I haven’t posted on this blog in a while as I wasn’t using my GCash and Maya e-wallets as much as I used to. However, since departing Vietnam in July 2023, I have resumed using my Maya card as a backup. I use it to withdraw cash from ATMs and make purchases online. You may almost certainly expect a non-dispense issue while withdrawing cash from ATMs at least once or twice a year if you use your Maya or GCash frequently abroad, as I believe I said previously in another non-dispense issue article. For the year 2023, I did have a non-dispense issue with Maya.
As expected, the money was refunded after 14–15 days. Normally, there would be a two-week waiting period, however there was a bank holiday at that time.
For the Maya non-dispense issue, the error message “your transaction cannot be processed” or a similar one is typically displayed on the ATM. When this occurs, DO NOT TRY to withdraw money from an ATM operated by a different bank, nor should you take out your card and try again at the same machine. The machine won’t dispense money, but the balance will still be subtracted. I made that error in a rush, as you can see in the picture above, only two minutes apart. The money will not be refunded to you until two more weeks.
I’ll say it again: if you use your Maya or GCash card to make ATM withdrawals outside of the Philippines, expect this to occur once or twice a year. Usually, I pay with the physical cards for my purchases to avoid having to withdraw money. Additionally, there are Filipinos that operate GCash money exchange services; I think you may locate them on Facebook groups. You can ask in such groups which GCash money changers are reputable and can convert your GCash pesos into local currency.
GCash & PayMaya Issues 