An unexplained sum has been taken from Auntie Wang's card. The clerk shows her where it comes from and how to avoid it.
Auntie Wang
你好，我这张卡这个月多扣了钱。
Nǐhǎo, wǒ zhè Zhāng kǎ zhè gè yuè duō kòu le qián.
Hello, too much has been taken from this card this month.
The clerk
阿姨，请把卡和身份证给我，我帮您查一下。
Āyí, qǐng bǎ kǎ hé shēnfènzhèng gěi wǒ, wǒ bāng nín chá yīxià.
Madam, let me have the card and your identity card, I will look it up for you.
Auntie Wang
给你。上个月还没有这个情况。
Gěi nǐ. Shàng gè yuè hái méiyǒu zhè gè qíngkuàng.
Here they are. There was nothing like this last month.
The clerk
我看到了。这是年费，一年扣一次。
Wǒ kàndào le. Zhè shì nián fèi, yī nián kòu yī cì.
I can see it. That is the annual fee, taken once a year.
Auntie Wang
年费？办卡的时候没有人跟我说过。
Nián fèi ? Bàn kǎ de shíhou méiyǒu rén gēn wǒ shuō guò.
An annual fee? Nobody mentioned it when the card was issued.
The clerk
一年刷满六次就免。您今年只刷了两次。
Yī nián shuā mǎn liù cì jiù miǎn. Nín jīnnián zhǐ shuā le liǎng cì.
It is waived once you have made six payments in a year. You have only made two this year.
Auntie Wang
我平时都用手机付钱，卡很少拿出来。
Wǒ píngshí dōu yòng shǒujī fù qián, kǎ hěn shǎo ná chūlái.
I pay for everything with my phone, I hardly ever take the card out.
The clerk
那您可以把这张卡换成不收年费的。
Nà nín kěyǐ bǎ zhè Zhāng kǎ huànchéng bù shōu nián fèi de.
Then you could change this card for one with no annual fee.
Auntie Wang
换了以后，里面的钱还在吗？
Huàn le yǐhòu, lǐmiàn de qián hái zài ma ?
After the change, is the money on it still there?
The clerk
在。账户不变，只换一张卡。
Zài. Zhànghù bù biàn, zhǐ huàn yī Zhāng kǎ.
It is. The account does not change, only the card is replaced.
Auntie Wang
那今年已经扣的钱呢？
Nà jīnnián yǐjīng kòu de qián ne ?
And what about the money already taken this year?
The clerk
我帮您申请退回来。一有消息，我就给您打电话。
Wǒ bāng nín shēnqǐng tuì huílai. Yī yǒu xiāoxi, wǒ jiù gěi nín dǎ diànhuà.
I will put in a claim to have it returned. The moment I hear anything, I will call you.
把这张卡换成不收年费的: the 把 sets out the object, 换 changes it, 成 says into what. The trio 把…换成… is fixed and serves everywhere, from a currency to a train seat. Without 成, the sentence would only say the card is being exchanged, without saying for what.
一有消息我就给您打电话: the moment I hear anything, I will call you. It is the phrase with which a Chinese official closes an open file, and it counts as an undertaking. You hear it at a counter, at a hospital and at a garage; it is worth recognising, because it means the interview is over.
Almost all everyday payments in China go through the phone, and the physical card stays in the drawer. Yet annual fees are waived for those who use it a certain number of times: people who no longer use theirs pay every year without knowing. Banks will then offer a fee-free card, simply for the asking at the counter.
