In message , at 11:35:41 on Fri, 19
Sep 2014, Neil Williams remarked:
They weren't "online only", but "there stands before you a second
class accountholder"; and of course lots of places didn't accept them
if they couldn't do real-time authorisation (in particular they were
no use for buying railway tickets, which is precisely the sort of
transaction their holders might actually want a card, rather than cash, for).

ISTR it was a case of "if you don't do an online authorisation the
transaction is at retailer's risk".

And most retailers, even for things like travel tickets where the
marginal cost of supply is zero, said "no thanks".
--
Roland Perry