Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

My newest debit card, arrived yesterday, lets me use it like a credit card
for on-line purchases and like a credit card when travelling outside Canada,
although it still debits my bank account.


--
Cheers.

Roger Traviss


Photos of the late HO scale GER: -

http://www.greateasternrailway.com

For more photos not in the above album and kitbashes etc..:-
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l9...Great_Eastern/

"Roger Traviss" writes:
Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

-miles

--
"Suppose He doesn't give a ****? Suppose there is a God but He
just doesn't give a ****?" [George Carlin]

On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:20:56 +0900
Miles Bader wrote:
"Roger Traviss" writes:
Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

B2003

d wrote:
On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:20:56 +0900 Miles Bader wrote:
"Roger Traviss" writes:

Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

I was behind a guy writing a check the other day. The cashier took the
signed check from him and tried to run it through the check printer to
put the amount on, but it failed, so he had to fill it in himself. So
that convenience feature made things take longer still.

I then paid for a small purchase with a credit card.

d wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

In article ,
Robert Neville wrote:
d wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

In the UK pretty much all credit cards are authenicated by PIN. Very few
transactions are unauthenticated (except for pay-wave ones, which have a
limit of £10-£15).


--
Mike Bristow

On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:13 -0700
Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

B2003

On 24-Feb-12 09:01, d wrote:
On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:13 -0700
Robert Neville wrote:
d wrote:
He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying
for a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of
****ed off hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit
card transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even
require a signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

In the US (and Canada, IIRC), sales tax is not included in the posted
price, so a customer doesn't know how much cash to hand over until the
total is computed by the cash register. Then, either the customer has
to count out the correct payment or the cashier has to count out the
correct change for a large bill.

Swiping a card is faster--much faster if the transaction total is under
the merchant's "floor", i.e. doesn't require a signature/PIN.

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

Stephen Sprunk wrote:
On 24-Feb-12 09:01, d wrote:
On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:13 -0700 Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying
for a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of
****ed off hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit
card transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even
require a signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

In the US (and Canada, IIRC), sales tax is not included in the posted
price, so a customer doesn't know how much cash to hand over until the
total is computed by the cash register. Then, either the customer has
to count out the correct payment or the cashier has to count out the
correct change for a large bill.

Swiping a card is faster--much faster if the transaction total is under
the merchant's "floor", i.e. doesn't require a signature/PIN.

What credit card transaction requires a PIN? Those are strictly for
debit card transactions.

On Feb 24, 12:28*pm, Stephen Sprunk wrote:

In the US (and Canada, IIRC), sales tax is not included in the posted
price, so a customer doesn't know how much cash to hand over until the
total is computed by the cash register. *Then, either the customer has
to count out the correct payment or the cashier has to count out the
correct change for a large bill.

Most customers have some idea of the expected total and have a large
bill (eg $20) ready, very few pay by exact amount.

Experienced cashiers can count out change very quickly.

Of course, there are some customers who have to go rummaging through
their wallet or purse for money, but then there are likewise people
who must search out a credit card.


Swiping a card is faster--much faster if the transaction total is under
the merchant's "floor", i.e. doesn't require a signature/PIN.

That really depends on the merchant's verification and charge
machine. _Some_ machines validate very quickly, but often others do
not, even for small amounts. Some credit card validators are
independent of the cash register and they print a receipt slowly.

Returning to trains, NJT's new TVMs are fast, much faster than the old
ones.