On 03-Mar-12 02:45, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:14:16 on Fri, 2 Mar 2012,
Stephen Sprunk remarked:
The train companies already don't accept Solo and Electron[1], because
they (the train companies) don't have online verification, so they'd
just add those sorts of cards to that list.

[1] Debit cards for accounts with no overdraft facilities and/or
impoverished customers, like students, and under-18's.

The same problem could be had with an near-/over-limit credit card,
whereas one of those evil debit cards could have plenty of funds
available. It seems a rather arbitrary distinction.

The difference is that someone with a credit card has been shown to be
eligible for credit *at all*. All you are doing is allowing a slightly
elastic limit. The debit cards are for people who don't qualify for
credit, either because of their age or their history.

Pretty much everyone qualifies for a credit card, at least in the US.
Those with poor credit scores get a low limit and high interest rate,
but they can still get a card. If nothing else, they can get a
"secured" credit card. (That type of card may be unique to the US.)

IMHO, in most* cases using credit shows fiscal irresponsibility because
the person is spending money they do not have. If anything, I would be
more likely to trust a _debit_ card user.

(* My personal rule is that one should never be paying for something
after one has finished using it. So, credit only makes sense for things
like education, housing, durable goods, etc. Not for train tickets,
certainly.)

Note that "credit" in the US generally means _revolving_ credit; if you
are referring to "charge" cards that have to be paid in full every
month, that is a different matter. However, charge cards are rare in
the US; even AmEx, the best-known charge card brand, now offers
revolving cards to profit from Americans' irresponsibility.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking