Tripping Back: Missing Octopus Card

(This post is a continuation of my previous post)

Incidentally, I was also able to kill time. Not in an extremely nice way though - I misplaced my autoload octopus card. Not good.

The Octopus card is basically a card you can use to pay for any transport systems. There are 2 types:

1. The normal octopus cards that are unidentifiable between person to person. To load value into the card, people use add value machines located in all MTR(mass transit railway) stations with cash. This is sometimes a bit of a hassle though, as you can lose track of you octopus card value contents and end up stuck in a bus with a negatively charged card, rendering a troublesome circumstance where you will have to scoop out a coins from your purse or pockets (if you even have one) or ask around other commuters for change to pay up for the bus.
2. The automatic add value personalized octopus cards, which are usually connected to a credit card one owns. This removes the hassle of having to explicitly make a trip to the mtr station to load empty octopus cards, by automaticallly loading the card with a fixed value when the octopus reaches 0 or negative value, and charging this directly to the credit card.

I had the second type, so I was filled with worry: since the octopus card was an add value type, any person who picked it up could go on a spending spree since the card will keep on reloading itself when empty. Since the use of these cards are widely available in Hong Kong (convenience stores like 7-11, fast food restaurants like McDonalds, pharmacy stores like Watsons) I could potentially be charged endlessly until I cancel it. I wouldn't want to see a 1000HKD bill in my credit card statement, of course.

I had to double check my luggages to make sure that its really missing, then I had to trackback where I passed hoping against hope that someone hasn't picked it up yet. Then finally, not finding it, had to cancel the card so it doesnt load anymore. Now I'll have to wait it out for my credit card bill to see how much I was really charged. I'm stil hoping no one was crazy enough to use it buying with 1000HKD....