Can't pay overstay fee in cash now??

[DR fan1990]

I'm reading reports from travelers that were asked to pay their overstay fees with a card when leaving the DR. Apparently there are now signs in Dominican airports telling foreigners that only credit or debit card payments are accepted... NO MORE CASH.
Is this true? Any official link or news article about this new regulation?

I didn't think the DR would get onboard the "phasing out of cash" trend seen in western countries so fast.

People may not have credit cards for various reasons. I can't have one due to an old personal bankruptcy from 5 years ago.
.

 

[josh2203]

Someone else apparently heard about this as well:

Over stay penalties only can be paid by credit card?

Just heard a rumour that POP airport will only accept credit cards for over stay penalties. Do not accept cash. Can anyone verify that.

dr1.com

 

[melphis]

I wonder what thier plan B is. Refusing someone to leave because they don't have a functioning credit seems kinda silly if they are offering cash.
Maybe a kind employee will help them for a 20% surcharge, in cash .

 

[Father Guido]

I'm reading reports from travelers that were asked to pay their overstay fees with a card when leaving the DR. Apparently there are now signs in Dominican airports telling foreigners that only credit or debit card payments are accepted... NO MORE CASH.
Is this true? Any official link or news article about this new regulation?

I didn't think the DR would get onboard the "phasing out of cash" trend seen in western countries so fast.

People may not have credit cards for various reasons. I can't have one due to an old personal bankruptcy from 5 years ago.
.

like them or not, certain things are necessary in life today, I think with a bankruptcy you can still get a debit card

 

[playacaribe2]

I wonder what thier plan B is. Refusing someone to leave because they don't have a functioning credit seems kinda silly if they are offering cash.
Maybe a kind employee will help them for a 20% surcharge, in cash .

That is why they are only accepting debit or credit payments..............too many kind employees willing to "help."


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[DR fan1990]

like them or not, certain things are necessary in life today, I think with a bankruptcy you can still get a debit card

That's the thing, I'm not even sure about debit cards being accepted.... many people have been reporting they take credit cards only.

It's still all hearsay at this point because no official announcement.

 

[josh2203]

many people have been reporting they take credit cards only.

As far as I have seen, some people may have the habit of referring to all plastics as "credit card"... So not sure if that would have to do something with this?

Accepting payment only with a factual credit card would not make sense, I have also not had one in years, we only use debit cards... I also see no reason why debit cards would not be accepted?

 

[Fulano2]

That is why they are only accepting debit or credit payments..............too many kind employees willing to "help."


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

The same happened with paying overweight luggage. It was good business among employees.

 

[cavok]

Apparently, migación found a way to beat the system(?). They probably will again.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

I suppose they are trying to make it harder for employees to take the under the counter payments. With credit/debit card payments all can be verified and tracked. I am all in favor. Follow the rules. Stay as long as you are able or get an extension or temporary residency. Many of us had to do it. In my humble opinion it is just the right thing to do.

 

[MariaRubia]

There has evidently been a lot of fraud in Migración. One of the guys in Punta Cana told me that they all work on rotation now, so they move from airport to airport - so basically nobody knows the people they are working with. And I know that there have been a lot of sackings in Migración with the new government, as there have been in most government departments. I think cash was being accepted (demanded?) from Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans to get into / stay in the country. So not accepting cash for exit fees would follow that theme.

 

[josh2203]

I suppose they are trying to make it harder for employees to take the under the counter payments. With credit/debit card payments all can be verified and tracked. I am all in favor.

I agree with you, just one thing comes to mind: What if there would be some kind of an outage, either power or internet that affects airport functions? Would that affect card payments, as as far as I have seen, it potentially would? Another question: I have stated previously that I was wanting pay luz and Claro with my debit card in the past, only that they would not accept foreign cards at all (I called them, they admitted this), so would they have a workaround for issues like this?

As tech issues with card payments can really happen anywhere, not just in the DR, I would perhaps favor the possibility of paying your fee online within a certain period of time before even going to the airport. That way you could travel to airport with peace of mind with just a receipt or something as an evidence of the payment. So you would pay online, then have a certain amount of time (1-2 days, for example) within which time you have to pass through migration at an airport.

The DR already has the e-ticket option for customs and such, so this would just be in addition to that...

 

[NALs]

I agree with you, just one thing comes to mind: What if there would be some kind of an outage, either power or internet that affects airport functions? Would that affect card payments, as as far as I have seen, it potentially would? Another question: I have stated previously that I was wanting pay luz and Claro with my debit card in the past, only that they would not accept foreign cards at all (I called them, they admitted this), so would they have a workaround for issues like this?

As tech issues with card payments can really happen anywhere, not just in the DR, I would perhaps favor the possibility of paying your fee online within a certain period of time before even going to the airport. That way you could travel to airport with peace of mind with just a receipt or something as an evidence of the payment. So you would pay online, then have a certain amount of time (1-2 days, for example) within which time you have to pass through migration at an airport.

The DR already has the e-ticket option for customs and such, so this would just be in addition to that...

I think an electric outage that affect credit card payments would also affect other things such as the lighting in the terminal and in the tarmac/taxi ways/runway, the a/c, the luggage carrousel, the ability to electronically accept passports, etc. Airport operations would be halted and airplanes going to the airport and close to landing or in the process of landing would be diverted to other airplanes, until the outage is fixed.

Everywhere credit card payments have been placed in the DR (usually as one more payment option) they haven’t gone back to cash only. I don’t see why this will be different. Another advantage of using plastics vs cash which hasn’t been said is as soon the card is swiped, the money is deposited in the corresponding account rather than having to wait one or two days a week for the cash to be physically deposited in the nearest Banreservas (POP is a government airport, so it’s very likely they deal with that bank.)

 

[LindseyKaufman]

I don’t know and someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I would assume the airports have backup electricity systems. How else would they check people in if there were no luz? How would traffic control function? How would arrivals and departures be announced, in addition to the things mentioned above.

 

[josh2203]

I think an electric outage that affect credit card payments would also affect other things such as the lighting in the terminal and in the tarmac/taxi ways/runway, the a/c, the luggage carrousel, the ability to electronically accept passports, etc. Airport operations would be halted and airplanes going to the airport and close to landing or in the process of landing would be diverted to other airplanes, until the outage is fixed.

Everywhere credit card payments have been placed in the DR (usually as one more payment option) they haven’t gone back to cash only. I don’t see why this will be different. Another advantage of using plastics vs cash which hasn’t been said is as soon the card is swiped, the money is deposited in the corresponding account rather than having to wait one or two days a week for the cash to be physically deposited in the nearest Banreservas (POP is a government airport, so it’s very likely they deal with that bank.)

Forget the electrical outage, you are right, thinking that made little sense as we're talking about airports, but other than that, my point stands. As you say, where cards are accepted as one of the payment methods, they have not gone back. Why would they, I agree with you here as well, but the point is that this would be the only available payment method.

 

[josh2203]

I don’t know and someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I would assume the airports have backup electricity systems. How else would they check people in if there were no luz? How would traffic control function? How would arrivals and departures be announced, in addition to the things mentioned above.

As said above, forget this point, my bad.

 

[chico bill]

Charge it then call your credit card company and say it was an unauthorized charge once you get on board - you can't cancel cash

 

[cavok]

What about when the "system" is down? This seems to happen a lot at all government offices as well as occasionally at supermarkets and other businesses. And, when it's not down, there's the times when the "system" is slow. I don't see how this is going to work(?). Also, what's going to stop them from not swiping and stamping the passport and just putting the cash in their pockets?

 

[rogerjac]

In case of power outages just use one of these

 

[cavok]

I don't think anybody has ever seen one of those here(?).