Thread: Credit cards
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Old September 25th 06, 10:08 AM posted to uk.transport.london
David of Broadway David of Broadway is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Nov 2005
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Default Credit cards

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:
David of Broadway typed


wrote:
If i buy a 1 day 2-6 off peak ticket at Heathrow can i use a machine or
do i have to go to the ticket seller ?


I recall that you may be posting from the U.S. (Ignore this post if I'm
wrong.) I had problems convincing some of the ticket machines to accept
my U.S. credit card, since the U.S. hasn't adopted chip-and-PIN.


But the human ticket agents accept credit cards, including those issued
in the U.S.


Given the relatively trivial price of this ticket (£4.30) might you not
be better off paying cash? The machines can (sometimes) change large
notes and you will need to have some loose change for casual purchases
sooner or later.


Some people, myself included, find cash an unnecessary hassle to deal
with where credit cards are accepted. I use credit cards wherever
possible, /especially/ while traveling, simply to avoid the hassle.

Also, some people may face smaller fees with credit cards than with ATM
cards. (Not I -- neither my credit cards nor my ATM card charge fees.)

FWIW: When I arrived at Heathrow, I withdrew £100 from my bank account.
When I left three weeks later, I still had cash left over. I paid for
nearly everything by credit card. And now that the bill has arrived, I
not only have a nearly day-by-day reminder of where I've been, I even
have a day-by-day account of the exchange rate (which, unfortunately, is
unwaveringly depressing from beginning to end).

Given the subject line of this thread, I assume that, for whatever
reason, the OP would like to pay by credit card.

It might make sense to break up a large note at an airport shop before
facing the Tube.


I'm not willing to pay the prices that airport shops charge. I'm
certainly not going to buy something just so I can end up with a
different form of cash. I have a credit card, thank you very much.

(You can then keep most of your valuables secure and have small change
and your Travelcard handy & accessible.)


(scratches head) What valuables am I keeping insecure by using a credit
card?
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA