In article writes:
....
The question to Rian (who anyway is in Belgium)
should be "Wouldn't it have been easier to pay with a debit card?" (rather
than withdrawing unusual amounts of cash from his bank).

Agreed.

At least in the Netherlands there is a maximum amount that can be payed with
a debit card. And that maximum is independent of the saldo on your account.
When I bought a computer quite some time ago (and, no, it was not a cheap
one), the total amount exceeded this maximum (DFL 2000 at that time), so I
had to pay the remainder by credit card.
--
dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj amsterdam, nederland, +31205924131
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn amsterdam, nederland; http://www.cwi.nl/~dik/

"Stephen Sprunk" wrote in message
...

That's tough with our bills since they're cloth (high grade denim,
technically) and not that nearly indestructible plastic/paper stuff used
for most other countries' notes. Braille and cloth don't mix well; even
if you could print the bills with the feature, it'd be ruined after a few
weeks/months in circulation.


Will Britain or the Eurozone ever get polymer notes, I wonder?

On Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:08:40 GMT, "Dik T. Winter"
wrote:

At least in the Netherlands there is a maximum amount that can be payed with
a debit card. And that maximum is independent of the saldo on your account.
When I bought a computer quite some time ago (and, no, it was not a cheap
one), the total amount exceeded this maximum (DFL 2000 at that time), so I
had to pay the remainder by credit card.

With prior notification to your bank, why have one? I found a (Visa)
debit card to be an extremely convenient way of paying just over
gbp7,000 for a car a few years ago, certainly compared to the risk of
cash or the cost and inconvenience of a banker's cheque. I couldn't
have paid by credit card then paid it off as my card limit at the time
was way below that.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

In message , at 18:57:16 on Mon,
23 Jun 2008, Neil Williams remarked:
I couldn't have paid by credit card then paid it off as my card limit
at the time was way below that.

Couldn't you over-pay the credit card, then use that positive balance?
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:12:01 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , at 18:57:16 on Mon,
23 Jun 2008, Neil Williams remarked:
I couldn't have paid by credit card then paid it off as my card limit
at the time was way below that.

Couldn't you over-pay the credit card, then use that positive balance?

Didn't see the point when I could use a debit card - but I believe
some credit card companies frown on the practice of loading cards
deliberately.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

In message , at 19:23:17 on Mon,
23 Jun 2008, Neil Williams remarked:
I believe some credit card companies frown on the practice of loading
cards deliberately.

That's a combination of having to send you a statement if there's a
positive balance, but not if it's zero; and some money laundering
concerns. I've seen some suggestions that "loaded" credit cards should
be declared as if they were cash at those international borders where
declaring cash (above some limit) is required. Whereas a debit card, or
un-used credit limit, do not count as "cash" in those circumstances.
--
Roland Perry

On Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:11:30 -0500, Stephen Sprunk
wrote:

Nobody wrote:
This is decidedly different than what happens to (relatively rare) USD2
bills, which banks accept without comment but only give out to customers
upon specific request. Banks also hoard USD50 and USD100 bills, but
they'll ask if you want them if your withdrawal is large ("Do you want
that in hundreds or twenties?").

Hoard $50's?

Yes, same reason as $100 bills: retailers won't take them, so most
customers don't want them. It makes little sense since the same
retailers will happily take a thick stack of $20s, which can be just as
easily counterfeited, but that's how it is.

Another knock against the $50 bill is people don't see them often, since
they're relatively useless (people either have $100s or $20s), so
they're not comfortable with them. If people can't figure out if a
somewhat more common $100 bill is fake, they'll never be able to figure
it out for a less common $50 bill...

$2 bills have a worse problem, incidentally. Many people have never
seen one in their entire lives -- or even know they exist -- and they
look different than all the other bills. Many clerks won't take them
without checking with a manager; if the manager hasn't seen one before
(which is fairly rare -- they _are_ still in circulation), they may
refuse to accept it even though the potential loss from a counterfeit is
negligible.

Hmmm, Canadian bank machines routinely dish out our $50's, though the
machines are usually identified and at locations where "regular" $20
dispensers are also available.

US ATMs generally only dispense $20 bills; it makes them simpler and
requires less refilling if there's only one bill type. There are still
a few that give out $5 and $10 bills as well, though they're rare. Ones
in casinos will give you $100 bills, since they accept them at the
tables and that's where they want you spending your money. I've never
seen a US ATM dispense $50 bills.

Aren't US banknotes also all the same size thus making it easier to
accidentally sandwich a high value note in amongst low value notes ?

Canadian bills are the same size, and although they're highly
colour-contrasted, that wouldn't immediately help a sight-challenged
person.

There is a series of raised "tactile features" in the top right
quadrant of Canadian bills recognized by the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind (the CNIB -- or "Seein' Eye Bee"! Yeah, even
sight-challenged have a sense of humour) though these are not Braille
symbols.

As for "sandwiching", ah, would any bank worth its mettle accept a
"bundle" of notes simply on its outside face notes?

As an aside on the bundle argument, pity the poor barperson/shopkeeper
in Zimbabwe having to accept a Stack of Zim dollars to buy a beer
these days...

wrote in
:

Will Britain or the Eurozone ever get polymer notes, I wonder?

One might be pedantic and point out that the current notes are largely made
of cellulose, a polymer of glucose. It has the advantage of being readily
renewable and degradeable, unlike oil-based polymers.

Peter

--
Peter Campbell Smith ~ London ~ pjcs00 (a) gmail.com

In article (Neil Williams) writes:
On Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:08:40 GMT, "Dik T. Winter"
wrote:
At least in the Netherlands there is a maximum amount that can be payed with
a debit card. And that maximum is independent of the saldo on your account.
When I bought a computer quite some time ago (and, no, it was not a cheap
one), the total amount exceeded this maximum (DFL 2000 at that time), so I
had to pay the remainder by credit card.

With prior notification to your bank, why have one?

How can I give my bank a prior notification that I decide to buy something?

I found a (Visa)
debit card to be an extremely convenient way of paying just over
gbp7,000 for a car a few years ago, certainly compared to the risk of
cash or the cost and inconvenience of a banker's cheque.

Also credit cards are limited in the maximum amount and I think those
gbp7,000 would exceed my limit.

Note moreover that in the Netherlands most people do not have credit
cards for two of reasons:
(1) It costs money to get a credit card
(2) It is possible that a retailer asks you to pay more if you pay
by credit card
(1) is not so strong for a debit card because it costs less than a
credit card (something like EUR 5 a year for a debit card against
EUR 30 a year for a credit card). (2) is not necessary for debit cards
because the cost for the retailer is *much* less than with a credit card
(a few cent for each transaction vs. 3 to 5 % of the amount of the
transaction).
--
dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj amsterdam, nederland, +31205924131
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn amsterdam, nederland; http://www.cwi.nl/~dik/

On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:08:59 GMT, "Dik T. Winter"
wrote:

How can I give my bank a prior notification that I decide to buy something?

I did it by telephone. A (UK) account can be flagged to allow a
transaction that might otherwise be declined as suspicious. There's
no guarantee the transaction would fail, but it might have done.

In the UK it is also conventional that you notify your bank if you
intend on travelling abroad.

Also credit cards are limited in the maximum amount and I think those
gbp7,000 would exceed my limit.

Which is why I used a debit card!

Note moreover that in the Netherlands most people do not have credit
cards for two of reasons:
(1) It costs money to get a credit card

In the UK it doesn't, or not unless you borrow on it.

(2) It is possible that a retailer asks you to pay more if you pay
by credit card

Sometimes this happens in the UK, but not all that often. Minimum
charges by card (credit and debit) are rather more common.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.