On Mar 3, 3:45*pm, Stephen Sprunk wrote:

(* 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.)

My personal rule is the cost of the transaction. If there is no
charge to use the credit card when the bill is paid in full on time
(which is usually the case), then the credit card is a nice
convenience for a variety of reasons. In addition, some banks give
bonus points for heavy use of the card.


Returning to trains, at a recent train show, the merchants had radio
based credit card validators. They were wholly self contained and
didn't require WiFi or anything else. A power outlet was nice to
charge the battery but not necessary.