A MariBank user allegedly charged ₱34K for a hotel in India while in Davao City

Dispute over “card-present” verdict escalates to BSP.

A MariBank user is disputing a ₱34,499.34 hotel charge they say they never made after an alleged booking to a hotel in India appeared on their account despite them being in Davao City at the time.

The account holder said the transaction appeared in early April for a hotel they never booked. MariBank’s review classified the charge as a “card-present” transaction, typically meaning the cardholder was supposedly physically present to swipe or tap their debit card.

The “card-present” conflict

The user, however, contests this, saying their card never left their possession and that they were in Davao City when the transaction supposedly took place. They also reached out to the hotel directly, which reportedly confirmed it had no record of any booking or payment linked to the reference provided.

Despite these claims, the amount was deducted from the account, with MariBank allegedly maintaining that the transaction is valid, is not eligible for chargeback, and will remain posted.

The escalation path

The customer, who posted about the circumstance on Reddit as u/Kendamin_23, said they reported the case immediately and escalated it to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in hopes of recovering the funds, raising concerns about unauthorized transactions and the difficulty users face in trusting institutions with their hard-earned money.

Recently, global business magazine Forbes has listed MariBank Philippines at the top of its 2026 World’s Best Banks rankings, confirming its popularity among digital bank users.

 

 

From Davao to India? A MariBank user is fighting a ₱34,499 unauthorized charge for a hotel that claims they have no record of the booking.