meter was at about 150 so I stalled for a little and thankfully the other taxi arrived and one of our group had change.  There have been other times where the driver just says he has no change.  One time I tried to give my Filipino father in law a 1000 peso bill and the driver even refused him but probably knew I was the one that provided the 1000 peso bill.  Who knows, maybe he really didn't have change.  Another advantage is that Grab taxi will pick you up almost anywhere that they service and you don't have to look for a taxi stand.  And you can tip through the app if you are so inclined.  The disadvantage is that you have to pay a service fee for the convenience of them finding you a taxi relatively quickly and picking you up where you are.  

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, MikeyD said:

The advantage of using Grab is that you don't have to worry about having to deal with taxi drivers not having change.  When we first got here in Cebu, one day we had to take 2 taxis due to the number of passengers and purchases we had made.  My taxi got to where we were staying first and I asked the driver if he had change for a 1000 peso bill, he just looked at me and said I could just pay him 1000 pesos, the meter was at about 150 so I stalled for a little and thankfully the other taxi arrived and one of our group had change.  There have been other times where the driver just says he has no change.  One time I tried to give my Filipino father in law a 1000 peso bill and the driver even refused him but probably knew I was the one that provided the 1000 peso bill.  Who knows, maybe he really didn't have change.  Another advantage is that Grab taxi will pick you up almost anywhere that they service and you don't have to look for a taxi stand.  And you can tip through the app if you are so inclined.  The disadvantage is that you have to pay a service fee for the convenience of them finding you a taxi relatively quickly and picking you up where you are.  

Agree with all this and will add that many times it is best not to carry a lot of cash, and be fumbling around with it.  Especially currency you are unfamiliar with.

11 hours ago, Gator said:

Do you trust Grab enough to keep your cc number secure?

About as much as I trust a big American company to keep it secure.  The new chip cards are much more secure and it is more unlikely to have an issue.  Mastercard and Visa both will refund charges made due to illegal usage, so I don't worry about it.

11 hours ago, Gator said:

If your cc company offers virtual card numbers perhaps try that.

That might be a good idea.  Has anyone tried this?

Also, there are several different ways to pay Grab or fund your Grab wallet.  It is not restricted to a credit card but for a tourist, the choices might be limited.

[Lee]

2 hours ago, MikeyD said:

The advantage of using Grab is that you don't have to worry about having to deal with taxi drivers not having change

12 hours ago, Gator said:

Do you trust Grab enough to keep your cc number secure?

If you always carry correct change then it would seem to me that your possible cc security problems when using Grab are solved. IDK

[Gator]

11 hours ago, Lee said:

If you always carry correct change then it would seem to me that your possible cc security problems when using Grab are solved. IDK

That’s only of course if the Grab driver has change. At least with Grab you’ll know the fare in advance and can prepare. After nearly 15 years of experience here I’m well aware that the majority of taxi, ride share and trike drivers, whether true or not, will seldom say they have change even for a smaller bill like a 500 peso note. Luckily I rarely need to avail of their service. 

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Gator said:

That’s only of course if the Grab driver has change. At least with Grab you’ll know the fare in advance and can prepare. After nearly 15 years of experience here I’m well aware that the majority of taxi, ride share and trike drivers, whether true or not, will seldom say they have change even for a smaller bill like a 500 peso note. Luckily I rarely need to avail of their service. 

You know, this must be a 'local' thing as in my 8 years here and countless taxi rides I cannot recall not being able to get change. Let's be honest, who is going to pay a trike driver 500php for what will be a short ride just because they don't have change - nobody surely?  

[Possum]

58 minutes ago, hk blues said:

You know, this must be a 'local' thing as in my 8 years here and countless taxi rides I cannot recall not being able to get change. Let's be honest, who is going to pay a trike driver 500php for what will be a short ride just because they don't have change - nobody surely?  

A few years ago a trike driver quoted me 150 to go 2 km. I told him I'd walk and walked one block got a trike for 50. On another occasion all I had was a 200 peso note to pay for a 100 peso fare. Driver said no change so I gave him my phone number told him to call me when he got change and I'd pay him. Started walking off and he found the change in his pocket. These guys try but they are no worse than I've seen in other places. The Miami taxi drivers who claim not to speak the  English will drive you all over the place to run up the fare if you don't know your way around; many other examples all over the world.